In 1931 a group of Powell River businessmen formed the
Powell River District Retail Credit Association. The purpose of the
Association was to establish a system of credits and to ensure that
money owed to members by debtors was paid in an orderly fashion. The
scope of matters considered by the Association gradually expanded to
include other economic issues, and the Association applied to become a
Board of Trade under the federal Board of Trade Act, receiving its
charter in September 1933.
The Board changed its name to the Powell River and
District Board of Trade in 1942 to reflect that it represented the
communities of Wildwood, Cranberry and Westview. It reverted to its
original name in 1958 after the amalgamation of these communities into
the District of Powell River. In September 1960, following the lead of
the BC Chamber of Commerce and other local bodies, the Board of Trade
changed its name to the Powell River Chamber of Commerce.
Since its inception in the 1930s, the Chamber and its
predecessors served as a lobbying force for better roads, public health,
and improved air and water transportation links to the Powell River
area. The Chamber also lobbied for changes in business taxes and related
legislation, conducted economic studies and presented various business
seminars for its members. In addition, the Chamber also promoted tourism
as a secondary industry for the area by means of constructing the
Tourist Information Centre at Westview Wharf in 1963, assisting in the
development of the local canoe route, and providing information about
the area through answering inquiries and publishing brochures.
