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Sicamous still a gem waiting to be discovered

Sicamous may not rank among the best places to live in Canada, but it certainly is not without its share of desirable assets.

Sicamous may not rank among the best places to live in Canada, but it certainly is not without its share of desirable assets.

Once again, MoneySense Magazine released its list of best places to live in the nation, and once again Sicamous was overlooked (as was Revelstoke and many other amazing smaller communities). So we thought we’d apply the criteria used by MoneySense to see what their snapshot of Sicamous might look like.

There are a number of categories where Sicamous excels: walk/bike to work – the community gets high marks for its flat topography and close proximity between residences, businesses and the industrial park; weather – Sicamous is a vacation paradise for a reason, and, with the exception of the brief window for outdoor burns, the air is exceptional; culture – like the Shuswap, Sicamous has a large, rich community of artists/artisans/photographers, etc.; population growth – low and fairly static, can be seen as good and bad.

Categories under which Sicamous is hurting include the jobless rate (a lot of seasonal employment), discretionary income and doctors per 1,000 residents. Sicamous is not singled out in these areas, however, as they represent concerns many small B.C. communities are currently trying to deal with.

Regarding affordable housing, while this is an issue in Sicamous, it’s also something the community is trying to address, both through government policy and by supporting affordable residential development. As for crime, generally the notable problems police face are regional in nature (such as snowmobile/quad theft), and are often addressed with the assistance of regional resources.

While there are challenges and issues that need to be addressed, Sicamous’ assets still make it something of an undiscovered gem for clean industry and families who value breathtaking natural beauty and that close-knit community feel.