New eco-friendly hub transforms community support.
For David, learning to boost his self-employment skills with the Greater Trail Community Skills Centre Society was rewarding—but meeting in its cramped, outdated office downtown often wasn’t. “I prefer to meet in person when I can,” he says, but challenges like noise, uneven lighting, and limited space made it less than ideal. That changed in July 2024, when the Centre opened its new eco-friendly and spacious location, designed to better serve clients like David.
A bigger, better space
For over 20 years, the Trail Skills Centre has helped residents improve their career prospects, but its ground-floor office was increasingly cramped. “We were outgrowing it,” says Morag Carter, Executive Director. The solution? A new 9,000-square-foot office and warehouse, right across the street.
Thanks to grants and donations from various supporters—including Infrastructure Canada, Employment and Social Development Canada, the Trottier Family Foundation, the Peter Gilgan Foundation, Teck and the Kootenay Savings Community Foundation—the Centre underwent a significant transformation. Columbia Basin Trust provided $200,000 to install LED lighting, replace the natural gas heating system with an energy-efficient air-source heat pump, and add a rooftop solar array.
The results are striking. “The air smells and feels better, the temperature is more predictable, the noise levels are generally lower, the layout is much more navigable,” David says of the new space.
Supporting the community
The expanded facility is more than just an office—it’s a community hub designed to inspire and empower. Programs like Sparking Opportunities, which helps people with disabilities find self-employment opportunities, now benefit from a larger, more accessible space.
The Centre has also added a commercial kitchen, set to be certified in 2025, enabling new programming that was previously offered in borrowed facilities. Other organizations, including the Family Action Network and the Kootenay Brain Injury Association, have moved into the building, and the meeting rooms have become popular gathering spaces.
“We now have the option to expand our offerings, and sharing the space has been really, really great,” says Carter. “In addition, the money that we spent on the building was recycled back into the community.”
During construction, the Centre focused on supporting the community. Materials were sourced locally whenever possible, and 14 of the 16 contractors hired were from the immediate area. Among them was Stephanie McCarthy, an electrician who gained valuable experience while working on the project.
“I wanted to have a good job, level up in life, and getting my Red Seal has definitely done that,” McCarthy says. “I absolutely love being an electrician.”
This approach not only supported local trades but also fostered skill development right on site, reflecting the Centre’s mission to help people advance their careers.
A commitment to sustainability
Environmental responsibility was at the forefront of the Centre’s redesign. “We really wanted to make an impact by increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Carter says.
Funding from the Trust’s Non-profit SMART Grants program, which supports energy-efficient retrofits, made this possible. Initial estimates suggested the upgrades would halve both greenhouse gas emission and energy costs. By September 2024, the solar array was already generating more power than the building used, sending clean energy back to the grid.
“This project shows how you can take an older building and not only make it beautiful, but also integrate technologies that benefit the planet, the Basin, and the bottom line,” Carter says.
Looking ahead
The Centre’s next big project is to renovate the warehouse to match the office’s environmental standards. The space will be used as a training facility, mostly for trades, further enhancing the Centre’s ability to serve the community.
So far, the upgrades have been a success. At an open house in October 2024, over 200 visitors toured the facility. “Seeing people’s enthusiasm was exciting,” Carter says. She encourages others to visit and draw inspiration. “Come have a look around—it’s great to show what’s possible when you combine community and sustainability.”Learn more at https://skillscentre.ca/
Columbia Basin Trust