The tourist industry stemming from the murals helped rejuvenate the town after its large sawmill closed in the early 1980s and was replaced by a smaller, more efficient, mill.

Chemainus was eventually designated a census populated area by Statistics Canada comprising the more built-up residential and commercial neighbourhoods.

In the 1980s, British Columbia's forest industry experienced a period of deep recession,[2][3][4] largely caused by a substantial decrease in demand and price of B.C.

forest imports to the United States, issues regarding aboriginal land claims and the increased public support for environmental groups.

[2][3][4][5] Scholars view this recession more importantly as a representation of a larger structural shift from a Fordist economic production system underpinning many North American industries, toward one of Post-Fordism.

[2][3][4] Consequently, a new system of economic production, characterized by greater flexibility and the exploitation of economies of scope, known as Post-Fordism, began to emerge.

[2][3][6] Key projects include the revitalization of Chemainus' main street, through painting a series of large outdoor murals, as well as the construction of a shopping mall about a kilometer away.

[2][3] Despite Chemainus being heralded as a rare case of successful economic redevelopment within small resource communities, there are still some uncertainties facing its continued development into the future.