Vavenby is a community of approximately 700 residents located in the province of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Economy in the region centres primarily on forestry, logging, agriculture, and tourism. Adjacent to the community lies the North

Thompson River The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada. The Thompson River has two main branches, the South Thompson River and the North Thompson River. The river ...

, the

Yellowhead Highway The Yellowhead Highway (french: Route Yellowhead) is a major interprovincial highway in Western Canada that runs from Winnipeg to Graham Island off the coast of British Columbia via Saskatoon and Edmonton. It stretches across the four western ...

(#5), and the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

History

Franklin Allingham was the first European resident in the upper North Thompson valley before the railway arrived. He homesteaded a four hundred acre (162 hectare) piece of land around 1886 on the north side of the North Thompson River. This location is approximately two kilometres from the present day township. In 1910, the original postmaster Daubney Pridgeon suggested that the settlement be named after his birthplace

Navenby Navenby is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. Lying south from Lincoln and north-northwest from Sleaford, Navenby had a population of 2,128 in the 2011 census and in March 2011, it was named ...

but the postal authorities misread his handwriting and the settlement was named Vavenby.

Economic history

The economy in the community continues to heavily reflect that of the lumber industry. The two mills

Weyerhaeuser Weyerhaeuser () is an American timberland company which owns nearly of timberlands in the U.S., and manages an additional of timberlands under long-term licenses in Canada. The company also manufactures wood products. It operates as a real e ...

and Slocan-

Canfor Canfor Corporation is an integrated forest products company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. History The company traces its roots to the late 1930s when brothers-in-law John G. Prentice and L.L.G. "Poldi" Bentley (surname changed from Bloch ...

were positioned side by side on the north side of the river until, in 2002, Weyerhaeuser shut down its Vavenby operation choosing to focus on other locations in western Canada. This resulted in a significant depletion of employment in the region and a rapid population reduction. Weyerhaeuser retained logging rights in the area, keeping the local loggers and foresters employed. In 2004, a finger jointing mill proposed purchase of the Weyerhaeuser, Vavenby mill property and was scheduled to begin production, but the company went bankrupt before the plant became fully operational. The region has been showing signs of economic recovery though. The Canfor mill which had been indefinitely closed in 2009 due to poor market conditions reopened in September 2011 after $24 million in capital upgrades, and in January 2012 it added a second shift for a total of 145 jobs restored to the local region. Yellow Head Mining Corp began exploration in 2007 of the Harper Creek Mine project sited on Harper Mountain approximately 10 km south of town. The Environmental Assessment stage continued through 2013. Yellow Head Mining Corp also purchased the old Weyerhaeuser mill site as an ore handling facility in 2012.

Climate

References

{{Reflist Designated places in British Columbia Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia Populated places in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District