Copyright Caledonia Courier
A local entrepreneur is helping ensure voices from small communities like Kitimat are heard on the global stage. Bryce Mathew Watts, founder of Forager International and executive director of the Kitimat Museum & Archives, represented Canada at the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance (G20 YEA) Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, at the end of September. As taskforce lead for Innovation, Digitization and the Future of Work, Watts brought ideas rooted in rural creativity and collaboration to a gathering of more than 500 young entrepreneurs from over 20 countries. “It was an incredible honour to share the work being done here in Kitimat and across Canada on such a global stage,” said Watts. “Our community may be small, but the ideas and partnerships we’re building here are contributing to international conversations about innovation, sustainability, and culture.” Held ahead of the 2025 G20 Heads of State Summit, the G20 YEA focused on solidarity, equality and sustainability. Delegates collaborated on policy recommendations addressing digital innovation, food security and climate change, particularly in the context of growing global conflicts and youth unemployment. The proposals will be submitted to G20 leaders. Watts, a returning participant in the G20 YEA, said rural perspectives are essential to shaping those discussions. “Representing Canada means showing that innovation doesn’t just come from big cities,” he said. “It comes from places like Kitimat, where collaboration and creativity are part of everyday life.” Through his work with Forager International, Watts has built an entrepreneurial network focused on arts, tourism, culture and heritage—sectors he considers vital to both local economic resilience and global cultural understanding. His advocacy centres on ensuring rural communities and institutions like museums and heritage sites receive the same support and visibility as urban centres. At the summit, he joined other Canadian delegates in drafting a formal communiqué outlining their shared perspectives. Watts said that while large cities often dominate national and international discourse, small communities have just as much to offer. “Small communities have an equally strong story to be shared,” he said. “We think, as young entrepreneurs, that young people in rural places sometimes think their voices don’t get picked up by world leaders.”
