Sector Overview

Agriculture
Forestry
Education
Manufacturing
Commercial
FilmTourism
Transportation

Agriculture

Agriculture has played a vital role in the economy of the Fraser Valley.  Mission itself is home to both commercial and hobby farms.  Historically, Mission’s economy was largely dependent on the agriculture sector.  However, over time Agriculture operations gave way to residential housing demands.  Currently, about 3% of Mission’s Labour Force is employed in the Agriculture Sector compared to 7.5% in the Fraser Valley Regional District.

Forestry

The District of Mission has strong historical ties to the forestry sector.  Mission was known for its strong shake and shingle industry capitalizing on the abundance of cedar in the area.  In fact, Mission was labelled the “Shake and Shingle Capital of Canada.”  Today, shake and shingle companies continue to be some of the larger employers within the municipality with companies such as Meeker Cedar, the Clarke Group, and Anglo American Cedar leading the way.

District of Mission Municipal Forest

Since 1958, Mission has had the unique experience of being one of only two municipalities involved in a tree farm licence (TFL).  The TFL is a total of 10,400 Hectares and is located in the northern boundary of the District of Mission boundaries.  In fact, the municipal forest defines the border for future residential growth.  The total acreage is split with 88% being provincial crown land and 12% municipal land.  The Municipal Forest has an annual allowable cut of 43,398 cubic meters, however the operation also plants an average of 78,000 seedlings and has a biological growth of 55,000 cubic meters.  On average the Municipal Forest has provided the District of Mission with a $320,000 profit per year.  Some of these surplus funds have been put towards the Mission Library and Archives, a Fire Hall, Ice Rink upgrades, budget stabilization, and arts & culture grants.  The municipal forest is also a enormous recreation resource used for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding.

For more information on the Muncipal Forest click here.

Education

Elementary and Secondary EducationPublic education for the residents of Mission is provided by School District #75.  The School District has 21 schools; 13 Elementary, 3 Secondary, and 1 Alternative Secondary School.  These schools provide education for children from grade 1 through to grade 12.

Post-Secondary Education

Mission’s closest post-secondary institution is the University College of the Fraser Valley (UCFV).  UCFV has 5 regional campus; Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, Hope and Agassiz.   Located at Heritage Park Centre, the Mission Campus is a part of a partnership between the District of Mission, School District 75 and the University College of the Fraser Valley.

Mission is also close to other post secondary institutions including Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia and BC Institute of Technology.   Along with those, Mission is also home to Private Post Secondary Accredited or Registered Institutions such as the Academy of Learning and Community Futures of North Fraser.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing plays an important role in Mission.  Currently, there are more then 60 manufacturing companies in Mission employing over 4,000 people.  The majority of those companies are located in the Mission Industrial area along London Avenue, Mission Way and Beatty Drive.

Recently, the District of Mission approved subdivision plans for a 39.8 acre site owned by Solterra Development Corporation.  The Delta, B.C. based firm purchased the property which is located adjacent to the Fraser River, to the west of downtown Mission. The Solterra Industrial Business Park, with frontage to both the Lougheed Highway and CP Rail, provides for 20 individual parcels ranging in area size from .76 acres to 4 acres plus.

The Industrial Business Park Zone that is applicable to the site allows for a wide range of business uses including manufacturing, assembling, service, marine and some forms of retail.

From a municipal perspective, the Solterra lands represent a significant opportunity to expand the number of local employment opportunities, and to act as a catalyst for further business park development on adjacent area properties.

The District of Mission is currently working with other land owners to subdivide other zoned industrial land within the municipality.

Some of the key benefits include:

• Access to Markets
• Easy Access to Major Highway’s
• (Lougheed Hwy #7 & Trans Canada Hwy #1 via Hwy 11)
• 15 minutes to Abbotsford International Airport
• 15 minutes to US Border crossing
• Rail Access
• Available Industrial Land
• Prices between $400,000 – $450,000 an acre for serviced
• Skilled available workforce
• Currently 65% of workforce commutes outside municipality
• Labour Force of 1 Million within 1 hours driving distance
• Post Secondary Education:    (1 University and 5 University-College’s within 1 hour)

Commercial

The Junction Shopping Centre

One of the more recent commercial developments in Mission is the Junction Shopping Centre, which is over 265,000 sqft.  There is approximately 40,000 sqft of space available for lease and build out.  Some of the major tenants include:

• Save-On- Foods (58,100 sqft)
• Famous Player Silver City – 12 Screen (57,800 sqft)
• Canadian Tire (48,000 sqft)
• London Drugs (31,700 sqft)
• Staples (15,000 sqft)

For Leasing Inquiries Contact RioCan at 403-444-2854

Downtown

The centre of the city, Mission has a very vibrant & historic downtown core.  With several smaller niche retail outlets, restaurant, and professional establishments the downtown offers residents and tourists alike a very unique shopping experience.  Over the past several years there has been substantial investment in the downtown including a new Tim Hortons and the addition of a Petro Canada.  The downtown is also home to many professional offices including; several financial institutions, Canada Post, lawyers, accountants, and real estate offices.

The Mission Downtown Business Association is extremely active in promoting the downtown as a place not only to shop, but an ideal location to locate a business.  Some of the larger retailers downtown include; Mission Home Hardware, Rex Cox Men’s Wear, Fields and Belle’s Sports.

Mission Hills Shopping Centre

Located minutes west of the downtown core, Mission Hills Shopping Centre encompasses some 120,000 sq ft of retail shopping.  The shopping centre has undergone significant redesign including the addition of a 45,000 sqft Safeway Food and Drug Store as well as a 40,000 sqft Shoppers Drug Mart.  Other tenants include; Shoe Warehouse, BC Government Liquor Store, Little Caesars and M&M Meat Shop.

Lougheed Corridor

Retail development along the Lougheed Highway has went through significant change over the past five years.  Stretching from the corner of the Lougheed Highway & Highway 11 to the intersection of Lougheed Highway and Oliver, the corridor offers several investment opportunities.Major tenants include:- Real Canadian Superstore (105,000 sqft)- Best Western Mission City Lodge (80 Rooms & Conference Facilities)- Prospera Credit Union Mini-Mall (45,000 sqft)- Rona- Fraser Valley Building Supplies- Mission Spring Brew Pub- Mission Gate Plaza

Film

The District of Mission has played host to several movies, short films, documentaries and television series.  Some of these include the X-Files, Taken, We’re No Angels, Resurrection, & Neon Rider.  Mission has also been chosen for several commercials including; Yoplait, A&W, Jaguar, Ford, & GM’s – Hummer.

The municipality is very supportive of assisting film production companies and personnel in filming in Mission.  The District of Mission has developed a document that lists all of the key contacts for production companies filming in the District.  This includes the Engineering Department, RCMP, Fire Department, and Parks & Recreation.

For more information on Filming in Mission click here.

Tourism

Accommodation

Mission has one large hotel, the Best Western, and a couple smaller motels.  There are also several Bed & Breakfasts and campgrounds in the area.

Room Revenue

The accommodation sector in the Fraser Valley has been growing steadily over the past several years.  In fact, with a growing tourism market Mission is well positioned to attract another major Hotelier.

Tourism Opportunities

Mission has several tourism opportunities for investors who are investigating the area.

Hotel Development

Currently, Mission only has 171 rooms available for tourists.  The     District of Mission feels that with its proximity to Vancouver, ongoing   improvements to both the Lougheed Hwy and Hwy 11, and the fact   that Vancouver is hosting the 2010 Olympic Winter Games that the   community will be experiencing tremendous growth in the tourism   sector in the coming years.  Ideal sites for a new hotel     development    would be along the Lougheed corridor or the   Waterfront area.

RV Park

Another facility that is needed for tourists travelling in the area is   another RV Park.  With no existing RV Parks, travellers pass through   the area as there are no facilities to meet their needs.  This   investment could drastically increase visitorship to our existing   tourism related businesses.

Campsites

With the combined population of the Fraser Valley Regional District     and the Greater Vancouver Regional District exceeding 2.2 million   residents the demand for camping facilities is enormous.  The District   of Mission has several lakes in its northern boundaries that are   currently underutilized.  The District of Mission feels that there is   sufficient demand for the private sector to investigate these   properties.

Major Tourism Attractions & Events

Mission is blessed with many amenities that citizens and tourists alike can utilize.  Having a rural setting and beautiful views of the Fraser Valley people enjoy the scenery that Mission has to offer.

Click here for a listing of major attractions.
Click here for a listing of major events.

Transportation

Highways

Companies can transport goods from Mission using two highway systems.  Highway 7 which runs East to West through the downtown core of Mission, and Highway 11, which links Mission to Abbotsford, the Trans-Canada Highway 1, and the US Border Crossing.

As Mission has grown, so has the amount of vehicles on the road.  In 1991, there were 17,508 licensed Passenger and Commercial Vehicles in Mission.  In 2002 that number has now gown to almost 21,000.

The District of Mission and the BC Ministry of Transportation have done several traffic counts throughout the municipality.  Within the District of Mission, Grand St between 1st and 2nd avenue is a high profile location reaching almost 14,000 vehicles a day.  From a highways perspective, the intersection of the Lougheed Highway 7 and Highway 11 is the highest profile location, with over 21,000 vehicles meeting at the intersection in a 7-hr time span.

Projects

Cedar Connector

The Cedar Connector, an $8 million project slated for completion in   2005, will provide much needed north/south access to the Cedar   Valley area of Mission, which is experiencing tremendous growth.    The Cedar Connector Road project is being funded from internal   reserves/ surpluses and a 2 million Canada/BC infrastructure grant.

Lougheed Highway 7 Improvements

The Provincial Government announced a $14 Million project to four-  lane Lougheed Highway 7 from 285th Street to Silverdale/McLean   Avenue in Mission.  The project will also include improvements to the   intersections of McLean/Silverdale and Highway 7 and the widening   of the Silvermere Lake causeway.  The project is scheduled to be   completed in 2006.

200th St Bridge

The New Fraser River Crossing will improve the movement of goods   and people between the north and south sides of the Fraser River   and through Greater Vancouver by providing a vital link between the   communities on the north side – Mission, Maple Ridge and Pitt   Meadows, and the communities on the south side – Surrey and   Langley.  Expected to open in 2008, the New Fraser River Crossing   will reduce travel times across this part of the river by a minimum of   20 to 30 minutes, speed the movement of commercial goods and   services, promote residential and light industrial development, and   improve transit connections across the river.

Air

Abbotsford International Airport

Located 13 kms south of Mission, Abbotsford International Airport     offers flights from Airspeed Aviation, Air North, Northern Hawk   Aviation, Transat Holiday, Signature Vacations, and WestJet.    Abbotsford International Airport offers several flights to domestic   and international locations.

Abbotsford International Airport
30440 Liberator Ave.
Abbotsford, BC  V2T 6H5
Tel: (604) 855-1001

Klahanie Air

Klahanie Air is a charter floatplane company operating in Mission.    Klahanie Air operates a Beaver Floatplane situated on the Fraser   River.

Klahanie Air  33344 Harbour Ave
Mission, BC V2V 2W4
Tel: (604) 826-4222

Rail

The railway has over 100 years of history in Mission.  In fact, during the 1890′s, there was speculation that Mission would become the main terminus connection on the west coast for rail traffic to the U.S.A…..things didn’t unfold that way, but Mission did become an important rail junction.  Today, Canadian Pacific Railway (CP Rail) operates its east-west mainline through the community with connective points to the inter-modal railyards in Pitt Meadows to the west, and to the rail freight yards in Coquitlam.  CP Rail maintains a ‘wye’ within the Mission rail yard for track maintenance materials.  It also funnels trains to Sumas, Washington through the Mission Junction.  The eastern terminus location of West Coast Express is also located on leased track in Mission.  Recent changes with rail movement also means that CP Rail ‘shares’ its track with CN Railway and often a CN train, as well as the VIA Rail train, can be seen travelling through Mission.

West Coast Express

West Coast Express is an efficient commuter rail service linking Mission, Port Haney, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam and Port Moody with downtown Vancouver.  West Coast Express operates Monday to Friday during peak commuter periods.  Recently, the West Coast Express added Train Bus Service (a bus that follows the train route) that operates seven days a week.The train trip from Mission to Vancouver takes a 1 hour and 13 minutes.