Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise (KORE Outdoors) and College of the Rockies (COTR) are launching Canada’s first outdoor gear repair and advanced manufacturing centre, a new Cranbrook-based initiative designed to strengthen rural manufacturing, expand workforce training, and support circular economy innovation in British Columbia.
The Rehub Circular Technology Centre will be located at COTR’ Gold Creek Campus in Cranbrook and will bring together outdoor gear repair, prototyping, applied learning, upcycling, and small-scale production in one regional hub.
The project is being supported by $1 million from the Province of British Columbia through the Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program.
“This partnership is another example of how we can work together with businesses and post-secondary institutions to create new, innovative, and sustainable opportunities for businesses, while training more people for good jobs in their communities,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth. “This is our Look West strategy in action, as we work to build a more resilient economy for communities across the province.”
The new centre will feature repair and prototyping technology and will support hands-on training in industrial sewing, technical gear repair, upcycling, and small-scale production. It will also give regional companies better access to local manufacturing and testing capacity, helping shorten supply chains, keep more production in B.C., and create new opportunities for students, entrepreneurs, and skilled workers in the Kootenays.
The centre is being developed as both a training hub and a social enterprise, connecting education and industry in a way KORE and COTR say does not currently exist in Canada.
“This is a transformational investment in rural innovation,” said KORE Outdoors Board Chair Matt Mosteller. “The Rehub Circular Technology Centre will help build the skilled workforce, shared infrastructure, and business support services needed to grow B.C.’s outdoor gear sector from within our region. It will allow more companies to design, repair, test, and manufacture products closer to home, while creating new economic opportunities in the Kootenays.”
The project builds on momentum from KORE Outdoors’ Rehub Mobile Repair Tour in 2025 and responds to growing demand from outdoor gear makers, designers, repair specialists, and educators for permanent infrastructure that supports both circularity and competitiveness.
The Rehub Mobile Repair Tour is expected to return in summer 2026, bringing pop-up gear repair to communities across the Kootenays while raising awareness about the new centre.
For College of the Rockies, the project expands its role in regional economic development and creates new applied learning opportunities connected directly to industry.
“We’re doing something that is unique in Canada,” said Michael Crowe, College of the Rockies President and CEO. “For decades, College of the Rockies has been a leader in adventure education and outdoor recreation, rooted in the landscapes and industries of our region. This partnership with KORE builds on that legacy by connecting our outdoor expertise with advanced manufacturing, applied research, and circular economy innovation.
“It opens new pathways for learners, entrepreneurs, and outdoor recreation companies, and we’re incredibly proud to be part of an initiative that will have impact not only in the East Kootenay, but across the province and the country.”
The Rehub Circular Technology Centre is expected to strengthen B.C.’s circular manufacturing capacity by extending the life of outdoor products, reducing waste, and supporting value-added production in the province. Over time, the centre is also expected to support small-business growth, expand applied learning, and help position the Kootenays as a leader in outdoor gear innovation and sustainable production.
Project implementation is scheduled to begin this spring.
