The Greater Vancouver-Sea to Sky (GVSS) region encompasses the smallest area but includes the largest population of the Fraser Basin's five regions. About 2.2 million people live in the region-77.7% of the Basin's total population. In addition to the Greater Vancouver region, the northern part of the GVSS region includes the Sea to Sky corridor and the communities of Britannia Beach, Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton. This region is the most urbanized in the Fraser Basin, and although the regional economy is relatively diversified, the health of natural resource sectors in other parts of the Basin continues to have a strong influence. The 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will be held in this region.

• Lowest average residential electricity consumption in 2005.
• Highest total industrial electricity consumption in the Basin.

• Longest life expectancy of all Basin regions (81.6 years).
• Lowest rate of death from cancer or heart disease.
• 2nd highest proportion of low-weight births and (along with the Thompson region) the 2nd greatest increase since 2000

• Greater Vancouver had the worst rating under the housing Affordability Index in BC (2006) and had an estimated 6.4% of the population "at risk" of becoming homeless (2005).
• The number of homeless in Greater Vancouver almost doubled (to 2,174) between 2002 and 2005.

• Largest population and highest rate of total municipal water use in the Basin.
• 2nd greatest reduction (-23%) in solid waste disposal and the 2nd lowest per capita rate of waste disposal (2002).

• The GVRD's Sustainable Region Initiative fosters collaboration across governments, the private sector and civil society on sustainability issues and opportunities, including advancement of a sustainability-inspired economic strategy for Greater Vancouver.
• The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District is working on a Regional Growth Strategy that is guided by sustainability principles.

The Fraser Valley region is almost 13,000 km². The broad, fertile floodplain in the valley contains some of the most productive farmland in Canada. About 256,000 people, or 9.2% of the Basin's population, live in the region, and that number has risen significantly over the past two decades. The economy is based largely on agriculture and forestry, but tourism, fishing, transportation, manufacturing and service industries are also major employers. The region is a key corridor for air, rail, road and river transportation, as well as communications, natural gas and electricity utilities, connecting the interior parts of the Fraser Basin, BC and Canada to the Pacific Coast.

• Highest number of Environmental Farm Plans completed (53% of all Basin plans).
• Net decrease of almost 5,000 hectares in the ALR, with losses occurring in all land classes and 30% of the losses in prime agricultural land.

• PM_2.5 concentrations in Chilliwack remain relatively low and have decreased since 2000.
• Ground Level Ozone (GLO) concentrations in Hope exceeded the Canada-Wide Standard of 65ppb in 2003 and 2004. GLO concentrations in Chilliwack continue to increase and were 2nd highest in the Basin in 2003 and 2004.

• Greatest vulnerability to flooding in the Basin (along with Greater Vancouver).

• 2nd largest population in the Basin.
• 167% increase in total municipal water use and 21% increase in per capita water use from 1991 to 2001.
• Highest average residential energy consumption in the Basin in 2005.
• Most significant increase in solid waste disposal (32.6%) in the Basin.

The Thompson region includes about 56,000 km² - from deep forest with white water rivers to semi-arid, desert-like terrain and rolling grasslands. The region has a population of approximately 176,000 people, or 6.4% of the total population of the Fraser Basin. Kamloops-the largest city in the region-has a diverse local economy based on forest industries, highway and rail services, mining, agriculture, regional trade, financial services, education and training, manufacturing, and recreation. Tourism, transportation, technology and financial and professional services play an increasing role.

• Economic diversification and vulnerability of communities to the forest sector varies within the region.
• The North Thompson area is among the least diversified, while the Ashcroft/Cache Creek area is the most diversified in the region (2001).

• 3rd longest life expectancy of 5 regions in the Basin at 78.8 years.
• Smallest difference in life expectancy between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people,
• 2nd highest increase in the rate of low-weight births (11%) since 2000 (along with the GVSS region).

• 3rd largest population in the Basin.
• Most significant reduction in total municipal water use in the Basin (1991-2001).

• The Salmon River at Salmon Arm received the poorest Water Quality Index rating (39.8 out of 100) of 8 Basin sites.
• Water quality trend analysis finds the Salmon River water quality to be deteriorating due to increased turbidity and chloride.

The Cariboo-Chilcotin region is the second largest region in the Fraser Basin, occupying almost 70,000 km². About 67,000 people-or 2.4% of the Basin's population-live in the region. Located in the BC Central Interior, the Cariboo area is the Interior plateau east of the Fraser River, while the Chilcotin is west of the Fraser. Williams Lake, Quesnel and 100 Mile House are the three largest communities. Barkerville and Wells are known worldwide as gold rush heritage sites and offer an attractive tourist destination along the historic Gold Rush trail. The economy is based mainly on the forest industry. Agriculture, mining and tourism also play an important role in the region.

• Significant progress in community-to-community relations.
• Highest level of Aboriginal language retention in the Basin and higher than the provincial average in all 3 measures

• Ground Level Ozone concentrations have been decreasing in Williams Lake since 1999.
• PM_2.5 concentrations continue to increase in Quesnel and Williams Lake.

• Includes some of the least diversified communities that are highly vulnerable to the forest sector.

• Low-weight birth rate was 6.1%, which is higher than the provincial average (5.6%).
• Diabetes rates have more than doubled since 1995.

The Upper Fraser region is the largest of the Fraser Basin Council's five regions, encompassing 78,164 km². About 117,000 people-or 4.2% of the Basin's population-live in the region. Prince George is the regional centre and largest city, with over 75,000 residents. Other communities range in size from 500 to 5,000 residents. These include Burns Lake, Fort St. James, McBride, Valemount and Vanderhoof. The forest industry is the main economic driver in the region and is important to all of its communities. Agriculture, transportation and tourism also play an important role.

• Significant progress in treaty negotiations and community-to-community relations.
• 2nd highest level of Aboriginal language retention in the Basin and higher than the provincial average in 2 of 3 measures.

• Ground Level Ozone concentrations have been decreasing in Prince George since 2000.
• Prince George exceeded the Canada-Wide Standard for PM_2.5 every year since 2002.

• Includes some of the least diversified communities, including 5 of the 13 communities in BC most vulnerable to the forest sector.

• Highest incidence of deaths from cancer in the Basin.
• Greatest increase (18%) in proportion of low-weight births in the Basin since 2000.
• Diabetes ASMR increased 63% since 1995.