Invest in BC

2012

Business and investment across British Columbia

Enriching our future Employment and investment mean growth for province CANADA STARTS HERE: The BC Jobs Plan BC BUSINESS COUNTS: Investing in communities CONSTRUCTIVE THINKING: Green building, green transport MONEY TALK: Province becomes global finance centre VID VIBES: Canada’s West Coast attracts digital talent

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8 REGIONAL REPORTS WITH STATS

PUBLISHED BY

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION

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2012

Business and investment across British Columbia

www.investinbc.ca

Publisher: Paul Harris Managing publisher: Gail Clark Editor-in-chief: Naomi Wittes Reichstein Design director: Randy Pearsall Proofreader: Baila Lazarus Writers: Lynsey Burke, Curt Cherewayko, Rebecca Edwards, Noa Glouberman, Joel McKay, Peter Mitham, Frank O’Brien, Andrew Tzembelicos, Grant Wing Production manager: Don Schuetze Production: Carole Readman Sales manager: Joan McGrogan Advertising sales: Lori Borden, Corinne Tkachuk Sales assistant: Caroline Smith Administrator: Katherine Butler Controller: Marlita Hodgens President, BIV Media Group: Paul Harris Invest in BC is published by BIV Magazines, a division of BIV Media Group, 102 Fourth Avenue East, Vancouver, B.C. VT G, 604-688-2398, fax 604-688-6058, www.businessinvancouver.com.

Copyright 2012, BIV Magazines. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or incorporated into any information retrieval system without permission of BIV Magazines. The publishers are not responsible in whole or in part for any errors or omissions in this publication.

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Ą Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan—6 Boosting employment, trade and investment Ą BC Business Counts—12 Partnership helps local communities retain and expand businesses Ą We’re gonna turn them on—14 Electric vehicles made in B.C. Ą Banking on us—18 Canada’s West Coast emerges as global finance centre Ą Extra credits—20 Tax incentives go to wide range of entrepreneurs Ą In road mode—22 Highway improvements boost capacity for moving people and goods Ą Green goods—25 Leading the way in sustainable development Ą Digital days—29 Video games, special effects and animation Ą Economic Development Association of British Columbia members—108

Economic development regions Ą Mainland/Southwest—32 Ą Ą Ą Ą

Cover photo: Albert Normandin

PRODUCED BY

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B.C. OWNED AND OPERATED

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Good outlooks Vancouver Island/Coast—51 Economic abundance Cariboo—59 Strength in diversity Kootenay—64 Resourceful Rockies Thompson Okanagan—72 Golden future North Coast—83 A titan awakens Northeast—91 Energy rush Nechako—104 Heart’s content

EDABC partners Diamond BC Hydro Platinum Colliers International Kwantlen Polytechnic University Legacy Pacific Land Corporation Netscribe Communications Inc. Talisman Energy The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver Gold Grieg Seafood BC Ltd. Silver BC Lottery Corporation Fortis BC Bronze Business in Vancouver Magazines Community Futures British Columbia Dams Ford Lincoln Sales Ltd. Farm Credit Canada Super Save Disposal Tag Construction Ltd.

2/12/12 9:45:22 AM

Letter from the Premier

Canada starts here

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ritish Columbia continues to be an attractive jurisdiction for investors, and we intend to do even more to bring economic activity to our province. B.C. is geographically located facing Asian markets, and we have an abundance of natural resources, a skilled workforce, a modern infrastructure and a low taxation and regulatory burden. We will continue to implement programs and policies to enable job creation and investment.

In September 2011, I announced the BC Jobs Plan, called Canada Starts Here. We chose this name because we know British Columbia can lead this country as never before.

Our plan is centred on bringing what we call the “first new dollar” to B.C. This means bringing new investment here so each new dollar can grow, multiply and circulate. We want this first new dollar to circulate from the initial investment, to our value-added sectors, to our small businesses and finally to dinner tables and ice rinks from one end of B.C. to the other.

Our BC Jobs Plan is built on three pillars: enabling job creation, building smart infrastructure and opening new markets.

We have already acted on these pillars, including my jobs and trade mission to Asia in November 2011.

When it comes to recognizing potential in Asian markets, B.C. is leading the country. By focusing in on key sectors – forestry, mining, natural gas, agri-foods, tourism, transportation, clean technology and international education – we harnessed our energy to create the most cohesive sales force ever assembled. We were able to open and expand markets by strengthening existing relationships, opening new doors and setting the stage to create jobs in B.C. Why is this plan so important? Everything I do is about putting families first. Families are the foundation for strong, stable and safe communities. That’s what builds a good province and ultimately what builds a great country.

I am optimistic as we look forward to tomorrow. I know our province can lead this country if we are at our best, if we are united, if we are optimistic and if we are confident.

When it comes to building the future, Canada Starts Here.

Christy Clark Premier British Columbia

Letter from the Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation

Leading in competitive edge

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t gives me great pleasure to welcome you to British Columbia. We are Canada’s Pacific Coast province, renowned for natural beauty, abundant forestry and mineral resources, world-class infrastructure serving international markets, a highly educated workforce and exceptional opportunities for business success.

While global economies struggle, B.C.’s credit rating is triple A, signifying strong fiscal discipline, long-term stability of the economy and a government that gives high priority to growth, diversification and competitiveness. These are only a few of the benefits our province offers investors that enhance our appeal as compared with other business locations.

B.C. boasts a competitive business climate that includes low taxation, efficient and transparent regulatory processes, and policies focused on job creation, investment and investor certainty.

Our recently released strategy, Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan, boosts our commitment to competitiveness even further by reducing backlogs for permits and approvals; continuing to upgrade our excellent systems for getting goods to market; enhancing our relationships in high-growth international markets;

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and leveraging our competitive advantages in key sectors that underpin our export-oriented economy.

A newly created Major Investment Office will accelerate government’s activities to support investors who are proposing significant projects. We expect dramatic results. Without any compromise of our strict environmental standards, we confidently forecast eight new mines and nine mine expansions in B.C. by 2015.

Forestry, natural-gas production, tourism, agrifoods businesses and technology sectors will see similar government-led commitments to expanding markets and slashing red tape.

The government is working in close partnership with business, communities and First Nations people to create conditions where enterprise thrives.

Invest in BC 2012 provides vital insights into the many opportunities throughout the province. We look forward to welcoming and working with you.

Pat Bell Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation British Columbia

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Letter from the president, Economic Development Association of British Columbia

Partnerships for progress

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elcome to British Columbia’s world of opportunities, abounding in many fields and sectors throughout Canada’s westernmost province.

Communities and regions work with the provincial government to accelerate economic development and create jobs through the BC Jobs Plan and their own localized economic-development strategies: proactive steps that benefit companies and investors moving here.

Partnerships with the B.C. government constitute important links to each community. The focus is on making progress in many different areas in a diverse province, from transportation to education to Asia Pacific trade to small business. The partnerships really took off during and following the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, and we are still seeing the benefits today from those world-class events.

The partnerships are represented at all levels of government from municipal to provincial through leadership and promotion of a positive business climate in one of Canada’s leading economies. B.C.’s corporate tax declined from 10.5 to 10 per cent in 2011. Reductions in the provincial corporate income-tax rate, combined with a federal tax rate of 15 per cent that will take effect in 2012, mean that B.C. businesses will enjoy one of the lowest corporate income-tax rates in the G7 in 2012.

B.C. not only has among the lowest corporate

income taxes among the world’s major industrialized countries, it also has the lowest personal income taxes. Small business benefits from programs that provide increased access to capital and tax credits and that reduce and streamline red tape.

The Economic Development Association of British Columbia (EDABC) proudly presents Invest in BC 2012, highlighting the provincial economy, details on the BC Jobs Plan and the exciting outlook for the province.

It provides direct connections to our members and professionals in economic development in communities provincewide. Our aim: to assist your investment decisions by making information available to you about B.C.’s economic regions, while showcasing our communities and highlighting our key economic drivers.

The EDABC is the leading association of economicdevelopment practitioners in B.C.’s communities: the primary sources of economic information and investment specifics there. Our members assist you in turning your investment plans into realities. We want to see you and your business become important parts of B.C. as Canada’s economic leader.

Geoff Millar president Economic Development Association of British Columbia

Letter from the chief executive officer, Economic Development Association of British Columbia

Your team in economic development

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elcome to Invest in BC 2012. Global economic challenges have demonstrated the importance of a well-thought-out economic-development program.

We’ve learned that no government or business can go it alone. In British Columbia, we have clearly demonstrated that economic developers can define ways of growing local economies, whether by working with government, with small businesses or with major industries.

Economic developers bring their own tools and resources. Additionally, they build on partnerships to bring together all the pieces to make things happen. If you seek tools for workforce development, recruitment, real estate, energy or utility resources, transportation infrastructure or regulation and permitting or other tools, an economic developer will work with you to find them. The members of the Economic Development Association of British Columbia (EDABC) are committed to helping their communities and your business thrive.

B.C. is at the heart of the global economy. From Vancouver to Fort Nelson, from Prince George to Kamloops, from Kelowna to Golden, from Fort St. John to Cranbrook, and from Victoria to Port Hardy, our

diverse economy encompasses forestry and mining, manufacturing, agri-food, clean energy and tourism infrastructure: one of the strongest economies in the world. Our government’s commitment to ensuring that we are one of the most competitive jurisdictions within the G8 has helped to give us the best outlook in Canada for future growth and prosperity.

We like to think our quality of life is second to none, offering urban, small-town and rural locations.

Our recreation is as varied as the seasons, from skiing to kayaking to golfing, or lying on a sunny beach in one of the scenic lakes throughout the province.

The following pages give you a valuable resource on B.C.’s economic regions, with contact details of the economic developers, consultants, developers and other partners making up the EDABC. I invite you to call on any of our members or our office to learn how you too can be part of Canada’s strongest economy.

Dale Wheeldon chief executive officer Economic Development Association of British Columbia BIV Magazines/

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Our nation’s gateway

The Aurora borealis as seen over Lillooet on a March evening

Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan puts employment, trade and investment first

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By Peter Mitham ea Island at the mouth of the Fraser River is where Canada begins and ends for travellers and airborne goods crossing the Pacific. It’s emblematic of the aspirations and wealth of Canada’s westernmost province.

Canada starts at this gateway of opportunity for trade and investment, of new waves of immigration that enrich the pool of existing talent whose roots stretch back 10,000 years to the Coast Salish peoples who originally wrought their living from this place.

“With the globe shifting its economic focus to Asia, it’s pretty

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clear that Canada does start in British Columbia,” says Pat Bell, British Columbia minister of jobs, tourism and innovation. “Virtually every community in British Columbia, whether it’s a small First Nations community or a large centre like Vancouver, will have areas that they will look at and say, ‘That makes sense for us.’”

To support this vision, the province has formalized an economic development and job creation strategy under the banner of Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan.

Designed to encourage key sectors in every corner of the province, the plan promises to make B.C. a starting point for employment, trade and investment. The plan provides compelling reasons to move for jobs to a province that has consistently earned high marks for quality of life.

“It’s intended to send a very strong message that B.C. wants to take its place within Canada as the lead province in economic trade with the Asian marketplace,

ABOVE AND LEFT: The Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies and

Renewable Energy Conservation at Okanagan College, Penticton

and we want to help support not just B.C.’s economic goals but the economic goals of Canada,” Bell explains.

B.C.’s most robust job market is in Metro Vancouver, where employment is increasing at 4.5 per cent annually. Ports in Vancouver and Prince Rupert handle goods travelling to and from a widening range of countries. No longer dependent on trade with the United States, B.C. now sees 55 per cent of trading activity occur with countries around the Pacific Rim and farther afield. A rapidly expanding port and diverse population with ties to locales across Asia and

worldwide enrich trade and allow business relationships unthinkable a decade ago.

Cognizant of such activity, Vancouver aims to preserve industrial lands that support Port Metro Vancouver’s activities and the development of infrastructure that facilitates port-related transportation.

Vancouver also seeks to develop a Green and Smart Enterprise Zone that showcases and nurtures innovation in technology.

This forward-looking attitude is parallelled in communities across the province where colleges and entrepreneurs are fostering talent that will lead to future jobs.

Invest in the West Province focuses on major clusters of interest for development and job creation Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan identifies three key industries and eight sectors for strategic development and job creation.

The industries are natural resources, knowledge-based industries and infrastructure. Within those, sectors of special interest are forestry, mining, natural gas, agri-foods, tourism, transportation, international education and technology. Support will take the following forms: Ąopening markets in Asia for forest products, including lumber and pulp, and developing new bioenergy and wood-pellet markets in Asia and Europe; Ąaccelerating approval of mine proposals, ensuring that eight new mines are in operation by 2015 and facilitating the expansion of at least nine mines currently in operation; Ąopening one liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline and terminal by 2015, having three in operation by 2020 and working with BC Hydro to ensure that LNG expansion is not limited for want of electricity;

Ąensuring interprovincial movement of British Columbian wine and promoting B.C. farm produce overseas; Ąworking with Ottawa to meet workforce needs in technology, clean tech and the green economy; Ąexpediting immigration process for researchers and scientists wanting to bring their expertise to B.C. from abroad; Ąrefreshing and expanding marketing to attract tourists from countries such as India and China with emerging middle classes; Ąworking with communities to identify new opportunities in emerging areas such as cultural tourism in partnership with First Nations, agri-tourism and adventure tourism; Ąaggressively marketing resorts and ski hills from across the province to increase skiing both from within and from outside the market; Ąexamining the feasibility of setting up an international trade zone offering tax and other incentives to encourage growth and job creation and helping build new export-oriented businesses; and Ąworking with China and India to boost B.C.’s international student population by 50 per cent by 2015.

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Economic indicators Sources of strength, areas of diversification

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ritish Columbia’s real gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 3.0 per cent in 2010, making up lost ground after having contracted (–2.1 per cent) in 2009.

Economic growth in B.C. was spurred mainly by an increase of 5.3 per cent in final domestic demand (total personal, business and government spending), with business investment (+13.9 per cent) and consumer spending (+3.8 per cent) spurring much of the growth.

Investment in non-residential structures (+27.1 per cent) and machinery and equipment (+11.9 per cent) saw doubledigit growth. Total government-sector spending in B.C. rose 10.6 per cent, with infrastructural spending rising 15.4.

B.C.’s economy is expected to grow moderately over the next year, according to the province’s independent Economic Forecast Council. The council forecasts GDP growth at 2.7 per cent for 2011 and 3.0 for 2012, with an average annual forecast for 2013 through 2015 of 2.8 per cent.

Getting the jobs done British Columbia’s unemployment rate decreased to 6.6 per cent (seasonally adjusted) in October 2011, its lowest level that year. The improvement in the jobless rate was driven by a drop in employment (-0.5 per cent, a loss of 10,800 jobs) offset by a decline (-0.6 per cent) in the number of persons either working or seeking work. Job losses were concentrated in the goods sector, where employment fell 4.2 per cent. The service sector saw job gains (+0.5 per cent) in October.

(Sources: BC Stats; Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey)

Payday, payday The average weekly wage in B.C. was $847.57 in November, as compared to the national average of $851.35. B.C.’s average weekly wage rate was Canada’s fifth-highest. The average hourly wage in the province was $23.43. Hourly wages in the province are slightly ahead of the national level.

(Sources: BC Stats; Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey)

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Tourism tally

Wholesome sales

The number of travellers entering Canada via B.C. was up (+0.5 per cent, seasonally adjusted) in September 2011. Entries from overseas countries were higher that month (+1.8 per cent), with much of the increase coming from countries classified as “other” (+4.5 per cent), which include Oceania as well as North America (excluding the United States) and South America.

The number of visitors from Asia (+1.1 per cent) and Europe (+1.0 per cent) also increased over the previous month.

(Sources: BC Stats; Statistics Canada)

B.C.’s wholesalers saw revenues rise 0.5 per cent (seasonally adjusted) in September 2011, led by stronger motorvehicle sales. Nationally, wholesale sales increased 0.3 per cent: a fifth straight monthly increase.

(Sources: BC Stats; Statistics Canada)

Store capacity Retail sales in B.C. advanced modestly 0.2 per cent (seasonally adjusted) in September 2011, a slowdown in growth from the previous month (+0.7 per cent).

Sales at clothing and accessories stores (+1.6 per cent), sporting goods, hobby, book and music shops (+1.3 per cent) and motor vehicles and parts dealers (+1.3 per cent) were higher, though these were largely offset by declines in revenues earned at building materials and garden supplies stores (–2.8 per cent). Sales were also weaker at furniture and home furnishings (–1.2 per cent) and food and beverage (–0.4 per cent) stores.

(Sources: BC Stats; Statistics Canada)

From the ground up Housing starts in B.C. rose 2.4 per cent (seasonally adjusted) in October 2011.

Urban starts were up slightly (+1.5 per cent) from continued growth in new multiple-unit housing projects (+5.5 per cent), but single-family detached starts went down (–9.5 per cent). Rural starts went significantly up (+13.0 per cent) in October. Nationally, housing starts slipped 0.6 per cent in October.

(Sources: BC Stats; Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation)

Allow me Up to November 2011, residential and non-residential building permits in B.C. were lower than in the first nine months of 2010, but the Mainland/Southwest (+0.2 per cent), Northeast (+4.8 per cent) and North Coast (+89.1 per cent) regions of the province fared favourably in the first nine months of the year.

(Sources: BC Stats; Statistics Canada)

Make it or break it Manufacturing sales in B.C. moved ahead 0.1 per cent in September 2011: the fourth consecutive monthly increase. Of the 21 manufacturing industries, 10 posted increases. Shipments by machinery manufacturers showed the most strength (+6.1 per cent), while shipments by computer and electronic (+4.2 per cent) and beverage and tobacco (+3.6 per cent) producers were also notably higher. Overall, manufacturers of non-durable goods saw the value of shipments slip 0.4 per cent, while shipments were up 0.6 per cent in the durables sector.

(Sources: BC Stats; Statistics Canada)

Taking credit The Dominion Bond Rating Service, Standard & Poor and Moody’s Investment Service have all reconfirmed B.C.’s strong credit rating. The most recent report from Moody’s notes the Province’s debt-reduction efforts of the past few years have put B.C. in a stronger position to face the economic downturn.

DBRS rates B.C. AA (high), Standard & Poor AAA and Moody’s AAA. Ą Sources: Province of British Columbia, “Economic Indicators”; BC Stats; Statistics Canada

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Expansion and improvement of the Deltaport container terminal: enhancing B.C.’s viability as a gateway to Asia

“My challenge to the economic development officers across the province is going to be: work with us within the context of the jobs strategy to identify the core areas within your region that we can help you lever up, and then we will do our best to bring the resources of the province to bear to assist your community in its economic-development efforts,” Bell says.

He has some clear ideas of the opportunities that exist around the province, from Atlin to Elkford, communities one wouldn’t normally consider gateways to Asia. For example, Chieftain Metals Inc. is developing the Tulsequah Chief mine south of Atlin. It will draw hundreds of people to the area, and mining companies like Chieftain are creating work for financiers and lawyers in larger centres.

“Canada starts in Atlin because Asia is

The federal government has tapped Seaspan Marine Corp. to build noncombat vessels through the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy

driving the economic growth of the mineral sector, and Atlin is going to live and die on mining,” Bell says.

Interior communities are already tapping their rich forest resources to meet

demand from Asia, with the result that China and Japan are taking more than 30 per cent of milled lumber, while the American share of lumber exports has fallen to 40 per cent.

“Our lumber exports over the past four years have multiplied about tenfold, to the point now where we’ll do about 4.5 billion board feet of lumber into China. It is what has kept the mills in Williams Lake running,” Bell says, noting that coal mines near Elkford have seen a similar boom.

Not only have big resource companies seen benefits, but smaller companies that provide goods and services and entrepreneurs who cater to the needs and lifestyles of their employees have profited too.

BC Stats reports that 98 per cent of businesses in the province are small ones, representing 30 per cent of the province’s

PO RT A L B E RNI PO RT AU T H O RITY

Canada’s Inlet Port on the Pacific Port Alberni Port Authority 2750 Harbour Road, Port Alberni, BC 250-723-5312 www.portalberniportauthority.ca

Photos (top to bottom): Government of Canada/Corporation of Delta; Seaspan Marine Corp.

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british columbia Emily Carr University of Art + Design: boosting enrolment in industrial design

The growth in jobs is supported by a robust educational sector. While welcoming international students is a priority with the province, post-secondary institutions around B.C. are also training professionals and trades to bear the economic torch at home.

A total of 42 projects at such institutions

GDP. While accounting for just 46 per cent of the labour force, small businesses posted growth of 3.5 per cent in 2010 over 2009 largely because of employment in construction, which weathered the recession to surge 17.8 per cent between 2005 and 2010.

Real estate: Buyers’ purchases by asset type

Real-estate sales by property type

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across B.C. received $237.4 million from the federal government and $296.5 million from the province under the Knowledge Infrastructure Program. Buildings were upgraded and investments made in facilities such as the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation at Okanagan College in Penticton and the Centre of Excellence for Clean Energy Technologies at Northern Lights College in Dawson Creek, a major service centre for oil-and-gas exploration companies.

Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops has launched a new law school, the first in Canada in 35 years, to train lawyers to work in northern communities. In Vancouver, upgrades and renovations at Emily Carr University will boost capacity to enrol students in industrial design by 50 per cent and space for faculty by 40 per cent. Ą

First half 2011 Graphs: Avison Young

Building relationships Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver: CLSLink offers provincewide commercial-property listings and prices, searchable by city or British Columbian region. www.clslink.ca National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), Vancouver chapter: NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, represents developers and owners of 10

commercial real estate. It offers “communication, networking and business opportunities” and “provides a forum for continuing education and the promotion of effective public policy at all levels of government.” www.naiopvcr.com RealNet Canada Inc.: RealNet provides detailed research on commercialproperty transactions and new home projects to help clients make decisions

about investments and developments. www.realnet.ca Building Owners and Managers Association of British Columbia (BOMA BC): BOMA BC acts as the voice of the commercial-buildings industry and promotes education, professionalism and leadership among its members. www.boma.bc.ca

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Sources: Statistics Canada BC Stats

The people behind the real estate

british columbia Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą

People Population 1991 Population 2006 Population 2011

3,373,787 4,243,580 4,584,102

Population: Biggest cities in each region (2010) 642,843 121,306 114,140 75,568 19,873 19,123 12,994 5,408

Immigrant population (2006 census) Immigrant residents

1,119,215

Per cent distribution, immigrants, by birthplace China PR United Kingdom India Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region Philippines United States

145,320 137,460 119,265 78,065

3.5% 3.3% 2.9% 1.9%

69,195 56,560

1.7% 1.4%

Language spoken at home (2006 census) 3,341,285 260,280 184,590 49,130

Sources: Statistics Canada, BC Stats

English Chinese (all) Punjabi Korean

82.0% 6.4% 4.5% 1.2%

Business $153.1 $37.6

Total gross domestic product (GDP): 2010, $ billion Finance & insurance; real estate, rental & leasing; & management of companies & enterprises Manufacturing Health care & social assistance Retail trade

$13.2 $11.0 $10.1

B.C.’s biggest municipalities by population 700,000 600,000 500,000 400,000 300,000 200,000 100,000 uv er Su rr Bu ey rna Ric by hm Ab ond bo ts Co ford qu itla Ke m low To n wn S sh aa a ip ni of ch La ng ley

Vancouver Kelowna Saanich Prince George Fort St. John Cranbrook Prince Rupert Smithers

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Mainland/Southwest Thompson Okanagan Vancouver Island/Coast Cariboo Northeast Kootenay North Coast Nechako

economic development regions mainland/southwest—32 vancouver island/coast—51 cariboo—59 kootenay—64 thompson okanagan—72 north coast—83 northeast—91 nechacko—104

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Exceptional services and facilities make Maple Ridge attractive to business

Photo: Picture BC/Oliver Rathonyi-Reusz

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Look right at home BC Business Counts emphasizes retention and expansion

The EDABC works with communities in the Thompson Okanagan through BC Business Counts

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By Andrew Tzembelicos ypically in a community, upwards of about 80 per cent of [business] growth … happens from within,” says Kevin Poole, economic development officer, City of Vernon. If businesses have “the opportunity to expand, if they’re able to acquire the right financing, and they have the land opportunities to grow, and the municipal process facilitates that growth,” they’re likely to stay and expand within their communities.

New businesses are critical to economic growth and potential. Equally important are business retention and expansion (BRE): a prime focus of the Economic Development Association of

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British Columbia (EDABC). Recognizing the benefits, today’s communities are participating in the BC Business Counts Program, the result of a partnership involving the EDABC, the B.C. Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation and BC Hydro. The EDABC hopes 60–70 per cent of B.C.’s communities will join.

It’s all about information BC Business Counts helps communities learn more about existing businesses.

Program personnel gather information through one-on-one interviews, then enter it into a database that provides a clearer understanding of the community’s businesses and the specific issues they

face as well as an overall picture spotlighting the broader concerns facing the business community.

With this information, the community can target issues individual businesses may be having or that may be limiting growth, such as marketing or recruitment. In the Cowichan Valley, for example, informationgathering conducted by the community using the BC Business Counts tools taught the local economic development office (EDO) that a certain company wanted to expand into the Korean market. The EDO worked with the company and the provincial ministry to make this happen.

More broadly, information gathered through BC Business Counts can help Photo: Eric Simard/Picture BC

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EDOs examine broader fundamentals that may be limiting growth and expansion and aid them in working through these constraints locally or provincially.

“The more you know about weaknesses and challenges in the communities, the easier it is to address them,” says Dale Wheeldon, chief executive officer of the EDABC. Information-gathering enables a community to know itself better. Wheeldon adds that as much as the program concerns “business retention and keeping companies in communities and helping them grow and stay strong, it’s also [about] identifying what those strengths are in communities as well as some of the challenges, addressing [them] and building on the strengths.”

The North Cowichan heartland

Why retention and expansion matter Attracting new companies is always a priority, but long-term economic fortune really depends on the success and growth of existing businesses.

Says Kathy Lachman, business development officer with Economic Development Cowichan, “Especially with this economy, you’re seeing a fundamental shift in the way people are thinking about business retention and expansion.” A community that isn’t doing BRE is “only doing one-half of economic development.”

For Poole, BRE means ensuring that businesses are “happy” and “surviving” while enjoying “opportunities to expand.”

It also entails jobs, increased revenue, economic growth and other spinoffs.

A prime example is Kal Tire, Canada’s largest independent tire dealer. In expanding its headquarters significantly, it opted to remain in Vernon rather than relocating: a boon for the local economy.

The Kootenay recently joined as an entire region. Here the program will help “at a time of increasing challenges, limited resources and often limited community capacity,” says Terri MacDonald, regional innovation chair in rural economic development with Selkirk College and lead researcher for the Columbia Basin Rural Development Institute. “A regionwide approach to the implementation of BC Business Counts will … inform communities [not only] at a local level but also at a regional and sub-regional level. This regional understanding positions us well

Gifty Serbeh-Dunn, owner of Shea Butter Market of Mill Bay: reaching new markets and a widened export base through BC Business Counts

Golden: among the Kootenay communities participating in BC Business Counts through a co-ordinated regional approach

to be responsive to the shared challenges faced by our communities.” MacDonald believes that a regional approach will also assist communities lacking economic development officers or economic development plans.

Wheeldon calls BC Business Counts “one of the most comprehensive BRE programs in North America,” an initiative that’s teaching communities about their businesses and equipping them with the tools they need to thrive. Ą

Photos (top to bottom): Roy Langstaff/Picture BC; Courtesy of Economic Development Cowichan; William Pitcher/Picture BC

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What we’re plugging A Canadian-made electric vehicle could soon hit the road

By Curt Cherewayko hile major automakers ready their first electric vehicles (EVs) for consumers, an entirely distinct current is recharging the automotive sector.

That current is ridden by a burgeoning cluster of energetic newer players working from the bottom up in EV development.

While they may lack the obvious brand power, experience or manufacturing might of a General Motors or a Toyota, Mike Elwood, chair of the industry-funded advocacy group Electric Mobility Canada and vice-president, marketing, of Azure

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With its airplane-like body, the eVaro by Future Vehicle Technologies of Maple Ridge can travel up to 200 kilometres on a single charge

Dynamics Inc. in Burnaby, gives them much credit for the fact that EVs will soon be on Canadian roads.

“The traditional OEMs [original end manufacturers] have embraced this market, but they have embraced it because of the pressure coming from the bottom up,” says Elwood. By “bottom up,” he refers to the nascent cluster of junior companies developing EV technologies.

“In Canada, we have a very robust

industry for making pretty well every auto component, drive system and energystorage system.”

The industry’s most ambitious members are developing what could be the only Canadian vehicles on the market.

Future Vehicle Technologies (FVT) of Maple Ridge is creating the eVaro, a threewheeled electric hybrid at least three years away from production.

With the look of an airplane, the eVaro

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Motive Industries’ new Kestrel, whose bio-composite body is made of hemp

might be a tough sell to a mass audience, but that’s the point: rather than competing with the EVs that large automakers are commercializing, FVT thinks the eVaro will appeal to niche enthusiasts.

The company projects needing to raise between $30 million and $50 million to get the eVaro on the road.

It would have a limited run of roughly 500 vehicles in the first year, then up to 5,000 in following years.

“This isn’t an area that investors are used to investing in,” says Todd Pratt, FVT’s chief executive officer.

He notes that aside from California’s Tesla Motors, the most notable new car company in North America was American Motors Corp., a failure of the 1970s. Yet he adds that technology has advanced so much that the automotive market is now accessible to smaller companies.

“The costs aren’t [nearly so] enormous as the large manufacturers make them out to be,” he says. “They have a lot more overhead than we do.”

Given the stranglehold of the incumbent companies on the market for combustion-powered vehicles, the vast number of new automotive firms focus on the EV market, which is still up for grabs.

FVT has designed almost every part of the eVaro’s engine, from electric motor to battery pack to DC converter.

The company is proving its technol-

ogies in other industries. It’s designing battery packs for submarines, a powertrain for the mine-shaft trucks of an Ontario company and a direct-drive generator for wind and water turbines.

“While we’re looking for investors to take us to the next level, these customers are critical to the survival of the company,” says Pratt.

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ABOVE AND RIGHT: Delta-Q Technologies, Burnaby, provides QuiQ chargers for GEM

electric vehicles and battery chargers for E-Z-GO RXV electric golf cars

Gearing up

Like the eVaro, the Kestrel is still a few years from hitting the road, pending Motive’s finding investors.

“All the new batteries, drivetrains, fuel cells and other technologies that are coming out: who is going to be using this technology?” asks Nathan Armstrong, Motive’s founder, director and president. “Especially with the reluctance from the traditional guys to look at any outside technology that they haven’t developed themselves.”

The surprise: Kestrel’s biocomposite body is made from hemp. Design and production are being done through a network of companies and academic institutions in Alberta.

The body is made from mats produced in Edmonton by the government research agency Alberta Innovates – Technology Futures (AITF), which gets the hemp from a pilot farm project in Vegreville.

Tekle Technical Services in Drayton Valley, Alberta, takes the mat from AITF and refines it further into the composite used in the body.

Then the mat goes to FiberwerX in Sylvan Lake, Alberta, which shapes it into Rapid Electric Vehicles founder and CEO Jay panels. These panels then go Giraud has developed a car that can store to Red Deer College, where energy and distribute it back to the grid

Calgary’s Motive Industries Inc. is leveraging a large network of Canadian automotive and technology companies to develop its EV, the Kestrel. Among Motive’s important partners are expert groups based in British Columbia.

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students and researchers are putting the Kestrel together and testing it.

A subsidiary of Hydro Québec is developing the Kestrel’s powertrain.

Toxco Inc. of Trail, B.C., one of the world’s few recyclers of lithium-ion batteries, is involved in designing charging stations for the Kestrel.

British Columbia Institute of Technology is conducting simulations of how the EV-charging infrastructure may affect the larger electrical grid. It will use a Kestrel over the next years to validate the result of these simulations.

With figures from previous studies, Motive projects that annual Canadian demand for EVs could reach 160,000.

“Part of the reason we’re doing this is to prove to people that we can do this in Canada,” says Armstrong. “If we use different materials and technologies, and if we go electric, we can do this for a lot less money, and we can do it in Canada.”

Other companies in B.C. that share Motive’s optimism about the EV market include Burnaby’s Delta-Q Technologies Corp., which makes power converters for EVs, and Vancouver’s Rapid Electric Vehicles Inc., which converts combustionengine vehicles into electric-powered ones.

Kyle Wang, CEO of Richmond’s Delaware Power Systems Corp., which designs battery modules for EVs in the more advanced markets of Asia and Europe, expresses the opinion that new players don’t have to worry about cannibalizing their gas-powered vehicles, as major automakers do.

And in B.C., a relationship between a junior company and a major automaker has indeed borne fruit: Azure Dynamics is designing powertrains for Ford Motor Co.’s electric-powered Transit Connect, which is gaining solid traction in the commercialvan market. Ą Photo (bottom): Dominic Schaefer Photography

2/12/12 9:46:53 AM

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Catalyst Paper is a global leader in making paper the responsible way. We are western North America’s leading manufacturer of mechanical papers – papers whose raw materials are sourced from sustainably managed forests and papers that are produced using 89% renewable energy at our BC mills. Catalyst was the first company to introduce manufactured carbon-neutral paper for a mass market. Our eye is always on using fewer raw materials, wasting less, increasing efficiencies in manufacturing, and lessening our greenhouse gas emissions. There is no one solution and that’s why we work tirelessly with our supply chain and other partners, including WWF Canada to reach better outcomes.

You can feel good about using paper to get your news and information.

You can feel even better when you reuse and recycle that paper.

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Money talk International finance finds a home on Canada’s West Coast

By Peter Mitham ritish Columbia has long been a gateway, with Burrard Inlet providing both entry and shelter to ships and rail lines extending eastward into the continental heart. Cultural mix gives diversity to the business community, with links around the Pacific Rim and world-wide.

To many, Vancouver has become known as the Switzerland of North America, thanks to its stable investment climate and its political environment attractive to business.

Consulting firm Z/Yen of London, United Kingdom, recently ranked the city 17th on its annual index of global financial centres, up from 35th three years ago. Vancouver is deemed an “established

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transnational” centre with a particular strength in wealth management.

Yet the location offers so much more.

“It’s not just financial services but, more broadly, exported business services,” explains Bruce Flexman, president of AdvantageBC International Business Centre Vancouver, formerly International Finance Centre British Columbia.

AdvantageBC promotes B.C. as a location for investment and encourages companies to take advantage of the favourable tax treatment available under the International Business Activity Act of 2004. Established as a non-profit provincial society in 1986 with a mandate to cultivate international financial services, AdvantageBC expanded its mandate

in 2004 to reflect the addition of nonfinancial activities such as film distribution and international patents. Regulations are under development to allow participation by firms distributing digital media, clean technology, carbon-credit trading and investment-management services.

These are “areas where the province feels B.C. has a competitive advantage as well as being [priorities],” Flexman says. “It’s really encouraging international revenues and B.C.-based companies to become successful internationally.”

The renaming of the centre reflects the growing breadth of its mandate. The term “AdvantageBC” not only conveys that this is an advantageous place to do business but that participation by the specific sectors Photo: Tourism Vancouver

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Housed in the Bentall 3 tower, AdvantageBC oversees programs designed to attract financial transactions and export deals to the province

Burrard Inlet and the downtown Vancouver skyline at dusk

covered is to B.C.’s advantage.

“Our focus has been and will continue to be on promoting the legislated competitive tax regime designed to attract global business to British Columbia,” said AdvantageBC chair Ron Bozzer in a statement announcing the rebranding. “Our recent strategic planning initiative demonstrated to us, however, that our membership base had moved and was continuing to move well beyond its roots in Canadian banks and financial institutions into other increasingly important business sectors.”

Under the International Business Activity program, eligible corporations and specialists working for them receive refunds of B.C. tax paid on income related to international business transactions. This arrangement

originally prompted German chemical firm BASF to locate its treasury here to handle international financial transactions. The program’s expansion to business sectors beyond financial services promises to attract export-oriented companies.

Still, financial services continue as the program’s most important segment.

China’s economic growth and expanding international influence have prompted the Bank of China to become a member of the centre. The bank has a branch in downtown Vancouver.

“With the Chinese banks becoming larger and more influential internationally, they’re part of our program,” Flexman says. “They would have some international activities they would conduct from within Vancouver.”

Photos (top to bottom): RCPhotography; Dominic Schaefer Photography

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Similarly, Orbis Mutual Funds, a Bermudan wealth-management firm, has located a significant proportion of its back-office functions in Burnaby as part of its international office network.

The activities are providing a cluster of activities that are helping the province become a destination for international deal-makers. While the long-running BioPartnering North America forum regularly attracts more than 500 life-science executives to Vancouver, the province is also home to a rising tide of international mergers and acquisitions thanks to an experienced base of lawyers and mid-market financiers capable of handling deals worth millions, if not billions, of dollars. Ą

Bruce Flexman, president, AdvantageBC

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Taking credit Entrepreneurs receive wide range of business-friendly tax incentives

This six-metre contemporary First Nations carving welcomes travellers at Vancouver International Airport

By Grant Wing usiness tax competitiveness is one of the most powerful advantages that British Columbia has to offer.

B.C.’s corporate income tax rate of 10 per cent is among the lowest in jurisdictions among the G7 group of countries. The current combined federal and provincial corporate income-tax rate will have dropped to 25 per cent in 2012.

B.C.’s small-business corporate incometax threshold is $500,000, Canada’s highest.

And B.C.’s small-business income-tax rate of 2.5 per cent is one of the nation’s lowest.

Provincial tax incentives are available for eligible film, television, digital-media and

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research-and-development businesses, making B.C. a prime jurisdiction for cutting-edge technology. Incentives for eligible international business activities are available from the province, with further tax reductions planned for businesses in clean tech and digital media.

B.C. residents with annual incomes up to $119,000 pay the lowest provincial personal income tax in Canada.

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Canada has the highest proportion of persons aged 25 to 64 with college or university certificates among OECD countries.

What’s on offer?

Book Publishing Tax Credit This credit is for book-publishing corporations that carry out business primarily in British Columbia. Recipients of Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP) contributions after March 31, 2002, and before April 1, 2012, are eligible for a credit of 90 per cent of the BPIDP contributions received in the tax year.

British Columbia Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit The program provides a refundable tax credit of 17.5 per cent on eligible salary and wages incurred by eligible corporations to develop interactive digital-media products in B.C. after August 31, 2010, and before September 1, 2015.

Photo: Media2o Productions

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Film and Television Tax Credit Refundable tax credits are available to eligible corporations that produce eligible film or video productions in B.C. The credits are for domestic productions with qualifying levels of Canadian content. There are five distinct credits for basic film and television tax, regional tax, distant-location regional tax, film-training tax and digitalanimation or visual-effects tax.

Foreign Tax Credit Canada Revenue Agency allows a corporation to claim a foreign tax credit for taxes paid to another country on foreign nonbusiness income.

Logging Tax Credit A corporation that has paid a logging tax to B.C. on income earned from logging operations for the year may claim a logging tax credit equal to one-third of the logging tax paid.

Mineral Tax Numerous credits, allowances and exceptions are available that apply to the mineral tax, for grassroots exploration of qualified resources.

Mining Exploration Tax Credit Corporations and active members of partnerships conducting grassroots mineral exploration in B.C. may qualify. Credit is calculated as 20 per cent of qualified mining-exploration expenses less the amount of assistance received or receivable.

Qualifying Environmental Trust Tax Credit A corporation that is a beneficiary of a qualifying environmental trust located in B.C. may be eligible. While fully refundable, the credit must first be applied against total income tax payable.

Oil and Gas Royalties and Freehold Production Tax Several provincial tax credits and exemptions apply to royalties and taxes for oil and natural gas production in B.C.

Scientific Research and Experimental Development Tax Credit In addition to the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) federal tax incentive, B.C. provides a tax credit of 10 per cent to qualifying corporations that carry on SR&ED in B.C.

Political Contribution Tax Credit Businesses may claim a credit of up to $500 in respect to contributions made to registered B.C. political parties, registered B.C. constituency associations or registered candidates for election to the Legislative Assembly of B.C. Production Services Tax Credit The program provides refundable tax credits to accredited production corporations that produce accredited film or video productions in B.C. Credits are available both to domestic and to foreign producers, with no requirement of Canadian content.

Small Business Venture Capital Tax Credit A corporation investing in shares of a registered venture-capital corporation or eligible business corporation may claim this credit.

Training Tax Credit The program provides tax credits for employers and apprentices engaged in eligible apprenticeship programs administered through the British Columbia Industry Training Authority. Ą Sources: British Columbia Ministry of Finance, Canada Revenue Agency BIV Magazines/

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The roads ahead From the Gateway Program to Highway 97, infrastructure opens opportunity across the province

TransLink’s new six-lane Golden Ears Bridge in Maple Ridge

By Noa Glouberman ritish Columbia is smoothing the movement of people and goods by investing in highways and transit.

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Life in the fast lane Job 1 for the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is to improve and maintain the province’s highways.

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“Rehabilitation … extends the life of existing provincial highways and bridges and keeps maintenance costs to reasonable levels,” states the ministry’s website.

“Capital projects improve or add to the existing highway network.”

A growing population and increased economic activity in the Okanagan is placing added traffic demands on regional

roads. The Okanagan Valley Corridor Project is working to improve and expand Highway 97, Highway 97A and Highway 97B, all three vital for trade with the United States.

Growth in oil and gas, forestry, mining and tourism has increased the need for a four-lane highway connecting northern B.C. with the Interior. In 2005, the province Photo: Courtesy of TransLink/Albert Normandin

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LEFT: The Park

Bridge along Highway 1 in Kicking Horse Canyon

The replacement of the Port Mann Bridge with a new, 10-lane span is an important part of the Gateway Program’s improvements along Highway 1 (rendering)

announced its long-term Cariboo Connector Strategy to widen the 460-kilometre portion of Highway 97 from Cache Creek to Prince George. In toto, construction is anticipated to cost $2 billion.

“The Cariboo Connector Strategy is going to support so many enterprises in this area,” Pat Bell, MLA for Prince GeorgeMackenzie and now minister of jobs, tourism and innovation, said in a news release. “It’s really going to help open up the north.”

As the province’s primary east-west numbered route, Highway 1 (the TransCanada Highway) is a vital link between B.C. and the rest of the country. The portion from Kamloops to Golden is being improved to a modern four-lane standard with a design speed of 100 kilometres per hour. Sharp curves and steep grades are being reduced and narrow bridges replaced to increase capacity, improve traffic operations and reduce hazards for tourists and commercial drivers.

Just east of Golden, the 26-kilometre section of Highway 1 that passes through Kicking Horse Canyon has not had major upgrading since the 1950s. It too is being expanded to four lanes so that traffic can move safely and efficiently.

“The widening of the highway … and alignment improvements along Highway 1 will make a big difference for travellers and industry,” said Blair Lekstrom, minister Photo (top): B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure

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of transportation and infrastructure in a release. “When complete, the highway here will be wider, straighter and safer.”

Gateways and means In 2003, the B.C. government introduced its $3-billion Gateway Program to enhance roads, bridges and highways in Metro Vancouver and “keep traffic moving, our economy strong and our region livable.”

Nine years later, the program is pres-

sing on. Improvements to Highway 1 – which include replacing the Port Mann Bridge with a new, 10-lane span – will add high-occupancy vehicle lanes, transit and an enhanced cycling network to reduce congestion and travel times. While the province plans to charge tolls once the bridge opens in 2013, there will be discounts of up to 25 per cent during peak periods for registered carpools.

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LEFT: Construction

of the new South Fraser Perimeter Road (SFPR) in Surrey looking west toward the Pattullo Bridge

LEFT BELOW:

Construction of a corridor underneath the SFPR for wildlife travelling between Burns Bog and the Fraser River

ABOVE: Ten kilometres west of

Revelstoke, the Clanwilliam Bridge will be replaced

South Fraser Perimeter Road is a new fourlane, 80-km/hour route along the south side of the Fraser River from Deltaport Way in southwest Delta to 176th Street (Highway 15) in Surrey, with connections to Highways 1, 15, 17, 91 and 99 in addition to the Golden Ears Bridge.

Meanwhile, the North Fraser Perimeter Road would provide a continuous route from the Queensborough Bridge in New Westminster to TransLink’s Golden Ears Bridge in Maple Ridge, but plans stalled last May over residents’ concerns that the proposed road extensions would run too close to their houses and create future traffic snarls.

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would work for the community,” TransLink director of roads Sany Zein said then. “In the end, we have not collectively met the entire goal to everyone’s satisfaction.”

Through Gateway, the province will also expand Metro Vancouver’s rapidtransit (RT) network by 40 per cent. Plans include RapidBus service across the new Port Mann Bridge that will provide travellers with an alternative to driving.

In February 2011, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure received the environmental go-ahead for the Evergreen Line, an 11-kilometre light RT route that will connect Burnaby, Port Moody, Coquitlam and Vancouver. Slated to complete in 2014, it will link directly to the Millennium Line and offer connections to the Expo Line, the Canada Line, the West

Coast Express and regional bus networks.

As part of its Transport 2040 strategy, TransLink forged ahead with studies and public consultations regarding a potential RT network for Surrey and surrounding communities, as well as a new RT line along Vancouver’s Broadway corridor. The transportation authority will share its findings and seek further input on these and other projects beginning in 2012.

TransLink is also gearing up to roll out its Smart Card system in early 2013. This one-card approach to travel across all transit modes in Metro Vancouver will increase the efficiency, effectiveness and security of the network and allow TransLink to collect data on trips and ridership that will enable more co-ordinated planning and deployment in the future. Ą

Photo (bottom right): B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure

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Seeing green Sustainable development takes conservation into the future

By Peter Mitham oday’s developers face the big questions of which green technologies to apply and which will give the biggest bang for their construction bucks.

Among the most watched projects in recent years has been Victoria’s Dockside Green. The development has earned platinum certification for its first two phases under LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) in part thanks to features such as a district energy system designed to burn biowaste.

Managed by Corix Utilities, the system has proved an asset not only to Dockside Green but also to the surrounding neighbourhood. With its commitment to green initiatives, the Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort Hotel and Spa saw an opportunity to tap into the existing system at Dockside Green for a small added investment.

“It will be used to heat and cool our building, and we expect that to reduce our carbon emissions by about 30 per cent,” says Kimberley Hughes, general manager of the hotel.

The investment won’t pay off immediately, but Hughes says it makes sense given that the hotel’s goals emphasize both financial and environmental sustainability.

In an earlier position, Hughes was manager at the Delta Whistler Village Suites when Enbala Power Networks – then Sempa Power Systems Ltd. – installed a hybrid boiler that alternated between electricity and propane, whichever was cheaper, as demand shifted. By contrast, the system in Victoria will tap a source of

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Dockside Green, Victoria, has LEED platinum certification for its first two phases

renewable energy left over by another user, at a fraction of the cost of installing a similar system at the hotel. There was an added cost, but the environmental payback makes it worthwhile. “‘Green’ is as important to us as financial performance,” says Hughes. “So it wasn’t BIV Magazines/

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The River District Centre (above), on the site in South Vancouver where Park Lane Homes is developing the East Fraserlands; master plan for the development (right)

so much a cost-savings initiative” as an effort to “reduce our overall impact on the environment.”

The communality of district energy systems both encourages their adoption on a large scale and makes them more cost-effective.

Provincial tax exemptions were available to Corix for development of Dockside Green’s system. A similar arrangement is proposed for the redevelopment of Victoria’s Rock Bay neighbourhood as a green precinct driven by renewable energy.

Indeed, the financial bottom line is important to Park Lane Homes Ltd. with regard to its East Fraserlands development in South Vancouver, called River District. This 130-acre development, which will include offices and shops, will have upwards of 15,000 residents. Development of the district energy system will be timed to coincide with the build-out of the complex. The system’s main components, including its temporary, permanent and renewable-energy centres, will be constructed within 12 years. The remainder of 26

the piping will be installed as the rest of the buildings go up.

The technical design for the temporary energy centre is complete and tendered, and the centre will be constructed over the next few months. A permanent structure will be built within three to five years.

A pipeline will access Metro Vancouver’s solid waste plant five kilometres east in Burnaby to draw energy from the plant’s incinerator as demand grows. Chief financial officer Ross Hanson expects it to be built around halfway through the project.

While capital grants will undoubtedly be part of the financing model for the district energy system, Hanson says such a system isn’t just environmentally friendly but is also cheaper to develop, whether it consumes fossil fuels, garbage or biomass.

“It’s more efficient than providing individual heat sources within each building.”

The Georgian era Some cities are seeing district energy systems as drivers of urban sustainability.

By early 2012, a system under

construction in the downtown core of Prince George is scheduled to tap residue from the Sinclair Group mill just outside the city. Prince George owns the infrastructure, designed to pipe hot water downtown for heating and taps.

The system is an element of the city’s renewal strategy for its downtown and will sustain jobs in local forestry.

“It helps promote the diversification of our forest industry,” Bob Radloff, project manager for the system, has said. “Wood residue that used to be uneconomic in the bush becomes more economic.”

The system is designed to reduce particulate emissions in the air by upwards of 100 tonnes a year and carbon emissions by 2,000 tonnes a year. The city hopes that it will make the core appealing to companies mandated to use green power.

Upmarket in Uptown BC Assessment Authority occupies 35,000 square feet at the Uptown shopping centre by Morguard Investments Ltd. in Victoria. The project aims for LEED gold, but technologies to support that objective were designed for cost-effectiveness as well as energy-efficiency. Portions of the building sport white, reflective roofs rather than green roofs, and many systems are hidden within the building’s fabric.

Mechanicals include a highly efficient ventilation system and a water-sourced heat pump that’s part of a site-wide heatrejection loop.

“When the building has excess energy, it can reject the heat to other buildings on the loop, allowing energy to be shared

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Reaching for ratings Country’s first multifamily residence built to highest LEED standard

Prince George’s new district energy system: expansion loop constructed (above); city surveyor at installation of distribution pipe (right)

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before it is dissipated [via] the cooling tower,” says Bruce Edwards, facilities manager for BC Assessment. “When more heat is required during the winter months, a condensing boiler plant provides heat … at ultra-high efficiencies, about 98 per cent.”

Edwards expects the system to contribute operational savings of about 15 per cent, offsetting the higher rents BC Assessment is paying relative to its previous location. Yet conservation and increased staff comfort make it worth it.

“We’re far more comfortable in this location than we were in our last, which was an older building built back in the 1970s,” says Edwards. “You’re paying a bit on one side and saving a bit on the other, and at the same time you’re reducing your environmental footprint.”

Granting all that Federal stimulus funding has provided millions for energy conservation and renewable power projects across British Columbia.

Global Ability Made in Canada Madison Centre 700 - 1901 Rosser Avenue Burnaby, BC V5C 6R6 Photo (right): Adera

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ancouver-based Adera Capital Corp. has started construction of Canada’s first multi-family project designed to LEED platinum.

The 30-unit Seven35 in North Vancouver also has the first wastewater heat-recovery system among private projects in North America, according to Adera president Norm Couttie.

Designed by Integra Architecture Inc., Seven35 includes ground-to-roof siding and walls of indigenous cedar.

Interiors by Calvert Design Group incorporate locally sourced natural materials such as cedar slate and limestone.

All Seven35 residences will have guaranteed EnerGuide ratings of 82 or higher, as well as sustainable features including Energy Star windows and appliances, motion-sensor light switches, fluorescent-light fixtures, lowVOC paints, low-flow faucets, waterefficient irrigation and future photovoltaic capacity for solar cells.

– Frank O’Brien

CONSTRUCTION MARINE REAL ESTATE MANUFACTURING

Telephone: 604-294-3301 Toll Free: 1-800-263-3313

www.cmwinsurance.com BIV Magazines/

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BC Assessment’s new offices save energy, have lower operating expenses and offer improved comfort to staff

Traditional sectors have attracted a significant amount of the funding as Ottawa helps them adapt to the new economy. In Nanaimo, the Harmac Pulp Mill received funds for a $270-million upgrade of its boilers, and $15.6 million went to upgrades at Canfor Corp.’s paper mill in Prince George.

Fraser Richmond Soil & Fibre Ltd., a

subsidiary of Harvest Power, Inc., is receiving up to $4 million over two years to support a high-solids anærobic digester that can transform 27,000 tonnes a year of food and yard waste into renewable energy and high-quality, marketable compost.

Catalyst Paper Corp. received $2.5 million through a program aimed at new

technologies, for the purposes of converting sludge from its mill in Crofton into biogas and fertilizer. •

Across the UniverCity

Constructive thinking at Simon Fraser University

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n his former capacity as president of Simon Fraser University, John Stubbs envisioned a community on some 300 acres surrounding the university that would deserve inter­national acclaim.

UniverCity’s honours have included the 2011 Award for Planning Excellence from the Canadian Institute of Planners in the neighbourhood planning category.

UniverCity houses about 3,000 persons and will accommodate a maximum of 10,000 when fully built. It has “suites within suites” as mortgage helpers in new condominiums and incorporates its environmental requirements into its streets, its commercial and institutional buildings and its residences.

A huge boiler lies at the heart of UniverCity’s sustainability, supplying heat for new buildings there. The system’s conversion to biomass will reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by more than 80 per cent across Burnaby Mountain: equivalent to emissions from 935 homes or 2,100 cars.

The SFU Community Trust has been working with Corix Utilities to develop the sustainable-energy project, which will give residents reliable, low-cost heat and hot water every day of the year without burning fossil fuels. In May 2011, Corix received approval from the British Columbia Utilities Commission to develop a utility to provide thermal energy using a temporary natural-gas solution to serve up to six new buildings at UniverCity. The long-term plan is to convert the temporary natural-gas solution to a biomass 28

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permanent plant using clean wood waste for energy. Design, approval, public outreach and construction are expected to take 18 to 20 months.

Liberty Homes Ltd, which is building its second condo pro­ject at UniverCity, has seen the benefit of the boiler. Its latest, 104-unit pro­ject, Highland House, won’t need a furnace, just hydronic radiant heating hooked to the boiler lines.

Highland House will have, among other features, green roofs, drywall made from recycled material from a B.C. supplier and an efficient ventilation system and non-offgassing materials for clean indoor air.

A new UniverCity childcare centre is designed to be one of the first buildings hooked up to the neighbourhood energy utility. The aim: to make it Canada’s first Living Building, reaching the new standard for sustainable building launched by the Cascadia Region Green Building Council.

Meanwhile, the restored University Highlands Elementary School is an example of how UniverCity is making older buildings sustainable.

The existing school building has received extensive seismic upgrades and renovations designed to LEED gold. Green features include a demonstration green roof, solar panels that supply 20 per cent of the school’s electricity and a ventilationexchange system that uses stale warm air released outside to preheat fresh air coming in.

– Frank O’Brien Photo (bottom): SFU Community Trust

In for the skill

Video games, special effects and animation fire away as digital talent converge

Luna, an original in-house concept from Rainmaker Entertainment, won Best Animated Short at the California International Shorts Festival

By Joel McKay hether helping sports fantasies come true, injecting a little action into life with first-person shooters or inviting audiences to visit magical realms, designers and animators are working hard to bring a little make-believe to reality.

And it’s all happening right here in British Columbia.

“The film, TV, animation and video-game industries work together more now than we ever have before, and that’s important because we’re attracting a similar talent base to British Columbia and we have a common interest in maintaining that

W

talent base,” explains Colin Macrae, director of communications for video-game designer Electronic Arts Inc. Though known as a top destination for filming movies, Metro Vancouver is also home to gaming, special-effects and animation.

This cluster, which also includes wireless and mobile companies, employs some 22,000 persons and generates $3 billion in annual revenue, according to DigiBC, the Digital Media + Wireless Association of BC. The province boasts a variety of world-class creative companies, including game giants EA and Ubisoft Entertainment, BIV Magazines/

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The Centre for Digital Media, Vancouver (above); new building planned for same site (rendering) (right)

Graduate of the Centre for Digital Media

Rainmaker Entertainment: drawing on local talent

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Disney Online Studios Canada Inc., digitalanimation studio Rainmaker Entertainment Inc. and Next Level Games Inc., Digital Domain and Blue Castle Games.

Macrae says the cluster has come of age, with companies collaborating on its long-term maintainance and development.

DigiBC itself is one example of such collaboration. Another is the BC ScreenBased Media Industry Human Resources Committee, created in 2009 to ensure a steady supply of workers for the sector.

“We’re all competitors first and foremost, but we also recognize that if we’re living and working in the same market, we’ve got a common interest in the broad economics of doing business here and retaining the best talent,” says Macrae.

In 2010, the provincial government introduced tax credits for film and interactive digital media that recognized the “convergence” taking place among B.C.’s film, television, video-game and animation sectors. These included: Ąa credit of 17.5 per cent for qualifying labour costs in video-game development; Ąan increase from 25 to to 33 per cent in the production services tax credit for game development; Ąan increase from 15 to 17.5 per cent in the digital animation and visual effects tax credit; and Ąan increase in the qualified B.C. labour expenditures cap from 48 to 60 per cent of production costs.

Photos (top and second from top): Centre for Digital Media; (rendering) MCM Partnership (www.mcmparchitects.com/)

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Macrae believes the tax credits will help gaming maintain B.C.’s reputation as a strong jurisdiction for creative industries and counteract the outflow of jobs that has been problematic for the sector lately.

“The [challenges] particular to our industry [have] been the competition and the increased economic incentives from other jurisdictions in North America through tax-credit programs that have encouraged jobs and investment,” Macrae explains.

He believes B.C.’s new tax program will take some time to yield results for the industry.

Meanwhile, visual effects and animation are growing steadily.

Rainmaker Entertainment banks on local talent to make the most of its projects.

The company recently won Best Animated Short honors from the California International Shorts Festival (CISF) for Luna, an original in-house concept written and produced by Catherine Winder, president and executive producer, and directed by Donna Brockopp (The Jungle Book 2, Peter Pan in Return to Never Land).

“The wealth of talent at Rainmaker alone is impressive,” says Winder. “And with the Masters of Digital Media Program at the Centre for Digital Media turning out a steady stream of highly trained employees, Vancouver is more than capable of competing with Hollywood’s animation and special-effects companies.”

The program represents a partnership among the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Emily Carr University of Art + Design and the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

Shabnam Rezaei is managing director of Big Bad Boo Studios.

She says that although Toronto has better access to TV studios, she and husband Aly Jetha founded their studio here in 2005 because of the West Coast’s talent base.

Since its creation, Big Bad Boo has opened offices in New York and Los Angeles and developed a number of cartoons that educate children on multiculturalism.

Photos (top to bottom): Big Bad Boo Studios Inc.; Dominic Schaefer Photography

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Tax credits, talent and a favourable time zone attracted Aly Jetha and Shabnam Rezaei (left), both of Big Bad Boo Studios, to B.C.’s creative sector. 1001 Nights (above) is among Big Bad Boo’s releases

Big Bad Boo’s latest series, 1001 Nights, was nominated in 2010 for four Leo Awards, which celebrate B.C.’s film and TV industry.

Rezaei calls this the “place to be” for “animation, special effects, spot production, music composition” and “voice-over talent.”

She adds that the area has the three “Ts” for industry success: tax credits, talent and a time zone in line with Hollywood’s.

Yet not every business meeting happens in L.A. these days.

Macrae says B.C. itself has become such a magnet for talent that people world-wide are drawn to work here.

And that’s what will sustain the industry in the long term, he says.

“We have a phrase here: ‘Great people like to work with great people.’ We employ so many of the most passionate and most talented developers in the world, and those people end up becoming a draw as well.” Ą BIV Magazines/

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mainland/southwest GOOD OUTLOOKS

British Columbia’s most populous region at the forefront of prosperity

Share of B.C. land area: 3.9%

Ąabbotsford Ąburnaby Ąchilliwack Ącoquitlam Ądelta Ągibsons Ąhope Ąlangley Ąlillooet Ąmaple ridge Ąmission Ąnew westminster Ąnorth vancouver Ąpitt meadows Ąport moody Ąrichmond Ąsechelt

By Noa Glouberman overing approximately 36,000 square kilometres, Mainland/ Southwest is British Columbia’s major economic hub. While the City of Vancouver accounts for most of the region’s population, 21 other municipalities contribute to its prosperity.

According to the Vancouver Economic Development Commission (VEDC), Vancouver has positioned itself in the “vanguard of the global economy” by maintaining “a balance of mature and emerging sectors including manufacturing, resource development, digital media and film, technologies, life science and biotech.”

In September 2011, the VEDC unveiled its Vancouver Economic Action Strategy, focused on fostering a climate for growth, supporting business investment and trade and attracting and retaining talent to the area.

“This plan envisions a high-performing economy that successfully levers the city’s global profile and its momentum as a centre of innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson in a release. “Investing in the local business climate is

C

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Ąsquamish Ąsurrey Ąvancouver Ąwest vancouver Ąwhistler

Photo: Picture BC/Josh McCulloch

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mainland/southwest

West Vancouver’s waterfront

critical to support the growth of smaller businesses and provide innovative and enticing opportunities for larger enterprises.”

The plan offers tax incentives to businesses to build new offices and create jobs. Robertson explained that major corporations in high-growth industries like clean technology and digital media – including Canon Canada Inc., Pixar Animation Studios, Sony of Canada Ltd. and Telus Communications Co. – are “making substantial investments” in Vancouver.

Other elements of the strategy include increased support for Port Metro Vancouver, a mayor’s forum to attract global investment in local entrepreneurs and companies and forging stronger economic ties between Vancouver and other countries by establishing “sister-city relationships.”

The International Financial Centre British Columbia, now AdvantageBC International Business Centre Vancouver, applauded the global outreach. “This plan has identified the right approach to support Vancouver’s position as the best shipping gateway to Asia,” said president Bruce Flexman. “Working together will help deliver the message to global business leaders that Vancouver is a compelling and competitive business destination with a diverse cluster of economic sectors.”

Ongoing expansion and improvement of the Deltaport container terminal at Roberts Bank in Delta stands to enhance B.C.’s position as the gateway to Asian markets. “Over the next 10 years, container traffic through the West Coast is expected to double,” said Port Metro Vancouver president and chief executive officer Robin Silvester in a 2010 release. “The new berth at Deltaport is part of a long-term plan to strengthen Canada’s Pacific Gateway and ensure our ability to accommodate the growth in container trade, in particular with Pacific Rim economies like China.”

Asia is the source of much of the recent population growth in Richmond. Representing more than 60 per cent of residents, newcomers from there contribute significantly to the expansion of the city’s small-business and retail sectors. Richmond has also emerged as a leading tech centre. It’s currently home to the head offices of international firms MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., Sage Software, Inc. and Sierra Wireless.

Surrey has set its sights on making its downtown an Photos (top to bottom): Picture BC/Urban Pictures; Picture BC/Ken Bramble

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7,000-foot Mt. Cheam rises over Chilliwack

alternative to Vancouver’s. Its Civic Centre Development includes plans for a new city hall building, a regional library, a performing arts centre, a community plaza, a Simon Fraser University expansion, additional commercial space and more. “We are implementing … our Economic Investment Action Plan to encourage further private-sector development and job creation across the city and within our City Centre,” says Mayor Dianne Watts. “We’re building British Columbia’s next great metropolitan centre.”

Education is a strong growth sector for New Westminster, whose centrality and excellent rapid transit (RT) give it a good location for region-serving academic institutions like Douglas College (with a newly renovated concourse), the Justice Institute of British Columbia and private training schools like the West Coast College of Massage Therapy and the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine. New West experienced retail growth in 2011 with the opening of a new Thrifty Foods and the first B.C. location of home-improvement giant Lowe’s.

Neighbouring Burnaby also enjoys retail recognition: its Metropolis at Metrotown is the province’s largest shopping centre. The city is eyeing expansion of its knowledge-based industries as well. According to the Burnaby Economic Development Strategy 2020, “strong prospects for growth” subsist in IT, communications, wireless, biotechnology, health care, life sciences, BIV Magazines/

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mainland/southwest

Tourism and travel adventure are growing industries in Squamish

Gibsons: an economy founded on retail, construction, tourism and light manufacturing

freestanding facilities. According to realtor Colliers International, new media and environmental tech. it’s the second-largest development of its kind in B.C. Meanwhile, residents eagerly await a new SkyTrain line that Pitt Meadows and adjacent Maple Ridge were named among will connect the oceanfront Port Moody to downtown Vancouver the Top Canadian Investment Cities and Top B.C. Investment as early as 2014. “We are all eagerly anticipating the Evergreen Towns, 2010 to 2015, by the Real Estate Investment Network Line being built,” says Mike Clay, mayor of Port Moody. “It will (REIN). “Of all the regions in the Lower Mainland, Maple Ridge and bring much-needed infrastructure to our city and allow us to Pitt Meadows are poised to enjoy the most positive impact from move forward with new development activity.”

Coquitlam will similarly benefit from the Evergreen line, news … transportation improvements,” REIN reports, pointing to ongoing TransLink and provincial government bridge and highway of which came just as the city kicked off its new tourism strategy projects. “This new accessibility will bring strong and consistent and economic development plan, aimed at attracting events, growth … in companies relocating to a lower-cost region.” festivals and sports. Recently, Coquitlam completed several new “We are growing in population and jobs, and our plan is to cultural and recreational facilities, including the Poirier Sport & invest as much as we can in our town centre in the form of comLeisure Complex, the Coquitlam Spirit Square and new nature mercial space that will draw in new business,” says Sandy Blue, trails at Walton Park. manager of strategic economic initiatives, district of Maple Ridge.

The Fraser Valley has been experiencing substantial growth.

“We recently launched an investment incentive for commercial The Pitt Meadows Economic Development Corp. recently buildings over $1 million in value; we’re committed to creating an launched Thinkpittmeadows.ca to grow investment. Ideal geogenvironment to attract that investment.” raphy makes Pitt Meadows a great business location, and the In 2010, the Invest North Fraser economic-development initiacity’s new Golden Ears Business Centre offers space for a variety tive commissioned a study from the Sauder School of Business of businesses. The state-of-the-art industrial park is being touted to explore the real-estate needs of businesses in the District of as one of the valley’s most diverse, with up to 1,500,000 square feet to suit light-industrial and other business purposes, as well as Mission’s key target sectors for investment.

“The ability to attract firms in the manufacturing sectors is very multi-tenant warehouse space from 2,650 square feet and several Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver

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Photos (clockwise from top left): Picture BC/Josh McCullogh; Picture BC/Garry Haynes; Picture BC/Urban Pictures

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mainland/southwest high. Such firms are currently being pushed out of more central Deltaport areas due to rising land costs, unavailability of land for expansion container terminal and increased congestion,” according to 2011 MBA candidate Kevin Moroso, who wrote the report. “Key strengths of the [Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge and Mission] communities are low-cost land and accessibility to the U.S. border.”

The report found that the highest opportunities for business attraction to the Fraser Valley within the next decade would be in professional services, small business, advanced energy and light and advanced manufacturing.

Located at the Mainland/Southwest’s easternmost point, Hope recently unveiled its economic-development agency’s new name: Advantage Hope. The name “sets the tone for a positive interaction,” executive director Tyler Mattheis told the Hope Standard, adding that his organization plans to work with local business owners, the chamber of commerce, the Vancouver, Coast and Mountains tourism region and other organizations to “add value rather than duplicate existing efforts.”

Back west, Chilliwack’s tech sector is booming thanks to “low land, building and other office costs, favourable transportation [and] quality infrastructure,” which have drawn companies like Stream Global Services and TeksMed Services Inc. “A growing, highly skilled population … makes Chilliwack an ideal service-delivery location,” according to Stream’s website.

Working at Seaspan Marine Corp.

Comments Ted Shipley, CEO of TeksMed, “Chilliwack’s business-friendly reputation and commitment to Today, Langley continues to grow, with ongoing commercial business were the major factors influencing our decision to development, a business-friendly community and a stable econrelocate.” omy that includes a steady agricultural sector.

Abbotsford boasts an emerging ærospace industry, with Tourism and hospitality, arts and culture thrive in the city, important corporate players such as Cascade Aerospace Inc. and which is home to the Cascades Casino Hotel & Convention Conair Group Inc. Major upgrades completed in September 2011 Centre. “Langley is the place to be for success and continued will help Abbotsford International Airport become a major econgrowth,” says Doedy Reisler, executive general manager for omic generator for the Fraser Valley, B.C. and Western Canada.

Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Ltd. Adds David van Berckel, According to Abbotsford’s mayor, George Peary, “We want our president of Opus Framing & Art Supplies, “It is also home to a airport to continue to be one of the primary economic drivers burgeoning community of artists and, even better, organizations for the city. … We will be working hard to bring that investment and businesses devoted to the fine arts. What better place to here, along with the economic benefits that follow.” establish a store?”

With almost 1,300 farms and 22,500 hectares of land under Celebrating its centennial in 2012, West Vancouver continues cultivation, Abbotsford is also one of B.C.’s most productive agrias a hot spot for business relating to sports and fitness. When cultural areas. “Farming is big business in Abbotsford … where the Rutledge Artificial Turf Sport Field for field hockey was commore dollars are earned per acre than anywhere else in the pleted in September 2011, Ralph Sultan, MLA for West Vancouvercountry,” reads an Abbotsford in Action report. “From milking cows Capilano called the project “a good investment in [the] local and raising chickens to picking blueberries, agriculture generates economy”: it had created nearly 30 jobs. $20,400 in total revenues per hectare – the highest in Canada.”

Neighbouring North Vancouver boasts a well-diversified In 2009, the opening of TransLink’s six-lane Golden Ears Bridge economy, with major port terminals, a vibrant industrial area, a provided a new, quick link to Langley from Pitt Meadows and mix of commercial and professional services and infrastructure Maple Ridge, replacing the Albion Ferry after 52 years of service. to support specialty manufacturing and advanced technology.

Photos (top to bottom): Government of Canada/Corporation of Delta; Seaspan Marine Corp.

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mainland/southwest Abbotsford is one of B.C.’s most productive agricultural areas

Grapes ripen along the banks of the Fraser River in Lillooet, while a bottle of locally made wine awaits tasting

In October 2011, North Vancouver’s shipbuilding sector received a major boost when Seaspan Marine Corp. was tapped by the federal government to build non-combat vessels through the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy.

Demographic characteristics 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 2006

2011

2016

2021

Building permits Ă Non-residential

2031

2036

Economic activity Ă Residential

$4.0

Top 10 industries by employment — Number of firms with employees

Professional, scientific & tech services

3.5

Other services (excl. public services)

3.0

Retail trade

2.0

Health care & social assistance

1.5

Wholesale trade

1.0

Accommodation & food services

0.5

Admin. & support waste management Real estate, rental & leasing

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0 ,00

0 14

,00

0 12

,00

00

10

8,0

2,0 36

00

Manufacturing 6,0

Jan–Oct 2011

00

Jan–Oct 2010

Sources: Statistics Canada

Construction

2.5

00

Billions of dollars

2026

4,0

Thousands of persons

Ă 0–17 Ă 18–64 Ă 65+ Ă all ages

“We are honoured to have been chosen to provide non-combat vessels for the men and women of the Royal Canadian Navy and [the Canadian] Coast Guard,” said Seaspan CEO Jonathan Whitworth, adding that the contract would inject billions of dollars into the local economy and create 1,000 jobs in North Vancouver over the ensuing two years. “Seaspan is committed to returning B.C.’s shipbuilding industry to its once-thriving roots.”

The Sunshine Coast districts of Sechelt and Gibsons base their economies largely on retail, construction, tourism and light manufacturing. Hundreds of small businesses selling professional services to the rest of the world operate here, forming what economicdevelopment agency Best Coast Initiatives calls an “export industry.”

“We connect with our clients by phone and Internet, so we don’t need to be in downtown Vancouver to run our business,” says Adrian Rudzikas, co-founder of Business Plans Canada, Gibsons.

“There’s an amazing resource pool right here on the Sunshine Coast, people with amazing credentials looking to work where they live.”

In Lillooet, “opportunities to develop … a wine industry, a destination resort/golf course, an eco-lodge and comprehensive adventure packages exist,” according to the district’s website.

Additionally, the “local St’át’imc people are moving forward in cultural-tourism initiatives,” with a St’át’imc Heritage and Learning Centre in development.

Photos (left to right): Picture BC/Ian Routley; Picture BC/Josh McCulloch

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mainland/southwest Tourism remains the primary driver of Whistler’s ongoing success. The mountain municipality “was designed specifically as a destination resort and has many specialized tourism amenities,” explains the Whistler 2020 website. “Economic diversification that undermines the value of these amenities and natural surroundings could irreversibly destroy our tourism economic base.” Local facilities have been supplemented with Olympic legacies such as the Whistler Sliding Centre, the Whistler Nordic Skiing Centre and the Whistler Olympic/ Paralympic Celebration Plaza.

In Squamish, tourism is also growing thanks, in part, to special events like the Live at Squamish music and arts festival, which in August 2011 saw 16,600 attendees. Local hotels were full, restaurants and businesses were busy, and Live became Tourism remains Whistler’s primary economic driver the third-highest-trending topic in Canada on Twitter over the festival weekend. “That exposure showcased our community in a very positive manner,” said Mayor Greg Gardner in a release. Ą

Sources: Statistics Canada

LYTTON LAND OF OPPORTUNITY Lytton, an exciting place to live and visit, is a Land of Opportunity. It boasts pure air with an able workforce. In addition to being the Rafting Capital of Canada it is home to a gigantic geological anomaly of folded rock known as the Lytton Jelly Roll. It is indicative of the uniqueness of the area. Come for the rafting, stay for the ambience. This canyon village has character and charm.

There are majestic hiking experiences in the adjacent Stein Valley.

Botanie Mountain boasts extreme mountain biking terrain. Wildlife viewing includes big horn sheep and elk. In the downtown there is an observation place for Osprey viewing. Eagles soar through the connecting canyons where there is exhilarating whitewater rafting.

There are potential business opportunities. Commercial and office space is available. The area has great agriculture potential because of the rich nutrient soil. Abundant sunshine makes the region conducive for green house operations.

Special Events include: Lytton Days in May; July First celebrations; Three-day River Fest on the Labour Day weekend; an annual Pow Wow and the Desert Daze Music Festival at Spences Bridge. A weekly Farmers Market showcases work from Artists-of-the-Canyon. Another unique offering is the Philosophy-Art Sculptures by Kenny Glasgow.

Lytton is named for Baron Bulwer Lytton, famed British Author who wrote the classic lines “It was a Dark and Stormy night,” “The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword” and “A Good Heart is Better Than All the Heads in the World.”

Lytton LAND OF OPPORTUNITY

INVEST IN

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LYTTON, BC

Contact edo@lytton.ca (1-250-455-2355)

Contact the Economic Development Officer at 250-455-2355 or edo@lytton.ca Photo: Picture BC/Mike Crane

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HARRISON HOT SPRINGS arrison Hot Springs has always been a natural attraction, and moving forward, it has evolved into a home of a balanced lifestyle. Been a while since you last visited? You’ll be surprised at the changes rapidly taking place to make Harrison an even better place to live, work and do business. Discover why more and more people are choosing to work and play in Harrison. The Harrison Hot Springs lifestyle: Naturally refreshed!

H

Where memories are made Harrison has long been the chosen retreat for families who value and enjoy their time away together, to take advantage of Harrison as a year-round getaway destination, from fun times splashing in the lake and quiet times gathered on the beach, to chasing each other down the slopes of the majestic snow-covered Hemlock Mountain. Harrison, where family memories are waiting to be made … just up the road.

The village un-square Harrison Hot Springs is “live and play” central for active, healthy people.

Which is only natural since the hot springs have long been revered for their healing properties. Here life’s a beach and a lot more, all revolving around the sparkling waters of the region’s largest lake, home to worldclass fishing and amazing sport and recreational pursuits. You’ll also love our rich history and heritage, as Harrison plays host to vibrant year-round events celebrating the arts, culture and diversity. Bright, active, creative – that’s Harrison Hot Springs!

Breezy business climate Seeking fresh horizons for commerce? Set up shop in Harrison Hot Springs, where the business climate is refreshing, too! Our community is rapidly growing and investing to develop and promote a diverse economy. We’re also making it easier to do business here by reducing red tape regulations and providing timely approvals. From motels to restaurants to specialty stores, there’s lots of room and opportunity to grow your successful business. Harrison Hot Springs, where lifestyle meets balance. Learn more about starting your successful business by calling the village office today at 604-796-2171.

Glacier-fresh living Think glacier-fresh only comes in bottles and cans? Say goodbye to crowded and cramped, and hello to a cool rising mist and crisp air flowing off the mountain. A serene place where life revolves around clear glacier-fed waters bound by emerald green forests. No wonder folks stop by for a visit and decide they never want to leave. And now’s a good time to consider moving here yourself, while Harrison boasts great development opportunities and affordable housing. All kinds of people make up our village. Maybe you’re meant to be one of them.

Contact Andre Isakov, Community and Economic Development Officer, Village of Harrison Hot Springs Tel: 604-796-2171 (ext.233) E-mail: aisakov@harrisonhotsprings.ca Web: www.harrisonhotsprings.ca

Learn about starting your successful business by calling the municipal office today at 604-796-2171.

P.O. Box 160, 495 Hot Springs Road, Harrison Hot Springs, BC V0M 1K0 F 604 796 2192 E info@harrisonhotsprings.ca www.harrisonhotsprings.ca

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Maple Ridge, Mission and Pitt Meadows Maple Ridge Maple Ridge is poised for unprecedented growth, and with our new Town Centre Investment Incentive program, there’s never been a better time to invest. This innovative, three-year program to accelerate development in our Town Centre oers incentives of up to six years of municipal tax exemption for qualifying projects, including new commercial and residential development, commercial renovation and facade improvement. The program has already attracted more than 22 million in building permits with many other big projects in the pipeline! For full program details and to “seeâ€? our interactive project map, visit us online today.

+PXGUV 0QTVJ (TCUGT /CRNG 4KFIG /KUUKQP CPF 2KVV /GCFQYU

Current: Population 131,000 Jobs 47,000 2040 Forecast: Population 208,000 Jobs 89,000 Primed for investment Located along the north shore of the Fraser River in British Columbia’s prosperous Lower Mainland, our communities are primed and ready for investment. With some of the most aordable land in the region and 1 billion in bridge and road infrastructure, you’ll ďŹ nd seamless connections to the rest of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Maple Ridge, Mission and Pitt Meadows are deďŹ ned by their spectacular natural beauty, aordable land, diverse workforce, and accessibility to major roads, border crossings and airports. These communities have it all, including a lifestyle that is second to none – live, work and play within minutes of home.

Anchored by Pitt Meadows to the west and Mission to the east, Downtown Vancouver and Vancouver International Airport are only 45 minutes away, while the U.S. border and Abbotsford International Airport are within 30 minutes. The region marks the interface between the urban and agricultural sectors of the Lower Mainland, distinctively mingling urban amenities with rural charm.

Strategic partnerships As part of Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan, the province is partnering with Invest North Fraser through a regional economic development pilot project. The job creation focuses on accelerating growth in the region by leveraging the strengths of the region’s sectors. The North Fraser is bursting with investment opportunities, and many sites in all three communities are shovel-ready.

Mission Mission’s recent experience with commercial, industrial and institutional development projects, along with continuous growth in our residential market, has greatly improved the investment climate within the community. Driving this interest is the fact that the District of Mission continues to be one of the fastest-growing, most aordable communities in the Lower Mainland. With a population of approximately 38,117, experts predict that Mission could exceed 45,000 by the year 2020. This tremendous population growth, along with the proximity to Vancouver, is creating a wealth of new business investment opportunities within the community.

Pitt Meadows Pitt Meadows is one of the few areas in Metro Vancouver with available industrial land. The 95-acre Golden Ears Business Centre presents signiďŹ cant opportunity for large-scale distribution and manufacturing companies. In addition, Pitt Meadows Airport (YPK) has 300-plus acres available for aviation-related development. Both the Golden Ears Business Centre and YPK are within minutes of truck, train and air transportation routes oering access and employment opportunities that are second to none. Situated in the centre of the Lower Mainland, Pitt Meadows is the new gateway to Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Visit us online for investment information.

Make your move With some 600 square kilometres of land known for its spectacular natural beauty, aordability, diverse workforce and accessibility to major transportation, it’s no wonder the North Fraser is attracting attention as the new investment centre of the Lower Mainland.

Visit us today at www.investnorthfraser.com.

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Chilliwack

Population: 82,626 Chilliwack offers business a world of advantages Chilliwack is one of the best places to operate a business. Located in southwest British Columbia (B.C.), in a regional market of about 2.5 million people, with easy access to international freightways, Chilliwack is ideally located for industrial, commercial and institutional businesses.

Competitive costs, combined with a strong economy and a superb quality of life, make Chilliwack a destination of interest for business investors locally and around the world.

Unbeatable quality of life With a mild climate, proximity to the grandeur of B.C.’s great outdoors and its limitless recreational opportunities, and all the amenities of any major urban centre, Chilliwack is one of the world’s most desirable places to live and work.

Vibrant economy Enjoying a strong economy and a stable growth rate of 3 per cent, Chilliwack is attracting a multitude of employers. Currently, Chilliwack’s growing economic sectors include: agriculture, aviation and aerospace, education, film, food processing, health care, manufacturing, professional services, real estate, retail/wholesale trade, technology and tourism.

Proximty to markets Chilliwack provides easy access to local, regional, national and international markets (American, Asian and European). Located along the Trans Canada Highway and next to local, national and international railways, Chilliwack is only 20 minutes away from a U.S.A. border crossing and Abbotsford’s International Airport, 90 minutes from Vancouver’s International Airport and one hour from the nearest shipping sea port.

There is an estimated population of 82,626 within Chilliwack, plus about 274,388 people living within a 30-minute commute. Also there are about 900,000 people within 90 kilometres, and about 2.5 million people within 130 kilometres, including Vancouver.

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Low costs Chilliwack is one of the most cost-competitive locations for business in the world. t -PX DPTU PG MJWJOH 7BODPVWFS T DPTU of living is very competitive with major metropolitan centres in the United States. Chilliwack’s living expenses are even lower than Vancouver’s – in some cases, about a third less! t -PX JOEVTUSJBM DPNNFSDJBM BOE SFTJEFOUJBM MBOE DPTUT $IJMMJXBDL T IPVTing costs can be as much as 50 per cent less than Vancouver. Retail space can be as much as 75 per cent less than in downtown Vancouver.

Also, Chilliwack’s industrial land prices are significantly lower (30-40 per cent) than neighbouring municipalities located closer to Vancouver. t -PX MBCPVS BOE QSPEVDUJPO DPTUT #.C.’s costs are lower than the U.S.A. and other G-7 countries. For instance, costs for skilled technical and professional workers can be as much as 33 per cent below comparable U.S. centres. Also employer-sponsored benefits, payroll, tax and health insurance rates are all lower than in the U.S. t -PX FOFSHZ DPTUT $BOBEB T DPTU PG FMFDUSJDJUZ BOE OBUVSBM HBT JT lower than that of the U.S.A. and Europe. t *ODFOUJWFT 5IF federal and provincial governments have created tax cuts and incentives that make our community attractive to businesses and investors.

Qualified workforce Chilliwack’s first-rate education system, supported by the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), School District #33 and other public and private advanced education opportunities, provide a wealth of qualified local talent. Together, these institutions offer a wide variety of programming, ranging from apprenticeship training to university degrees. Today, Chilliwack has a higher percentage (67.3 per cent) of people with high school, college or trade certificates or diplomas than the B.C. average.

Business-friendly government Chilliwack holds a reputation for being the most business-friendly community in British Columbia. Our municipal government is committed to ensuring that a competitive business environment is maintained by working with the business community and designing development policies that lead to success.

For more information Chilliwack Economic Partners Corporation (CEPCO) is responsible for economic development for the City of Chilliwack. The organization provides various business attraction and retention services, including site selection assistance, business relocation or expansion support, employee attraction and promotion, employee relocation services, immigration assistance and other related services.

Chilliwack Economic Partners Corporation #201-46093 Yale Road, Chilliwack, BC, Canada V2P 2L8 Toll Free: 1-800-561-8803, Telephone: 1-604-792-7839 Facsimile: 1-604-792-4511, Email: info@chilliwackpartners.com www.chilliwackeconomicpartners.com

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Chilliwack )90;0:/ *63<4)0( Â&#x2039; *(5(+(

Live. Work. Play. Prosper. s ,OW COST OF LIVING AND COMPETITIVE COST OF DOING BUSINESS s 0ROXIMITY TO 53 AND 0ACIlC 2IM MARKETS s #OMPREHENSIVE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK s 3KILLED WORKFORCE s 0ROGRESSIVE BUSINESS FRIENDLY GOVERNMENT s )NDUSTRIAL )NVESTMENT )NCENTIVE s 'ORGEOUS SCENERY AND UNLIMITED RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our research from Colliers International conďŹ rmed that Chilliwack was the most competitive environment for our new facility. Low land costs, transportation access, proximity to the US border and international airports and ocean ports, plus a supportive government and business community and plenty of skilled employees were key deciding factors.â&#x20AC;?

BRAD MILLER, PRESIDENT, IMW INDUSTRIES LTD. BC EXPORTER OF THE YEAR

FOR BUSINESS EXPANSION, RELOCATION OR SUPPORT PROGRAMS, CONTACT:

FOR BUILDING APPROVALS, LICENSES AND PERMITS, CONTACT:

T: s s F: E: INFO CHILLIWACKPARTNERS COM s W: chilliwackeconomicpartners.com

T: s F: W: chilliwack.com

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Coquitlam Population: 127, 785 A vibrant and growing community The City of Coquitlam, located in the heart of Metro Vancouver, is one of the fastest-growing communities in the Lower Mainland and British Columbia. It is estimated that the population of Coquitlam will be 176,000 by 2021 and 224,000 by 2041.

Coquitlam’s proximity to Vancouver, access to markets, transportation and housing options, recreation opportunities, highly educated labour force, open and accessible local government and innovative business community are some of the factors that are driving economic growth. Coquitlam’s major sectors are professional services, retail/wholesale trade, manufacturing, technology, public administration, transportation and construction.

Investment and economic growth The City of Coquitlam is the regional service centre for Northeast Metro Vancouver. Coquitlam is experiencing tremendous growth and investment. Public projects such as the Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex, the new City Centre Public Library, the Port Mann Bridge and King Edward Overpass and the coming Evergreen SkyTrain line, combined with significant investment in private-sector development projects in areas such as the City Centre, and the growth of organizations like Douglas College, IKEA and Coquitlam Centre, have made Coquitlam a popular destination.

Proximity to major markets Coquitlam is located in the geographic centre of the Lower Mainland and is 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver and 40 minutes from the U.S. border. Coquitlam provides excellent access to the two million plus Metro Vancouver market and the 10 million citizen trading area, which stretches from Vancouver, B.C., to Oregon state in the United States. Coquitlam’s proximity to the Vancouver and Abbotsford international airports and Port of Metro Vancouver also provides businesses with convenient access to the Pacific Rim. The access to major markets makes Coquitlam an attractive choice for a variety of transportation, logistics, technology and manufacturing companies.

Transportation options and accessibility Coquitlam offers direct access to major highways, rail arterials, rapid transit (SkyTrain) and river ports. Access to these major transportation networks, combined with Coquitlam’s central location in the lower mainland, have helped Coquitlam become a magnet for businesses such as Coca Cola, the Oppenheimer Group, Williams Moving, Natural Factors, Canstar Restorations and many others.

Transportation infrastructure improvements like the Port Mann, Golden Ears and Pitt River bridges, King Edward overpass and the Trans Canada Highway upgrade have improved the flow of goods and services. These transportation investments, as well as the Evergreen SkyTrain Line, will create numerous economic development opportunities while improving the transportation options available to residents and businesses.

Superb quality of life Coquitlam has competitive housing prices, diverse housing types, high-quality education options ranging from the Coquitlam School

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District to Douglas College, diverse dining and shopping choices and accessible transportation services like buses, SkyTrain and the Westcoast Express commuter rail train.

The City of Coquitlam has vast recreation opportunities, a variety of sport and cultural amenities such as Place des Arts and the Evergreen Cultural Centre, an expanding network of civic facilities, including the rebuilt Chimo Pool, new Public Library (to open in 2012), Town Centre Park and Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex (a 53 million project). The city is also home to an extensive trail network and a variety of natural areas, including provincial, regional and municipal parks, such as the 38,000-hectare Pinecone-Burke Provincial Park, the 175-hectare Minnekhada Regional Park, the 404-hectare Colony Farm Regional Park, the 176-hectare Mundy Park and many more. These attributes are driving population growth and motivating people and businesses to relocate to Coquitlam.

Innovation, entrepreneurship and technology The innovation, entrepreneurship and commitment of Coquitlam’s residents and businesses have created a vibrant business climate. The City of Coquitlam is keen to work with these groups to develop innovative solutions that would positively impact the community. This is demonstrated by QNet, established in 2008, a wholly owned subsidiary of the City of Coquitlam that has invested in fibre optic infrastructure (60 kilometres to date). The network has allowed Coquitlam to connect the city’s traffic signal system and facilities and provide lowcost broadband services across the city for residents and businesses.

Supporting business success The City of Coquitlam is committed to creating a business environment that fosters business growth and prosperity. The city has streamlined processes and is committed to the continuous improvement of the business environment. The City of Coquitlam is dedicated to ensuring that you receive excellent value from your investments in our community.

We invite you to contact us to learn more about the advantages Coquitlam has to offer.

Contact David Munro, Manager Economic Development, City of Coquitlam 3000 Guildford Way, Coquitlam, BC V3B 7N2 Phone: 604-927-3442, Email: dmunro@coquitlam.ca

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Coquitlam

Invest, Innovate, Grow

Coquitlam is one of the fastest growing communities in British Columbia.

Our City offers: Proximity to the Metro Vancouver, US and Asian markets Access to major transportation corridors and networks Transportation infrastructure improvements like the Hwy 1 / Port Mann Bridge and Evergreen

Line projects

A large, skilled and highly educated labour force Diverse recreation, arts and culture, housing and education opportunities QNet - a 60 km fibre optic network that provides businesses with low-cost broadband services An open, accessible and progressive municipal government

We invite you to contact us to learn more about the advantages Coquitlam has to offer.

Economic Development 3000 Guildford Way, Coquitlam, BC, V3B 7N2 Phone: 604-927-3442 | Email: economicdevelopment@coquitlam.ca

www.coquitlam.ca

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Township of Langley Right place. Right people.

Fifth-lowest industrial-to-residential property tax ratio of Lower Mainland communities makes the Township of Langley a cost-effective place to live and do business.

W

ith the goal of supplying one job for each Langley resident in the labour force, and one of the lowest business bankruptcy rates in Metro Vancouver, the Township of Langley is an ideal place to do business.

Retail and commercial businesses have made the Township home to one of the largest retail centres in the Lower Mainland.

Similarly, many regional branches of major banking institutions and international legal and accounting firms have relocated here.

Supporting almost 7,000 companies and an expanding population base currently estimated at 106,000, the Township of Langley is poised to become an economic powerhouse in British Columbia.

New transportation projects connect people to jobs The Golden Ears Bridge opened new markets on the north shore of the Fraser River, complementing existing infrastructure.

A new Park and Ride will be completed in 2012 at 202 Street, immediately south of the Trans-Canada Highway, making an easier and more sustainable commute for residents and employees.

Sixth-largest industrial floor space in Metro Vancouver Serviced and unserviced vacant industrial land, with stable and competitive land prices, are available in the Township’s five industrial areas.

Open for business The Township of Langley’s local economy includes everything your business needs: t TLJMMFE MBCPVS GPSDF t DPNQSFIFOTJWF BSSBZ PG USBJOJOH FEVDBUJPO GBDJMJUJFT t GVMMZ JOUFHSBUFE SPBE SBJM QPSU BOE BJSQPSU JOGSBTUSVDUVSF t GVMM SBOHF PG SFMJBCMF VUJMJUZ BOE UFMFDPN TFSWJDFT t TVJUBCMF JOEVTUSJBM BOE DPNNFSDJBM MBOE TJUFT t FBTZ BDDFTT UP NBSLFUT DVTUPNFST BOE TVQQMJFST – two million consumers within a one-hour drive – four million consumers within a four-hour drive

“Out of all of Western Canada, we chose Gloucester Industrial Estates in Langley for our regional head offices.

Proximity to key markets and distribution points was crucial in our decision. Plus, the combination of industrial estate with a natural setting provides a great work environment.”

– Mark Hodge, GM Benjamin Moore, Western Region

Education and training facilities able to customize your in-house training Employers seeking to top-up their own skills or further their employees’ qualifications can do so through credit and non-credit courses from a number of specialized education and training facilities in the Township of Langley; especially at Trinity Western University or Kwantlen Polytechnical University.

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Advanced Integration Technology Canada, an assembler of hightech turnkey systems for Boeing, Airbus and Bombardier, was targeted by the Canadian Government to help build the new F-35 fighter for the Canadian Forces.

More than 525 economic activities fuel the local economy t 3FUBJM t 5PVSJTN t 'JMNJOH t .BOVGBDUVSJOH t )JHI UFDI BOE NVDI NPSFy Canada’s largest cluster of helicopter companies makes Langley Regional Airport a centre of excellence for rotary wing aircraft.

Agribusiness has the right mix – hobby to high tech The combination of predominately Class 4 land, high-quality soils and innovative farmers nets high yield on 12,970 hectares of agricultural land. Township farms produce the most varied agricultural production in Canada.

The good life – no matter what your stage in life Finding the right location is just as important for a business as it is for its employees. The Township promotes healthy and sustainable communities supporting a diverse mix of people, while offering a cost of living that’s very affordable.

Go to www.tol.ca and click on “Doing Business in the Township” to get resources and business links to help you start up, finance, expand and develop products and services locally, nationally or internationally.

Learn more by contacting: Gary MacKinnon, Economic Development Manager Township of Langley, 20338 – 65 Avenue, Langley, BC Tel: 604-533-6084 Email: gmackinnon@tol.ca Web: www.tol.ca

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Lillooet

Population: 2,500

L

illooet is home to approximately 2,500 people, and is a service area for approximately 5,000 located 255 kms north of Vancouver and 134 kms north of Whistler on highway 99.

Lillooet focuses on progressive principles of smart and sustainable growth.

Lillooet’s semi-arid climate boasts more than 300 days of dry sunny conditions with temperatures ranging from high 20s to mid40s in the summer months and averaging only 290 millimetres of rainfall per year. Winter months are also attractive with an average snowfall of just 32 cm and moderate winter temperatures averaging between +5 and –8 degrees.

Lifestyle Residents enjoy a well-rounded lifestyle thanks to a fully operational modern recreation centre with an arena, swimming pool, squash courts, gymnasium and weight room.

A curling rink, skateboard park, softball field, mountain biking trails, parks and other amenities also contribute to a healthy lifestyle. The community is home to Thompson Rivers University, a library, hospital, medical clinic and dental clinic.

Potential development The community plan identifies areas for potential industrial and residential development, including 500 hectares at the airport and more than 80 hectares in other locations. More than 1,200 hectares of farmland are available for a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and forage crops, which has attracted a vineyard and budding wine industry. Our growing season is exceptional, and soil and climate reports are available for those interested. Tourism development is a known growth industry with Lillooet positioned at the corner of three highways. Lillooet’s proximity to Vancouver, Whistler and Kamloops makes it an ideal home base for telecommuters and entrepreneurs alike with modestly priced homes and properties.

Open for business The doors are open for business in Lillooet. Our community is actively seeking business owners, entrepreneurs and families interested in being a part of a community that offers its residents, tourists and employees an adventurous and cozy lifestyle. Lillooet is friendly and welcoming; awaken and restore your senses in a four-season wonderland. Stop working to live, learn how to thrive; get busy living in Lillooet.

For more information, check out our promotional video at www.lillooetbc.ca.

Location The community is located at the junction of Highway 99 North, Highway 12 and Highway 40. It is served by CN Rail’s freight service connecting with other carriers in Prince George to the north and Vancouver to the south, 177 km from the port. The airport is equipped with a paved airstrip for private planes, modern commercial jets and turbo-prop aircraft up to 18,100 kilograms/40,000 pounds. Both Jet A and Aviation fuel (100LL) are available on site.

Contact Call or visit Jerry Sucharyna – Economic Development Officer PO Box 610, 615 Main Street, Lillooet, BC, V0K 1V0 Phone: 250-256-4289 Fax: 250-256-4288 Email: jsucharyna@lillooetbc.ca

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2/13/12 1:17:34 PM

New Westminster

The “new” New Westminster With new investment and construction proceeding at record pace, the City of New Westminster truly embodies the phrase “Everything old is new again.” Although the venerable Royal City with its skyline of heritage buildings is steeped in history, working, living and playing in New West feels like an entirely new experience, whether in the downtown core, along the banks of the Fraser River or in its vibrant neighbourhoods.

At the centre of Metro Vancouver One of the main reasons for all the activity is New Westminster’s location at the geographical centre of Metro Vancouver. For residents, travelling to and from the city is easy thanks to five SkyTrain stations and close proximity to major transport routes and highway systems.

New Westminster’s strategic location has always figured prominently in the decision to live and work here, and given the logistics of today’s markets with regional, national and international shipments, its centrality is more important than ever. New West is in close proximity to Vancouver, Surrey and Richmond. For businesses in international markets, Vancouver International Airport, port facilities and the U.S. border are all within 30 minutes of the city.

Building for success New West’s relatively small size (only 15 square kilometres) has compelled city officials to take extra care in revitalizing historic areas and fostering projects that improve business opportunities and the community’s quality of life.

These considerations in turn have inspired investment on a grand scale. Take the famous downtown core as just one example: old buildings are being rejuvenated; new facilities such as the 500 million Plaza @ New Westminster Station mixed-use transit village are in the latter stages of completion; and the waterfront is receiving a facelift via the 25 million, 3.8-hectare Westminster Pier Park. Nearby, major developments, including the 600 million mixed-use Brewery District and the planned 750 million expansion to Royal Columbian Hospital, are generating considerable excitement.

Arguably, the project that best exemplifies New Westminster’s commitment to investing in future prosperity is the 35 million multiuse civic and convention centre, currently under construction in its downtown core. The 92,000-square-foot legacy project will include a convention centre, a 350-seat theatre, multi-purpose rooms for the arts, a restaurant and a new home for the city’s museum and archives.

But in addition to being a cultural and municipal landmark, the centre

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will be augmented by more than 100,000 square feet of class A LEED gold office space.

Meanwhile, Uptown Property Group, which has recently expanded and modernized its Westminster Centre (the city’s premier office and retail facility in the Uptown business district), is also currently developing the 40,000-square-foot Queen’s Park West office space complex.

Better still, all these developments are giving rise to an emerging new economy that will maintain New Westminster’s status as one of Metro Vancouver’s key destinations for years to come. Wesgroup Properties’ Brewery District is a good case in point. It isn’t merely an attractive residential development that reflects the unique past of this historic neighbourhood (which used to be home to the old Labatt brewery); the nine-acre district also consists of office and retail space plus health facilities. “We try to combine commercial and residential elements because it attracts employment,” says Wesgroup president Gino Nonni. “Already, Translink has signed a 20-year lease and will open an office on the site that will employ 650 people.”

City hall: open for business New Westminster city officials recognize the importance of creating strategic partnerships with the development community to create its vision – something that Nonni especially appreciates. “Everyone from city staff to the mayor understand and are supportive of mixed-use urban development, which is our focus,” he says. “The city has also made tremendous strides in crime prevention and enhancing liveability even more than previously existed.”

Real estate investor David Sarraf, who owns buildings from B.C. to Quebec and has purchased four heritage buildings in New Westminster to date, is equally enthusiastic about dealing with city hall. “The city administrators act like businesspeople instead of bureaucrats. They went out of their way to provide me with all sorts of opportunities, and I’ll probably do most of my investing in New Westminster in the future.”

The City’s Mayor Wayne Wright agrees: “Our aim is to create an ideal situation for business, for our citizens and for the city as a whole. That means investing in efficient infrastructure and approval processes that make it easy for businesses to locate here, grow and thrive. Creating a favourable climate is the best way we can support our business community – and the city.”

Securing the future To further prepare for its future, the City of New Westminster continues to advance its economic development strategies via numerous initiatives, and it’s perpetually focused on emerging economic opportunities – not only regionally, but internationally as well. Mayor Wayne Wright concludes, “As we rise to new levels of growth and prosperity, we look forward to committing our talents and resources to supporting our private-sector partners in reaching their goals.”

For more information about the City of New Westminster contact: Mitchell Edgar, Manger of Economic Development T: 604-527-4536, email: medgar@newwestcity.ca www.InvestNewWest.ca

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Âť live Âť work Âť play Âť invest in Hope.

HOPE Population: 6,322 (2006 census) ALL ROADS LEAD TO HOPE BC At the convergence of Highway 1, Highway 3, Highway 5 and Highway 7, Hope is strategically positioned as the Fraser Valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transportation, distribution and service hub. All commercial highway traďŹ&#x192;c in southern B.C. ďŹ&#x201A;ows through Hope. Approximately seven million vehicles travel through the community annually on these major routes, or about 20,000 per day. This superb highway access, combined with proximity to the U.S. border and large metropolitan trade areas, as well as low land and business costs, make Hope an ideal location.

Companies using B.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highway or rail network and looking for viable and cost-eďŹ&#x20AC;ective alternatives to locations elsewhere in the Fraser Valley will ďŹ nd what they are looking for in Hope.

Real estate Residential developments in Hope continue to be strong, as new residents discover attractive housing costs combined with stunning views and recreational opportunities. Kawkawa Lake, North Hope and Silver Creek areas in particular have seen investment interest in 2011, and an accelerated development pace is expected in 2012.

Existing industrial and commercial land is available with quick highway access, and properties with highway exposure are expected to be serviced by municipal sanitary sewer in 2012-2013. Retailcommercial lands are also available for development and redevelopment both in Hopeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beautiful downtown core and Old Hope Princeton Way highway commercial strip.

t #$ T 5SBOTQPSUBUJPO )VC o NBKPS JOUFSTFDUJOH )JHIXBZ 3PVUFT t "WBJMBCMF 4FSWJDFE *OEVTUSJBM -BOE XJUI )JHIXBZ &YQPTVSF t &OWJBCMF 2VBMJUZ PG -JGF XJUI "Ăľ PSEBCMF )PVTJOH t 1PJTFE GPS (SPXUI BOE 0QFO GPS #VTJOFTT

For Economic Development Information, Relocation, or Business Expansion Services, Contact: "EWBOUBHF )PQF ] 3BBC 4USFFU ] 10 #PY ] )PQF #$ ] 7 9 - 1I ] 'Y

$ ] & *OGP!"EWBOUBHF)PQF DB 8 XXX "EWBOUBHF)PQF DB

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Quality of life Hope boasts a recreation centre with amenities similar to those in communities many times its size. The Hope Recreation Complex, operated by the Fraser Valley Regional District, includes an ice rink with B.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best ice, a 25-metre competition pool, childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pool and water features, an excellent library and new conference facilities.

Trails for every level are within walking distance of any home in Hope, and climbing enthusiasts will enjoy challenging vertical experiences only minutes from town.

Personal service and low costs Hopeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s land and housing costs speak for themselves when compared to our neighbours in the Fraser Valley. While only 50 kilometres from Chilliwack and 150 kilometres from Vancouver, a single-family detached home is on average only ď&#x2122;&#x201C;228.001 in Hope, compared with the provincial average of ď&#x2122;&#x201C;418,703 (2006 census). Retail lease rates are extremely competitive with most properties between ď&#x2122;&#x201C;7 and ď&#x2122;&#x201C;12 per square foot in Hope, compared with rates closer to ď&#x2122;&#x201C;20 per square foot in neighbouring municipalities, and up to ď&#x2122;&#x201C;220 in downtown Vancouver.

District staďŹ&#x20AC; and Advantage Hope work hard to ensure that enquiries are dealt with in a timely manner and processes are as clear as possible. Enjoy coming in and dealing directly with the decision-makers.

Airpark The Hope Regional Airpark covers 43.7 hectares, and includes lease space, agricultural lease, and operations. New investments in a TouchN-Go fuel terminal with Jet A and 100LL fuel are attracting small craft, while nearly ďŹ ve hectares of lease space are available for new business and investment.

For more information contact: Advantage Hope: 604-860 0930, info@advantagehope.ca

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vancouver island/coast Share of B.C. land area: 9.1%

ECONOMIC ABUNDANCE

Spectrum of industries amid seabound havens Ącampbell river Ącomox Ącourtenay Ącowichan Ąduncan Ąladysmith Ąlake cowichan Ąlangford Ąnanaimo Ąnorth cowichan Ąparksville Ąport alberni Ąport alice Ąport hardy Ąport mcneil Ąpowell river Ąqualicum beach Ąsaanich Ąsooke Ąsidney Ątofino Ąucluelet Ąvictoria

Photo: Picture BC/Gregory Eymundson, Joern Rohde

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By Lynsey Burke ehind the easygoing charm of Vancouver Island and Coast lie innovation and leadership.

On Vancouver Island’s southern tip, the provincial capital is a welcoming hub whose “gardens, heritage architecture and world-class attractions draw people from around the world,” says Sasha Angus, manager of policy and public affairs for the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce. “Add to all that the region’s 29 annual festivals, and Greater Victoria has a very exciting and busy social calendar.”

Victoria is a leader in advanced technology. As one of the fastest-growing industries in the economic development region, tech has quickly become one of the top economic generators, says Angus, exceeding $1.9 billion in annual revenue. More than 900 tech companies employ more than 13,000 persons, making up the number 1 private industry in Greater Victoria.

Angus also says that Greater Victoria ranks very highly among

B

The tranquil beauty of Powell River

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vancouver island/coast

Gardens and heritage sites draw visitors from from around the world to Victoria

Serenity on the Cowichan Bay

Demographic characteristics

LEED-standard buildings per capita: evidence of belief in a green future. It’s considered Canada’s cycling capital, with residents using the area’s many bike trails for transportation. A study done

by Transport Canada ranked Greater Victoria lowest among 10 regional districts studied for greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions.

With its rolling hills, farmland, freshwater lakes and numerous wilderness parks, the Saanich Peninsula encapsulates the districts of Central and North Saanich and the Town of Sidney. Shadowed by the Vancouver Island Ranges and the Olympic Mountains, these districts are proud to be among the island’s driest. Farming has been a predominant aspect of the culture here since the mid-19th century, and the peninsula is home to one of Canada’s oldest agricultural exhibitions, the Saanich Fair.

Ă 0–17 Ă 18–64 Ă 65+ Ă all ages

1,000 800 600 400 200 2006

2011

2016

2021

Building permits

Millions of dollars

Ă Non-residential

2026

2031

2036

Economic activity Ă Residential

1,000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100

Top 10 industries by employment — Number of firms with employees

Retail trade Construction Professional, scientific & tech services Health care & social assistance Other services (excl. public services) Accommodation & food services Sources: Statistics Canada

Thousands of persons

1,200

Admin. & support waste management Real estate, rental & leasing Jan–Oct 2010

Jan–Oct 2011

Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting Manufacturing 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 50 1,00 1,50 2,00 2,50 3,00 3,50 4,00

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Photos (left to right): Courtesy of Cowichan Economic Development; Picture BC/Michael Tourigny

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vancouver island/coast

The rich agriculture of the Comox Valley

Sources: Statistics Canada

Orcas surface near Discovery Passage

In Cowichan, agriculture is also prevalent, with a multitude of wineries, produce and agri-tourism. Some of the best farmland combines with favourable weather for a culture demonstrating much interest in locally raised produce and contributing to the feasibility of the famous 100-mile diet.

“The Cowichan Region Economic Development Commission has developed a sustainable economic development strategy,” explains Kathy Lachman, business development officer. “There are a number of organizations in the region that deal with sustainability, including the Cowichan Green Community and Cowichan Energy Alternatives.”

Climate and green development are themes across the board. The City of Nanaimo is a key player in the overall success of achieving a green standard. Katie Ferland, development coordinator with the city’s economic development office, says that Nanaimo has signed the Climate Action Charter to reduce GHG emissions and increase energy efficiency.

Centrally located, Nanaimo specializes in food manufacturing, processing and distribution. Aquaculture is a major force there, says Ferland. “Nanaimo has a lot of potential from resourcemanagement companies, Vancouver Island University’s research facilities and industry collaboration.”

With more than 10,000 students attending VIU, Nanaimo has highly skilled human capital: a significant asset to professional, scientific and tech companies. “There is a huge opportunity for companies to locate here or grow and expand here in Nanaimo,” Ferland says, “especially those [with] mostly intellectual capital.”

Photos (top left, bottom): Courtesy of Invest in Comox Valley; Picture BC

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Port Alberni has shifted toward tourism in recent years

Meanwhile, the Comox Valley expands and implements new projects each year.

“It’s an exciting time in the Comox Valley,” says John Watson, executive director, Comox Valley Economic Development Society.

“The region continues to attract interest from investors in B.C. and Alberta, while at the same time, our agricultural productivity and land use [are] also increasing,” so that the area is “maintaining the rural quality of life” while “diversifying [its] economic base.”

According to Lara Greasley, marketing and communications director with the society, 51 per cent of all shellfish in British Columbia are produced in this area. While fishing and aquaculture exist all over the island, from commercial to sport fishing, the Comox Valley leads in sustainable harvesting.

As to tourism, in summer 2011, construction completed on what Greasley calls the “largest and only regional visitor centre on Vancouver Island.”

With a rich social and natural history, the Comox Valley area BIV Magazines/

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vancouver island/coast

Nanaimo is a key player in the overall success of green standards

hosts 50 cultural festivals every year.

In a thriving economy, future developments and expansions are planned within the Comox Valley area. The Canadian Forces Base and Mount Washington Alpine Resort will see growth in the near future. A new hospital and an

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underground coal project are also in the works.

Farther north, Campbell River features a moderate marine environment and competitive land costs. Over 5,000 hectares of agricultural land reserve exist within the city. While agriculture has

traditionally taken a back seat, Andrea Knowles, media and promotions manager for the Rivercorp Campbell River Economic Development Corporation, says Campbell River is poised for rapid investment and growth as opportunities to capitalize on assets are realized.

“Campbell River benefits from a wonderfully rich natural setting,” she explains.

“From lush forest to diverse ecosystems, natural capital is viewed as one of Campbell River’s greatest assets.”

As the centre of B.C. salmon-farming, the area is home to three major salmonfarming companies, a research facility and several aquaculture supply companies.

According to Rivercorp, farmed salmon is now B.C.’s largest agricultural export and a major contributor to the local economy.

Aquaculture directly employs an estimated 2,800 and indirectly more than 6,000 while generating over $800 million annually. It’s Campbell River’s largest employer.

Forestry, mining, green energy, health care and tourism are other components making up Campbell River’s thriving economy. Forestry is one of the largest overall economic contributors throughout the Vancouver Island/Coast, generating well over 13,000 jobs and lucrative economic spinoffs.

Inland, Port Alberni, has more than 25,000 residents. Historically, the AlberniClayoquot Regional District’s backbone is forestry. The large paper mill owned by Catalyst Paper Corp., a lumber mill and several smaller sawmills are present in the valley. A shift in recent years has embraced tourism and eco-tourism, capitalizing on Port Alberni’s optimal geographical connectivity (linking east to west) and the fact that the city lies at the head of the Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island’s longest inlet.

West of the Alberni Valley lie the Insular Mountains, backing to the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve of Canada.

With some of Canada’s most stunning beaches, neighbouring Tofino and Ucluelet on the island’s western coast are both experiencing transition as their once resource-based economies have shifted substantially toward tourism. Resorts see guests year-round, fishing charters take visitors to the open ocean, and the local

Photo: Courtesy of Nanaimo Economic Development Corporation

2/12/12 9:51:14 AM

vancouver island/coast Once resource-based, Ucluelet’s economy has shifted toward tourism

development corporation plans festivals and events that attract visitors from around the globe. “Ucluelet” means “people of the safe harbour” in the indigenous Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) language.

The Sunshine Coast stretches from Desolation Sound to Howe Sound, enfolding a multitude of communities such as Powell River, Gibsons, Lund, Pender Harbour, Texada Island and Savary Island. The region as a whole has become a popular tourism destination as it offers a wide variety of activities ranging from hiking and sailing to art galleries and international music festivals.

One of the region’s most economically active communities is

COWICHAN VALLEY

T

he Cowichan Region on Vancouver Island is looking for your business to be part of our sustainable economy. Located between Victoria and Nanaimo, the Cowichan has created a favourable business environment by developing a sustainable economic development strategy and working to create a supportive green economy. The region is home to many green businesses that support a growing sustainable culture. There are a number of great business opportunities with available wood biomass for green energy and agricultural opportunities to support a vibrant and well-established local food movement. In the Cowichan Region, we care about preserving the environment and we attract thousands of tourists annually who have discovered our pristine wilderness, lakes, rivers and ocean shores. Business opportunities for tourism include hotel/resort, wilderness adventure and water sport activities. The region attracts thousands of gourmands every year to sample the bounty this region has to offer. Local cheeses, jams, jellies, spices, salsa, vinegars, wild mushrooms and sea salt are just a few of the foods available. The Cowichan Region is the second largest wine region in British Columbia and is home to 16 wineries as well as the only estate cidery in B.C. With increasing demand for local food and wine, coupled with our ability to attract large numbers of tourists annually, the agritourism sector has ample room to grow.

For more information on the Cowichan Region, visit our website at discovercowichan.com or contact Geoff Millar, Manager, Economic Development Cowichan at 250-746-7880 or email gmillar@cvrd.bc.ca. .

Photo: Picture BC/Kevin Bradshaw

^^00.1_Invest in BC_2012.indd 55

Powell River, which exports approximately 10 million tonnes of products such as paper, wood, limestone, coal and seafood to markets around the world and has seen significant new investment in industries such as green power production. The community has been very innovative in ensuring that its existing businesses remain competitive and has created an environment that fosters new investment.

“We’ve been a leader in B.C. in a number of areas,” says Scott Randolph, manager of economic development. “Whether it’s establishing low major industrial tax rates, partnering on developments with the Tla’amin First Nation and the private sector or developing the best dual credit trades programs in the province, Powell River has put the supports in place for business to be successful.”

Randolph notes that the other major advantages of investing in Powell River are the cost and availability of property. Waterfront industrial lands are currently priced at $90,000 per acre and agricultural lands at $6500 per acre. Ą

Your business belongs in Cowichan Sustainable Economy Check List Sustainability Plan Green Businesses Viable, Supportive Economy Biomass Potential Agricultural Opportunities Healthy, Attractive Environment Innovative Green Culture

Make the sustainable move Economic Development Cowichan Sustainablecowichan.com 250-746-7880

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2/12/12 9:51:17 AM

Nanaimo

N

anaimo is about to take off, and the call to action to investors to capitalize on the last vestige of undervalued property on Vancouver Island is growing rapidly. We constantly hear that living in the province of B.C. and especially on Vancouver Island is out of reach for most people who want to own a home. Nanaimo is putting that little urban legend to rest once and for all. If you want to live in the warmest climate in Canada with mountains and water as far as the eye can see in your own backyard... you can afford it in Nanaimo.

Young families and retirees can afford it in Nanaimo.

The Vancouver Island waterfront community of 86,000 and growing fast has experienced substantial investment and is positioning itself as the premier business destination for entrepreneurs and expanding businesses.

While economies struggle and the news on Canadians future can appear anything but positive at times, the good news stories coming out of Nanaimo have placed it on the radar screens of investors everywhere. From state-of-the-art waterfront condo projects, revitalized downtown investment that resulted in being named “The Best Street in Canada,” reduced unemployment, strong conference bookings, increase in cruise ship dockings, upswing in tech business registrations, airport flights on the rise and tourism locations winning national and international awards, Nanaimo is experiencing a surge of indicators that it is in a burgeoning economy. Recent investments in the Nanaimo Airport expansion, Vancouver Island Conference Centre, cruise ship terminal construction, hospital expansion and Port Place Shopping Centre redevelopment demonstrate the foresight in the community.

The business-friendly council in the City of Nanaimo has not sat still and enjoyed this growth. They have proactively taken the approach that “now is our time to put Nanaimo on the global radar screen” and they have acted accordingly. The City of Nanaimo and the Nanaimo Economic Development Corporation (NEDC) have entered into a formal partnering agreement to put a much higher focus and emphasis on economic development and tourism within the area. As of October 17, 2011, the board has hired its first CEO. Susan Cudahy comes with extensive relevant experience and is formerly of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Greater Peterborough Area Economic Development Corporation and other marketing and economic development organizations.

This arms-length, incorporated model will be led by a privatesector board of directors with the knowledge of how to move at the speed of business and will be co-chaired by A.J. Hustins of ABC Precast

56

and Ready Mix Ltd. and Moira Jenkins of Royal Bank. The balance of the board of directors is made up of dynamic private-sector businesspeople who have the skills and competencies to provide the recommendations to council on what business really needs to achieve success.

The NEDC is focusing on its top priorities, including promoting, marketing and profiling Nanaimo as a leading investment destination, encouraging entrepreneurship, business startup and, of course, fostering the existing business base that currently makes up its diverse and growing economy. It is also focused on the advancement of Tourism in Nanaimo to the next level of awareness that will position the area as an absolute destination of choice. The quality of life Nanaimo enjoys that offers a young, creative culture with well-established arts, dance, music, theatre and heritage is wonderfully shared between those who are lucky enough to live in Nanaimo and those who are only visiting.

Community partners share a strong vision for Nanaimo’s future, including a growing knowledge-based economy. Vancouver Island University, the Centre for Shellfish Research and International Centre for Sturgeon Studies, Mid Island Science, Technology and Innovation Council and the Young Professionals Network, a professional business think tank of the brightest and best under 40, are examples of how local infrastructure can position Nanaimo for growth opportunities in sectors such as aquaculture, education, digital media and technology. The Nanaimo Port Authority is contributing to the future of the region with the recent launch of the new cruise ship terminal and five-year goal of attracting between 30 and 40 cruise ships annually that is well on its way to being realized.

“Nanaimo is no longer developing our infrastructure to be attractive to investors; we have already achieved that goal. With our growing university, hospital, pro-active council, investment incentives, available, educated, international workforce and supporting value system that the arts/culture industry is integral to our long-term success... Nanaimo is ready to compete globally for investment,“ says A.J. Hustins, NEDC co-chair. “Now the NEDC will focus on building strong and solid capacity in our community to ensure our residents and businesses can benefit from this growth and investment. We understand that a stronger economic structure is the key to a stronger social system,” says Moira Jenkins, NEDC co-chair.

Entrepreneurs are finding Nanaimo a great place to start a business or a new phase of their career. Business licences are on the rise in the areas of science and technology, health and recreation; and human resources are readily available through the university graduates. To provide a greater level of support, community partners are working together to establish an “Entreprenuerial Centre of Excellence” in Nanaimo, which is intended to be a collaborative effort between federal, provincial and municipal organizations with the goal of providing a centralized “nest” for new ideas and innovation where they can acquire financing, mentorship and training on the road to long-term success.

Contact Susan Cudahy, Chief Executive Officer Nanaimo Economic Development Corporation susan.cudahy@investnanaimo.com 250-591-1551 ext. 22

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2/13/12 11:14:12 AM

It’s about to take off. So get on.

There’s no time to waste. It won’t be much longer before the world discovers that living on Vancouver Island and being able to afford a great house are fully doable in Nanaimo. In fact, with our own university, airport and the nation’s best weather, we’ve got more to offer entrepreneurs than most cities in Canada. Add in people who love to work hard, play often, live well, and... you’d better just call us now.

Hurry, this is a limited time offer!

www.investnanaimo.com 888-810-3388 extension 22

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2/12/12 9:51:20 AM

COMOX VALLEY

W

ith its central Vancouver Island location and critical transportation links, the Comox Valley is a dynamic nucleus of economic sectors and opportunities. Boasting abundant land and natural resources, coupled with a temperate climate and superb quality of life, the Comox Valley is a strategic business investment location.

A 30-minute ďŹ&#x201A;ight from Vancouver will bring you to the Comox Valley which is made up of the distinctive communities of Courtenay, the urban and cultural core of the Comox Valley; Comox, a lively waterfront community, home to Canadian Forces Base 19 Wing Comox and the Comox Valley Airport (YQQ); Cumberland, a former coal mining town with a dynamic main street and a calendar full of festivals; and stunning surrounding rural areas. To the east the area encompasses the beautiful Strait of Georgia and to the west, the Strathcona Provincial Park.

The Comox Valley is considered the mid-island regional hub boasting harbour-to-harbour ďŹ&#x201A;oat plane service from downtown Vancouver, mainland BC ferry access, a regional hospital, a regional post-secondary college, Mount Washington Alpine Resort and other renowned destination properties.

The Comox Valley economy is extensive and thriving. The region has attracted investment in new and expanded resorts and hotels, making it a prime location for further investment in resort and tourism services.

With one of the longest growing seasons in Canada, more than 450 farms, a critical mass of lower-cost agricultural land and access to nearly a million-person trading area, the region is attracting vineyards, niche product producers, including cranberries, sprouts, organic fruits and vegetables, and diary and meat processing.

The aquaculture industry, with a wholesale value of more than ď&#x2122;&#x201C;37 million, has gained a reputation for producing farmed shellďŹ sh of phenomenal quality, certiďŹ ed for export to the U.S.A. and other international markets.

Contact: Comox Valley Economic Development, John Watson, Executive Director, 1-877-848-2427, 1-250-792-0375, john@investcomoxvalley.com investcomoxvalley.com, discovercomoxvalley.com

GREATER VICTORIA Population: 330,088

T Âź ! STRONG AND DIVERSIFIED ECONOMY Â&#x201E; !DVANCED TECHNOLOGY IS THE LARGEST INDUSTRY IN THE REGION Â&#x201E; %XCELLENT GROWTH PREDICTED FOR THE NEXT YEARS

Âź ! YOUNG AND DYNAMIC WORKFORCE

Â&#x201E; OF THE POPULATION HAS A POST SECONDARY EDUCATION Â&#x201E; OF THE POPULATION IS BETWEEN AGES OF AND

Âź ! UNPARALLELED QUALITY OF LIFE Â&#x201E; 'OLFING IN *ANUARY KAYAKING IN -AY Â&#x201E; )T ONLY SNOWS SEVEN DAYS A YEAR

#ONTACT US TODAY TO FIND OUT WHY THE 'REATER 6ICTORIA REGION IS ¹! .ATURAL 0LACE TO DO "USINESS²

58

-R 3ASHA !NGUS %CONOMIC $EVELOPMENT /FFICER % SANGUS GVDA CA 0

he Greater Victoria region is the capital of British Columbia, and the jewel of the southern tip of Vancouver Island. The area has been ranked as the third-best region in the Americas in the 2006 Conde Nast Travelerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Readersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Choice Awards. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll know why upon your ďŹ rst visit. Surrounded by water and nestled in the West Coastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural beauty, it is charmed with historic heritage. The Greater Victoria region oďŹ&#x20AC;ers one of the mildest climates in Canada, with spring oďŹ&#x192;cially ushered in each February when residents count the number of blossoms in their gardens.

What truly sets the Greater Victoria region apart is its unique combination of economic opportunity and superior quality of life.

Entrepreneurs with ventures of all sizes comprise more than 17,000 businesses in the region. Technology, tourism, marine, health and service industries are all thriving sectors, and the region has become a world leader in environmental services and technologies, with world-class research activities in the ďŹ eld.

As the seat of the provincial government, a centre for the Canadian Armed Forces, host to the Vancouver Island Technology Park and home to four post-secondary institutions, the region has a dynamic, young and well-educated workforce.

History, innovation, an excellent business climate, and an outstanding quality of life. The Greater Victoria region oďŹ&#x20AC;ers it all. Come ďŹ nd out why we are â&#x20AC;&#x153;a natural place to do business.â&#x20AC;?

Contact Sasha Angus Economic Development OďŹ&#x192;cer Greater Victoria Development Agency Email: sangus@gvda.ca Tel: 250-360-3473 www.gvda.ca

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2/12/12 9:51:23 AM

cariboo

J_Xi\ f] 9%:% cXe[ Xi\X1 (+%)

STRENGTH IN DIVERSITY

Expansion and investment pay off for regional economy

Ą100 mile house Ąbarkerville Ąmackenzie Ąmcbride Ąprince george Ąquesnel Ąvalemount Ąwells Ąwilliams lake

The Endako Mine, a surface molybdenum mine near Fraser Lake

By Rebecca Edwards n the Cariboo, the traditional economic drivers of forestry, mining, oil and gas are undergoing a renaissance thanks to rapidly expanding Asian export markets.

Yet the region is also strategically developing infrastructure and encouraging growth of value-added business, bioenergy and service and supply companies.

May 2011 was the first time that China bought more lumber from British Columbia than from the United States: an increase of 178 per cent in sales to that country from a year earlier.

Tim McEwan, in his former capacity as president and chief executive officer of Initiatives Prince George, described this trend as “a very exciting development” for the region, which comprises 14.2 per cent of B.C.’s land base and 3.5 per cent of its population.

I

Photos (top to bottom): Thompson Creek Metals Company; BC Heritage/Leif Grandell

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Visitors to heritage Barkerville discover how pioneers panned for gold

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cariboo LEFT: The frontier

RIGHT: Mountain

biking is a growing tourism industry, thanks to expanding trail networks including Farwell Canyon near Williams Lake

Major cities are Prince George (population 76,000) and Williams Lake (23,290). Municipalities include 100 Mile House, Mackenzie, McBride, Quesnel, Valemount and Wells.

Alan Madrigga, economic development officer of Williams Lake, says that contracts to export 364 million board feet of lumber to China have allowed the stud mill at Soda Creek near Williams Lake and a dimensional timber mill in Quesnel, both owned by Tolko Industries Ltd., to stay open.

Madrigga adds that the industry fought the tough economy by expanding into bioenergy and value-added wood products.

In Williams Lake, Pioneer Log Homes of B.C. received worldwide exposure when featured on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Another Williams Lake company, Durfeld Constructors, gained publicity by building a showcase low-energy log house to shelter 60

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Team Austria during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, held in Vancouver and Whistler.

Pacific BioEnergy’s pellet-production plant employs 80 Prince George workers and also supports forestry workers.

Northwood Pulp Mill has undergone a $100-million upgrade to improve energy-efficiency, and the federal government has awarded $2 million to the Quesnel River Pulp Mill Waste Water Heat Exchanger Upgrade Project and $5.5 million to Cariboo Pulp & Paper Company of Quesnel to make its processes greener.

After a two-year closure, the Mackenzie Pulp Mill reopened in 2010, putting 270 persons back to work. Conifex Timber Inc. is planning a $45-million bioenergy plant using waste fibre from Mackenzie Sawmill Ltd. and plans to start commercial production of electricity in summer 2012.

In Williams Lake, the closed Jackpine Group of Companies finger-joint plant is set to reopen in the near future, after having been purchased by an Eastern Canadian company that will use its facilities for value-added products such as doors and windows.

Local governments are aiding new and growing businesses with local tax initiatives. The City of Williams Lake is offering five years of municipal tax exemptions on new buildings or on the extensions of industrial zone properties. Prince George offers a similar exemption on downtown commercial development.

Mining is also undergoing a boom, with a number of new projects planned or under way.

The Mt. Milligan copper and gold mine of Thompson Creek Metals Co. Inc. is due to open in late 2013, with an expected life of 22 years. The $550-million expansion off the company’s Endako molybdenum mine is due for completion in 2012.

The Gibraltar mine of Taseko Mines Ltd. has undergone a $300-million expansion to boost production from 70 to 100 million pounds of copper per year.

Taseko’s planned Prosperity copper-gold mine is currently undergoing federal review and, if passed, has potential to employ 350 persons over 20 years.

Photos (top to bottom): Picture BC/Chris Harris; Tourism BC/Albert Normandin

2/12/12 9:51:39 AM

Sources: Statistics Canada

ranching heritage lives on in the Cariboo

cariboo Pristine wilderness presents unlimited recreational possibilities

The mine planned by Spanish Mountain Gold Ltd., 100 kilometres north of Williams Lake, is currently undergoing environmental assessment. If permitted, it could yield 3.94 million ounces of gold.

The region has benefitted from several infrastructural upgrades to connect the newly expanded Port of Prince Rupert to the rest of B.C. Highway 97 is being upgraded to four lanes through the $200-million Cariboo Connector. Canadian National Railway recently opened a $20-million intermodal and distribution

Demographic characteristics

Thousands of persons

Ă 0–17

Ă 18–64

Ă 65+ Ă all ages

180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 2006

2011

2016

2021

Building permits Ă Non-residential

2026

2031

2036

terminal in Prince George. Prince George Airport has Canada’s third-longest commercial runway.

The University of Northern British Columbia, the College of New Caledonia in Prince George and the Thompson Rivers University campus in Williams Lake are training the Cariboo’s future workforce, while the Provincial Nominee Program helps bring skilled immigrants to fill labour shortages in key areas.

The provincial government has invested $6.97 million in the heritage gold-rush town of Barkerville. Attracting 60–70,000 visitors annually, the town generates the equivalent of 156 full-time jobs and $6.6 million in salaries.

Adventure tourism is a growing part of the Cariboo’s economy, while the area’s ambience also provides an attractive lifestyle for the workforce.

“The cowboy culture has always been very consistently prevalent in this region; however, adventure tourism is really starting to take off and take hold,” says Brad McGuire, manager of the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association.

“Williams Lake was recently dubbed the Shangri-La of Mountain Biking by Bike Magazine, and Quesnel, Wells, Barkerville, Bowron Lakes areas, 100 Mile House and Clinton are all becoming very popular mountain-biking destinations.”

Such recreational opportunities and the strong job market are attracting many new residents to the region, McEwan has said, “We want to get the word out about the terrific four-season lifestyle that we have here, as well as the significant job opportunities that go with the new resource industries.” Ą

Economic activity Ă Residential

Top 10 industries by employment — Number of firms with employees

120

Sources: Statistics Canada

Millions of dollars

Retail trade 100

Construction

80

Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting Other services (excl. public services)

60

Health care & social assistance

40

Transportation & warehousing Professional, scientific & tech services

20

Accommodation & food services Jan–Oct 2010

Jan–Oct 2011

Wholesale trade Manufacturing 0

10 Photo: Picture BC/Alec Pytloway

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0

20

0

30

0

40

0

50

0

60

0

70

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0

80

2012

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WILLIAMS LAKE

I

nvesting in Williams Lake is a good business decision. Strong market potential in downtown and big-box retail, resource-sector services and housing development are a few of the prospects on the table in this city of 11,000 people. The diversity of the surrounding geography â&#x20AC;&#x201C; rainforest to desert within an hourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drive of the city â&#x20AC;&#x201C; matches the communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business and lifestyle opportunities.

Mining sector expansion is resulting in hundreds of new jobs and demand for additional services. Williams Lake is host to a hotbed of nearby mining activity with hundreds of millions in mine capital improvements, tens of millions of dollars in mine exploration activity, new working agreements with area First Nation communities and new mine development projects worth billions being reviewed by senior levels of government.

New directions, energy and innovation are always being exempliďŹ ed at the Williams Lake campus of Thompson Rivers University (TRU).

TRU North is fast showing itself to become an economic driver by quickly responding to the post-secondary education and training needs of local industries and the community at large.

Williams Lakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s forest industry also continues to be a major contributor to the local economy with new Asia-based market growth for lumber products and diversiďŹ cation into new green homebuilding manufacturing.

Market-driven investment opportunities in the lake city are helped along by a progressive city government. Established downtown and industrial tax exemptions, integrated community sustainability and new oďŹ&#x192;cial community plans ensure the path is clear to â&#x20AC;&#x153;make your way here.â&#x20AC;?

Contact: Alan Madrigga, Manager, Economic Development T: 250-392-1764, E: invest@williamslake.ca, www.investwilliamslake.com

! "

"

# "

$ $ %

PRINCE GEORGE

P

Prince Rupert Port Authority

CN

UNBC ALASKA

Prince George

(USA)

British Columbia, Canada A Sustainable Knowledge Based Resource Economy Connected to the World Target Sectors for Investment and Trade Development: % % $ % # ! % ! " $ % ! % $ # !

62

PaciďŹ c Ocean

BRITISH COLUMBIA Prince George

CANADA

Vancouver

rince George is a vibrant city serving a region of 330,000 people that welcomes investment, promotes economic growth and hosts a competitive business climate in central B.C. Prince George is located on the shortest trade route between Asia-PaciďŹ c and U.S. Heartland markets and oďŹ&#x20AC;ers an abundance of industrial land ready for development. The city has market connections via air (YXS), land (Hwy 16 & 97), rail (CN) and sea (Port of Prince Rupert eight hours east).

Primary economic sectors in Prince George range from natural resource to service sectors and include education, health care and corporate operations; new and evolving sectors such as bioenergy and clean technology continue to diversify the economy. Momentum is building for revitalization of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s downtown, which will be showcased when Prince George hosts the 2015 Canada Winter Games.

Prince George is Northern B.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s centre of recreation and wilderness adventure, oďŹ&#x20AC;ering year-round outdoor activities within minutes of city amenities. As a learning centre of excellence, Prince George oďŹ&#x20AC;ers trades and technical training at the College of New Caledonia, diploma to PhD programs at the award-winning, research intensive â&#x20AC;&#x153;greenâ&#x20AC;?

University of Northern BC, world-class medical training programs and facilities at the University Hospital of Northern BC, and widely available English language training.

The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic growth and diversiďŹ cation strategies are creating outstanding opportunities for investors, employers, employees and students alike! AďŹ&#x20AC;ordable housing, land prices and transportation costs result in one of the lowest costs of living for a city of its size in the province.

Seattle

USA

For more information contact: Initiatives Prince George Economic Development Corporation 250-564-0282 info@initiativespg.com www.initiativespg.com Like us on Facebook â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Follow us on Twitter at @InitiativesPG

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2/12/12 9:51:54 AM

DISTRICT OF MACKENZIE Mackenzie…the Sky’s the Limit Mackenzie lies at the southern end of Williston Lake, the largest man-made reservoir in North America, formed by the W.A.C. Bennett Dam on the Peace River.

Residents enjoy pristine wilderness, endless recreation opportunities, affordable housing and the benefits of life in a small town. There is truly something for everyone with picturesque lakes for boating and fishing, an abundance of trails for winter and summer activities, and enviable snow conditions for skiers and snowmobilers alike.

The District of Mackenzie was incorporated in 1966 after the development of large pulp and lumber manufacturing mills. Today, Mackenzie is home to several large industrial facilities including sawmill complexes, a pulp mill and finger jointing mill.

For new business prospects, the municipality boasts low land costs, competitive tax rates and availability of power and water for industrial applications. Further, businesses may qualify for grants through the Northern Development Initiative Trust’s Business Incentives Program.

Forestry Forestry is the backbone of Mackenzie’s economy. With the reopening of the Canfor Mackenzie operation, the Mackenzie Pulp Mill and Conifex Mackenzie, our economy is recovering. New businesses have been formed as a result and there is also interest being generated regarding the utilization of the residual fibre supply that results from this activity.

Mining Geologists have discovered deposits of lead, zinc, silver and gold on the west and north sides of Williston Lake that are considered high-potential

sites for mine development. With the increasing amount of exploration in the area, Mackenzie will likely see added investment and business creation in the local economy. Mackenzie has an excellent strategic location to service these developments during exploration and production stages.

The road structures, barge and rail services are all capable of providing access to the mineral wealth in the area.

Construction is underway at the Thompson Creek Metals Corp. – Mt. Milligan copper-gold project with the anticipated production date being the first quarter of 2013. This mine is located between Mackenzie and Fort St. James, and our region is working hard to position itself as a service supply centre for the mine. The upgrade to the Fort St. James-Mackenzie Connector Road is completed. This road connects the two communities enabling businesses and workers to access the mine site. More information on the project can be found at www.mtmilligan.com.

Economic diversification The District of Mackenzie continues to work toward diversifying its economy and has identified several initiatives that will help to ensure that we are not entirely dependent on the forest industry.

The future The opportunities are truly endless in the District of Mackenzie. The community welcomes you to consider Mackenzie as your future home, place of work and outdoor playground. In Mackenzie, the sky’s the limit.

For more information: Phone: 250-997-3221 Email: info@district.mackenzie.bc.ca, Website: www.district.mackenzie.bc.ca

Pytlowany Photography

• Quality infrastructure supporting industry • Surrounded by world class year-round recreation • Community openly welcomes new industries, businesses, residents and visitors Ph: 250.997.3221

info@district.mackenzie.bc.ca

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kootenay Share of B.C. land area: 6.2%

RESOURCEFUL ROCKIES

“B.C.’s mountain playground” offers natural opportunity

Ącastlegar Ącranbrook Ącreston Ąfernie Ągrand forks Ąinvermere Ąkaslo Ąkimberley Ąnakusp Ąnelson Ąnew denver Ąradium hot springs Ąrossland Ąslocan Ąsparwood Ątrail

By Rebecca Edwards he resources of coal, metal ores and lumber have been economic anchors in the Kootenay region for generations, and the recent rise in commodity prices is rejuvenating southeast British Columbia’s industrial communities.

The beauty of the Rocky Mountains is itself a valuable resource, attracting tourists and new residents who support the recreational and service sectors, bringing business to the region through telecommuting.

Economic diversity is evident particularly in the Elk Valley, an international tourist destination and home to five of the six coal mines operated by Teck Resources Ltd., the world’s largest exporter of metallurgical coal.

The valley has proven in-place reserves of over 1.3 billion tonnes of coal. The five mines produced 23 million tonnes in 2010.

Other large businesses supplying the mines include Finning in

T

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Nelson’s Victorian downtown encourages small, independent businesses

Photo: Phil Best

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kootenay

A CP train makes its way through the snow, with the renowned Fernie Alpine Resort visible in the background

Sparwood and SMS Equipment Inc. in Elkford.

Canadian Pacific Railway will invest $70 million to extend sidings between Golden and the Elk Valley in 2012–13, increasing the coal-carrying capacity of trains to the Westshore and Neptune terminals in Vancouver, where coal is exported to Europe, South America and increasingly Asia.

The Elk Valley is also a popular tourist destination, where skiers from Calgary, Eastern Canada and Europe have been driving up real-estate prices.

The Golden Eagle Express Gondola at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort

The famous pools of Radium Hot Springs

Rolling Stone named Fernie the “coolest town in North America.” Fernie Alpine Resort celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2012. It features regularly in lists of the world’s best ski resorts thanks to its high snowfall.

The region’s snow is promoted internationally through the Powder Highway branding by Kootenay Rockies Tourism, which features more than 60 “powder providers” in the region, including alpine ski resorts, backcountry guides, cat and heli-ski operations, Nordic skiing centres and snowmobile guides.

Summer tourism is also growing, thanks to a high number of golf resorts, including the St. Eugene Golf Resort Casino , which celebrates the region’s Ktunaxa heritage with a collection of First Nation artifacts.

Events like the Kaslo Jazz Festival boost summer communities around the Arrow Lakes, Kootenay Lake and Lake Koocanusa.

A mild microclimate makes Creston the second-largest area for tree production in B.C. after the Okanagan. It’s also home to Kokanee beer, brewed at the Labatts-owned Columbia Brewery.

Mountain biking has turned area resorts into four-season destinations, and Canadian Rockies International Airport in Cranbrook and Trail Regional Airport both operate regular flights to Calgary and Vancouver.

Expansion and modernization are extending the

Photos (clockwise from top left): Steve Short; Tourism BC/David Gluns; Tourism BC/David Gluns

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kootenay

Teck Resources is investing $210 million into its lead and zinc smelter in Trail

Demographic characteristics

Thousands of persons

• 0–17 • 18–64 • 65+ • all ages

180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 2006

2011

2016

2021

2026

2031

2036

productivity of industrial plants for many decades.

Teck has one of the world’s largest lead and zinc smelters in Trail, the subject of a $210-million expansion for recycling more end-of-life electronic waste. Completion is scheduled for 2014.

Also in Trail, 5N Plus Inc. expanded into a 40,000-square-foot facility in May 2011 and is now the only North American producer of heat-reading indium antimonide crystals, which are used in infrared products such as thermal-imaging cameras and navigational systems.

Teck has also announced a $475-million mill modernization at Canada’s largest open-pit copper mine, Highland Valley Copper near Kamloops. Scheduled for 2013 completion, it will extend the life of the 40-year-old mill to match the expected life of the mine.

In the Kootenay Boundary town of Midway, the Boundary Sawmill has reopened after a four-year shutdown. Local busi­ nesses formed a new company, Boundary Sawmill Inc., to buy the mill and pay off debts, enabling American lumber company Vaagen Brothers to operate the new mill.

Community support has fostered the development of projects like the Kimberley Conference & Athlete Training Centre and the hydroelectricity turbines installed at the Revelstoke and Mica dams.

A number of communities are installing fibre-optic networks, notably Golden, which launched one of the first communityowned broadband services in Canada, providing 500 MB/second connections to downtown businesses and high-speed rural wireless service.

Manufacturing and technology entrepreneurs will benefit from $300,000 in funding from the Columbia Basin Trust, allowing the Kootenay’s two science councils – the Kootenay Association for Science and Technology (KAST) and the Kootenay Rockies Innovation Council (KRIC) – to provide guidance and resources.

KAST’s South Kootenay Business Centre is a facility newly built for startups. Moreover KRIC executive director Larry Sparks says it’s no accident that the region known as “B.C.’s mountain

Economic activity

Building permits

Top 10 industries by employment — Number of firms with employees

• Non-residential • Residential

250 Construction 200 Millions of dollars

Other services (excl. public services) Accommodation & food services Health care & social assistance Professional, scientific & tech services Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting

150 100 50

Transportation & warehousing Real estate, rental & leasing

Jan–Oct 2010

Manufacturing 0

10 66

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Jan–Oct 2011

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 1,00

Sources: Statistics Canada

Retail trade

Photo: Larry Doell

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kootenay

Kimberley boasts three golf courses – Kimberley, Bootleg Gap and Tickle Creek, the last-named pictured here

playground” has so many innovative entrepreneurs among its larger resource and recreation industries: “The Kootenay culture is to live your life to the full, and that speaks directly to the types of people who become entrepreneurs. They are risk-takers and passion-pursuers, and they will do anything to be able to live where they can ski, hike and bike every day.” Ą

St. Eugene Golf Resort Casino near Cranbrook

ELKFORD

E

Sources: Statistics Canada

lkford is a picturesque Rocky Mountain town in southeast B.C. that has strong economic and social connections to the mining industry. Teck Coal, the town’s main employer, is currently experiencing substantial growth, and this has positively affected Elkford. Elkford is largely undiscovered by lovers of Rocky Mountain recreation and is positioned to benefit from activities of visionary entrepreneurs.

SMS Equipment’s Elkford Branch has recently announced the construction of a new 50,000-square-foot facility that will include two 7,200-square-foot shops bays, one 3,600-square-foot shop bay, one 3,600-square-foot steam/paint bay, warehouse area, offices, lunch room, training room, washrooms, locker rooms and meeting rooms.

The District of Elkford is currently constructing a new community centre that will include a 300-person banquet hall, commercial kitchen, a playschool, a visitor information centre, multi-purpose meeting rooms, as well as historical displays that will showcase the history between Elkford and the local mining industry. The 6 million energy-efficient community centre has been designed using wood construction to conserve energy and reduce the centre’s environmental footprint. Upon completion, Elkford and the Elk Valley will enjoy expanded capacity to deliver and host meetings and events.

Good jobs. Affordable housing. A full range of school, recreation and social amenities. Get into Elkford. Get back to nature.

Visit www.elkford.ca for more information.

Contact District of Elkford Municipal Office 816 Michel Road, PO Box 340 Elkford, BC V0B 1H0 Phone: 250-865-4000 Fax: 250-865-4001 info@elkford.ca

Photos (left to right): William Pitcher; Tourism BC/Tom Ryan

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Join our herd.

The world is having a handshake with a rough patch – which reminds us to shake things up. To live life more deeply. In Elkford, B.C., our big backyard and down to earth spirit create possibilities as big as our mountains.

Adventurers are investing in housing here.

The mines are hiring. Visitors are exploring untamed nature at our back door. For tourism, business and residential information, visit www.elkford.ca

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Cranbrook

I

“

nspiring.” What other word more aptly describes it? With the majestic Rockies to our east and the stately Purcell Mountains to our west, Cranbrook is simply… Inspiring!

But there is much more to us than our spectacular setting.

Cranbrook is alive with opportunity for those seeking a vibrant, welcoming and affordable community; and for those trail blazers seeking to create and grow their business.

NCTIG CPF GZRCPFKPI OCTMGV As the largest city and regional service centre for southeastern British Columbia, Cranbrook offers a range of services and amenities you would expect to find in a much larger centre, while still maintaining the warmth and charm of a smaller rural town.

Our regional population is in excess of 70,000 permanent residents, with Cranbrook itself accounting for some 20,000 of these. In addition, approximately 30,000 seasonal residents live and enjoy the region, all using Cranbrook as a service centre.

Our broader market (within a half-day’s drive) includes a significant neighbouring population of 1.7 million (1.2 million in the nearby southern Alberta-Calgary region) and 329,000 in the neighbouring U.S. counties.

These surrounding regions play an important role in Cranbrook’s economy and future.

The area is also increasingly a location of choice for both domestic and international investors, due to our exceptional setting, climate, value and lifestyle, which simply can’t be found anywhere else.

5VTCVGIKE CUUGVU Cranbrook provides ground transport links to markets across North America with direct access to CP Rail’s and Union Pacific’s rail network, four common carriers and bonded warehouse services.

Quick access to the U.S. for both road and rail is only a short 40 km away through a major point of entry at Kingsgate, ID. In addition, Cranbrook enjoys the benefit of proximity to Calgary (only 415 km to our east) and to Spokane Washington (only 315 km southwest of us).

In terms of air services, the newly expanded Canadian Rockies International Airport at Cranbrook is rapidly emerging as a growth engine for Cranbrook and the region. It is the 10th busiest airport in the province with more than 110,000 passengers in 2011, a 4.5 per cent increase over 2010. In addition to regular scheduled daily flights to Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton, service expansion to Kelowna is now in development – a great complement to the 70-hectare businessindustrial airport park planned for development starting in 2012.

And when it comes to high-speed telecommunications, there isn’t an issue. In addition to services provided by the major telecommunications carriers (Telus, Shaw Cable, Bell and Rogers Wireless) Cranbrook’s own municipal fibre-optic broadband network is available in the downtown core and targeted commercial areas of the city.

Finally, if health-care or education services are a deciding factor for you or your employees, we have that covered. Our first-class regional hospital, full complement of medical specialists and wide range of associated health-care facilities are able to respond to your needs. And whether it’s for your children’s education or your own interests, our K to 12 school system and post-secondary College of the Rockies – offering both degree and diploma level studies – will fit the bill.

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6JG QRRQTVWPKVKGU Cranbrook is growing and diversifying its economy. Building on its role as a regional service centre, its strategic location to major markets, and access to key distribution networks, Cranbrook is well positioned for the future. New investments in strategic infrastructure, such as our municipal broadband network and the airport industrialcommercial park, only enhance the opportunities.

Opportunities in our renewed natural resources sector with a focus on untapped mineral resources; advanced forest products; value-added agriculture; and renewable energy.

Opportunities to build on our specialty manufacturing in wood, metal and concrete fabrication; food processing; electronic equipment, textile and other specialty manufacturing.

Opportunities to be part of our growing services sector in retail; accommodations and hospitality; finance and professional services.

And opportunities in our all important support services: public services such as health and education; commercial services such as heavy equipment fabrication and repair; and our ever-growing role in telecommunication, logistics and transport.

NN VJG TKIJV TGCUQPU For motivated and energetic people seeking the ultimate in work-life balance, the timing has never been better. And when your workday is over, the fun really begins!

Skiing, snowmobiling, golf, hiking, mountain biking, water sports, fishing, nature watching… it’s all to be found here.

And if it’s a night out you seek, then we have that in abundance as well, whether it’s watching our Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League or taking in a performance of the symphony, some live theater, a jazz festival or one of the many headline performers to grace our community such as Holly Cole, Barney Bentall and Nickelback.

All of this in one of the most affordable communities in British Columbia.

There is so much more waiting for you here in Cranbrook... so check us out; you’ll be glad you did!

Contact: Kevin Weaver, Business & Economic Development Manager City of Cranbrook 40 - 10th Avenue South, Cranbrook, BC V1C 2M8 Phone: 250-489-0232 or 1-800-728-CRAN Email: invest@cranbrook.ca, www.cranbrook.ca

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Come experience life in Cranbrook. We think you will love it so much youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll want to stay foreverâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; and we hope you do. With tremendous opportunities for business, community, culture and recreation,

Cranbrook... your life is here.

WWW.CRANBROOK.C A or invest@cranbrook.ca

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B.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LOWER COLUMBIA B.Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.s Lower Columbia â&#x20AC;&#x201C; where metals, energy and transportation meet The region is a hotbed of metallurgical activity: t TNFMUJOH BOE SFmOJOH PG [JOD BOE MFBE t SFDMBJNJOH NFUBMT GSPN FOE PG MJGF FMFDUSPOJDT t QSPEVDJOH HPME TJMWFS BOE B WBTU BSSBZ PG PUIFS NFUBMT t SFDZDMJOH UIF [JOD MFBE BOE MJUIJVN GPVOE JO EFBE CBUUFSJFT t NBOVGBDUVSJOH HFSNBOJVN CBTFE PQUJDBM MFOT BOE t HSPXJOH IJHI RVBMJUZ JOEJVN BOUJNPOJEF CBTFE DSZTUBMT %JSFDUMZ SFMBUFE BSF IZESPFMFDUSJD QPXFS TUBUJPOT PO UIF 1FOE E 0SFJMMF BOE $PMVNCJB SJWFST 5IF -PXFS $PMVNCJB BMTP IBT B SPCVTU USBOTQPSUBUJPO JOGSBTUSVDUVSF JODMVEJOH UIF 5SBJM 3FHJPOBM "JSQPSU XIJDI PõFST EBJMZ nJHIUT UP 7BODPVWFS A leader in electronic waste and battery recycling 3FDMBJNJOH NFUBMT GSPN FMFDUSPOJD XBTUF BOE WBSJPVT CBUUFSJFT JT B HSPXUI JOEVTUSZ *OUFSFTUFE FOUSFQSFOFVST XJMM mOE SJDI PQQPSUVOJUJFT JO # $ T -PXFS $PMVNCJB BMSFBEZ LOPXO GPS MFBEFSTIJQ JO UIJT BSFB 5FDL 5SBJM 0QFSBUJPOT TUBSUFE SFDZDMJOH FOE PG MJGF FMFDUSPOJDT JO êèèî & XBTUF GSPN # $ "MCFSUB BOE 4BTLBUDIFXBO JT QSPEVDJOH WBMVBCMF NFU BMT UIBU EP OPU IBWF UP CF NJOFE WBMVBCMF NFUBMT UIBU XPVME PUIFSXJTF FOE VQ JO MBOEmMMT 5IF DPNQBOZ BMTP EFWFMPQFE UIF mSTU MFBE BDJE CBUUFSZ SFDZDMJOH QSPHSBN JO $BOBEB 5PEBZ UIFTF UZQFT PG VTFE CBUUFSJFT DPNQPTF VQ UP êèɰ PG UIF UPUBM SFmOFE MFBE 5FDL 5SBJM 0QFSBUJPOT QSPEVDFT "OPUIFS JOEVTUSZ MFBEFS 5PYDP MPDBUFE UIFJS MJUIJVN CBUUFSZ SFDZ DMJOH QMBOU JO # $ T -PXFS $PMVNCJB CFDBVTF PG t B SFHJPOBM XPSLGPSDF UIBU VOEFSTUBOET NFUBMT t HPWFSONFOU SFHVMBUPST VTFE UP EFBMJOH XJUI NFUBMT BOE

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t UIF SFHJPO T BDDFTTJCMF CPSEFS DSPTTJOHT 5IF 6 4 NJMJUBSZ BOE NBKPS 6 4 BVUPNBLFST BSF LFZ DPOUSBDUVBM DVTUPNFST

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REVELSTOKE Population: 8,500

REVELSTOKE, B.C.

R

evelstoke is located in southeastern B.C. in the Columbia River Valley, adjacent to two national parks and among some of the most spectacular scenery to be found in British Columbia. Approximately halfway between Vancouver and Calgary on the Trans-Canada Highway and the CPR mainline, Revelstoke’s market area is central to the West Coast, the Okanagan and Kootenay regions, and Alberta.

Key sectors of the economy include forestry, transportation and a rapidly expanding tourism industry. The development of a major fourseason resort is underway at Mount Mackenzie, minutes away from the beautifully restored downtown. At over 1,900 metres (6,000 feet), Revelstoke Mountain Resort boasts the longest vertical of any ski resort in North America and the fourth -longest in the world. This project has excellent investment potential. For more information, visit www.discoverrevelstoke.com.

Heli and cat skiing/boarding are well-established winter attractions, and Revelstoke has been rated as the No. 1 snowmobile destination in North America! The summer adventure tourism market is also a growing industry with mountain biking, boating, hiking and backcountry treks, all popular pursuits. Revelstoke has been rated as one of the top seven adventure destinations in the world and as one of the top 10 outdoor adventure communities in North America!

Contact Alan Mason Director of Community Economic Development 1-800-487-1493 amason@revelstoke.ca www.seerevelstoke.com or www.cityofrevelstoke.com

S

pectacular scenery, excellent recreational opportunities, strong support for business, good access to transportation routes, a rich heritage, and a quality of life second to none!

The mountain community of Revelstoke welcomes you as a visitor, a new resident or a new business owner.

For more information visit us at

www.cityofrevelstoke.com or call 1-800-487-1493 amason@revelstoke.ca

Ê}Ài>ÌÊ« >ViÊÌ ÊÛ Ã ÌtÊUÊ ÊÜ `iÀvÕ Ê« >ViÊÌ Ê ÛitÊ UÊ Ê>vv À`>L iÊ« >ViÊÌ Ê` ÊLÕà iÃÃt

KIMBERLEY

F

ree of big-city hassles but far from remote, Kimberley is a recreation destination in southeastern B.C., served by major north-south and east-west transportation corridors, as well as daily flights to Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver via the international airport located just 20 minutes south of town.

In Kimberley, making a living is just one part of lifestyle. Families, retirees, artists and outdoor enthusiasts alike enjoy a high quality of life due to mild snow-filled winters, warm summers and affordable housing (the average cost of a single-family house was 255,000 in 2011). In addition to fishing, birding, hiking and canoeing in the surrounding mountain playground, Kimberley boasts a downhill ski resort, a Nordic skiing centre, an 800-hectare nature park and mountain bike trail system, three championship golf courses and a new Conference and Athlete Training Centre - all within city limits!

Similarly, the College of the Rockies, located 30 minutes south in Cranbrook with a satellite campus in Kimberley, provides an ample supply of highly skilled workers.

With these resources, the investment opportunities are attractive.

Boutique-style retail space is available in an outdoor pedestrian mall in the heart of downtown, as well as in the village core of the Kimberley Alpine Resort and in Marysville, south Kimberley.

Land is available throughout for residential, resort and commercial development. In spring 2012, the City of Kimberley will be offering 5.6 hectares (14 acres) of new light-industrial land.

Live, play and invest in Kimberley!

Contact www.kimberley.ca, kwilson@kimberley.ca

kimberley.ca

Enviable Climate and World Class Recreation + Modern Amenities and Infrastructure + Skilled, Diverse Workforce + Low cost, Affordable Living = Attractive Investment Opportunity

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thompson okanagan Share of B.C. land area: 10.2%

Golden future

Thompson Okanagan serves the world

• barriere • cache creek • clearwater • clinton • golden • kamloops • kelowna • lytton • oliver • osoyoos • peachland • penticton • revelstoke • salmon arm • summerland Above: Mission

Hill Family Estate winery, Kelowna Right: Agriculture

is a way of life for many in Thompson Okanagan

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By Peter Mitham olden – it’s not just a town at the northeast edge of Thompson Okanagan where forestry and tourism reign.

“Golden” could well describe the region’s economic future, rooted in rich natural resources and cultivated by innovative entrepreneurs with eyes set on global opportunities.

The regional heart lies in the fertile Thompson, Similkameen and Okanagan valleys, with their namesake rivers and pine-clad slopes that gave rise a century ago to forestry and mining.

Today, these same slopes are home to ski resorts and vineyards that generate jobs and attract high-value tourism.

Indeed, Thompson Okanagan is home to more than 2,250 tourism establishments, from Sun Peaks Ski Resort near Kamloops to Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort & Spa in Osoyoos. You’ll find skiing, golf, spas and myriad culinary offerings in a region that’s long been a playground for visitors from the Lower Mainland and Alberta.

Kamloops, situated at the confluence of major rivers and highways, has capitalized on its centrality to focus on sport tourism, while resorts such as Predator Ridge near Vernon, Big White above Kelowna and Mount Baldy, backing to Oliver, provide ski and golf getaways.

Developments associated with the resorts typically use local building materials, providing employment for local mills and

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• vernon

Photos (top to bottom): Picture BC/Brian Sprout; Picture BC/Ellen Krause

2/15/12 10:26:46 AM

thompson okanagan Kal Tire enjoys global reach from its base in Vernon

The Monashee Mountains, lakes and rivers provide the perfect settings for regional tourism

craftspeople, but the nuts and bolts of real-estate development is complemented by a robust manufacturing sector that constantly seeks new opportunities. New Gold Inc. and paper manufacturer Domtar Corp. have recently made significant investments in their Kamloops operations, while Tolko Industries Ltd. in Vernon has capitalized on Chinese demand for forest products to complement North American sales. Automotive supplier Kal Tire is building an 80,000-square-foot head office in Vernon, and manufacturer Rhinokore is supplying the oil-and-gas sector with a variety of products including durable, lightweight mats and stabilization pads from a base in Armstrong. Unit Electrical Engineering Ltd. in Okanagan Falls supplies substations and related equipment to clients domestically and in Asia.

Spallumcheen-based Rapid-Span Structures Ltd. employs more than 100 persons supplying bridges to construction projects across Western Canada.

The resurgence of manufacturing is reflected in the opening Photos (bottom left to right): Picture BC/Paul Stone; Picture BC/Russell Work

^^00.1_Invest in BC_2012.indd 73

Oliver produces the finest in grapes, tree fruits and ground crops for visitors to farmers’ markets and roadside stands

of Senkulmen Business Park in Oliver by the Osoyoos Indian Band, in plans for a business park on the former Weyerhaeuser mill site in Okanagan Falls and in the rise in industrial permits in Kelowna.

Yet technology and the life sciences are also at the fore in a region that’s been called the Silicon Vineyard. Governmentfunded centres such as the Pacific Agri-food Research Centre and Accelerate Okanagan Technology Association (a business incubator formed in 2010 by the merger of the Okanagan Research and Innovation Centre and Okanagan Science and Technology Council) support private-sector activities such as the development of genetically modified apples by Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. Kelowna-based Rackforce Networks Inc. provides 40,000 square feet of data-centre space to clients in more than 100 countries. A secure seismic environment and cheap, reliable power are advantages for this and the more than 300 other tech businesses BIV Magazines/

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thompson okanagan Grand Forks: first settled in the railroad, mining and agricultural boom of the 1890s

with Germany’s Astaro GmbH & Co. Vernon lays claim to fastgrowing customer-satisfaction surveyor SQM, while Kamloops hosts web-analytics firm Real-e-live People.

The region houses B.C.’s largest concentration of game developers outside Metro Vancouver, one headliner being Club Penguin, which remains locally based and has grown to more than 400 employees following its acquisition by Disney Online in 2007.

The Silicon Vineyard’s success is parallelled by the expansion of literal vineyards of both the Okanagan and the neighbouring Similkameen. With more than 8,800 acres and 132 wineries, Thompson Okanagan has found a rich agricultural niche. The tony shift from yesteryear’s fruit ranches has visitors lapping up the Merlot and Pinot Gris with cheeses from the Village Cheese Co. of Armstrong and Naramata’s Poplar Grove Winery. Vernon’s Okanagan Spring Brewery, Kelowna’s Tree Brewing Co. and Penticton’s Tin Whistle Brewing Co. serve craft beers, while Okanagan Spirits makes eaux de vie that regularly win awards in Europe.

The expansion of institutions of higher learning puts the future in good hands. Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops launched Canada’s first new law school in 35 years in September 2011, while the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus wrapped up a $450-million development program with the opening of a Health Sciences Centre and Engineering Management Education complex. It is also assembling a team of researchers to support the local wine industry.

Okanagan College has opened a new Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation in Penticton, boosting trades-training. Ą

The impressive dock on Chase’s waterfront

that call Thompson Okanagan home.

Kelowna-based network-traffic monitor Vineyard Networks enjoys international relationships thanks to a $3-million contract

Demographic characteristics Ă 18–64

Ă 65+ Ă all ages

800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 2006

2011

2016

2021

2026

2031

2036

Economic activity

Building permits

Top 10 industries by employment — Number of firms with employees

Ă Non-residential

800

Construction

700

Retail trade

600 Millions of dollars

Health care & social assistance Other services (excl. public services) Professional, scientific & tech services Accommodation & food services

500 400 300

Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting

200

Admin. & support waste management

100

Real estate, rental & leasing

Jan–Oct 2010

Manufacturing 0

50 74

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Ă Residential

00

1,0

00

1,5

00

2,0

00

2,5

00

3,0

Jan–Oct 2011

00

3,5

Sources: Statistics Canada

Thousands of persons

Ă 0–17

Photos (left to right): Picture BC/Tyler Meade; Picture BC/Paul Stone

2/12/12 9:53:16 AM

PENTICTON Find your perfect work-life balance in Penticton, a city that truly has it all.

In this vibrant city, located in the heart of B.C.’s Okanagan Valley, you can spend your workdays running a successful business in technology, manufacturing, tourism or agriculture and find yourself lazing on one of our beaches or visiting award-winning wineries on your days off. From world-class festivals and events, like Ironman Canada, to Penticton’s two freshwater lakes and our 2,000-plus hours of sunshine per year, finding ways to spend your down time will be a cinch.

While Penticton offers the sophisticated amenities of an urban centre, it has retained its small-town charm. Pick up fresh veggies at the weekly Penticton farmers market then hop on a 55-minute flight to Vancouver and be back before sunset.

Home to more than 43,000 people, Penticton has become a premier destination for residential and small-business relocation due to its mild climate, excellent transportation links, strong labour force and access to firstrate recreational opportunities.

The city’s commitment to economic development is reflected in its competitive economic strategy. The progressive city council and administration have implemented incentives and investments in infrastructure that are strategically aimed to create success for businesses and deliver economic returns. Through our Economic Investment Zone (EIZ) strategy, we are committed to encouraging the new construction or significant renovation of buildings by reducing or eliminating taxes or permit fees within five key growth areas of the city. Over the past years, the community has seen significant investment in infrastructure, making Penticton the perfect place for investment.

A number of exciting initiatives have transformed Penticton into a

world leader in green technology and sustainable building practices.

Chief among those is the Jim Pattison Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation at Okanagan College, which will be the foremost teaching centre for sustainable construction and research. This brand-new 28 million building will be a global leader in the development and commercialization of new methods for building construction and alternative energy production.

It’s not only the residents who see Penticton as a great place to live and work; the city also grasps provincial, national and international attention. Penticton was recently ranked as one of the top 10 investment communities in B.C. by the Real Estate Investment Network. Penticton also ranks as the fourth most “business friendly” city by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Competitive Alternatives ranked Penticton as the lowest cost place to carry out manufacturing in the Pacific North American Region. According to TripAdvisors’ 2011 Travellers’ Choice Awards, Penticton’s beaches on Okanagan and Skaha lakes were ranked second in Canada. Most recently, the city was named by the Huffington Post as one of the top 10 travel destinations in the world for 2012 according to Facebook.

The broad economic base and progressive business attitude coupled with the city’s stunning natural surroundings and its vast range of amenities make Penticton the perfect place to work, live and do business.

To invest in Penticton, contact: Imagine Penticton: Economic Development Services 553 Railway Street, Penticton BC, Canada V2A 8S3 P: 250-276-2164, David.arsenault@penticton.ca www.imaginepenticton.ca

IMAGINE Sources: Statistics Canada

YOUR BUSINESS IN PENTICTON

IMAGINE Ŷ ĂŵĂnjŝŶŐ ĐůŝŵĂƚĞ͕ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ĐŽƐƚƐ͕ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ƚĂdž ŝŶĐĞŶƟǀĞƐ ĂŶĚ ĂŶ ĞdžĐĞůůĞŶƚ ƋƵĂůŝƚLJ ŽĨ ůŝĨĞ͕ WĞŶƟĐƚŽŶ ŚĂƐ ŝƚ Ăůů͊ BIV Magazines/

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CLEARWATER/WELLS GRAY COUNTRY

C

Clearwater, BC WELLS GRAY COUNTRY Clearwater, in the heart of Wells Gray Country, is a dynamic diversified region with a can-do attitude and a larger-than-life vision. Services, infrastructure and recreational opportunities to suit your needs. Find your place within our recently updated Economic Strategy. We are open for business!

www.districtofclearwater.com www.wellsgray.ca

learwater is actively pursuing new light industry and commercial ventures; we are no longer primarily a single industry community.

Clearwater is actively supporting expanded economic opportunities within our region.

Clearwater abounds with outdoor recreation opportunities, fully serviced residential and commercial properties and, most importantly, is a community prepared to encourage new business enterprise. Our climate, relaxing lifestyle and low cost of living are well suited for seniors and young working families. The community offers a safe and peaceful lifestyle that includes the amenities of a sustainable community, including education, health care and recreational opportunities. A medical centre and full-service hospital provides health care. Emergency services include a fire department, RCMP detachment and ambulance service.

Education is available from K-12, and post-secondary opportunities are available. Other services include financial, legal and realty offices, a mini mall, grocery store and over 135 other businesses to serve one’s needs.

The Community Economic Development Plan is available at www. districtofclearwater.com. For more information on business, please refer to www.clearwaterbcchamber.com. View our community profile at www.communityfutures.net/community_profiles.htm.

The community of Clearwater is viewed as the service centre for the area. Therefore, the adjacent Regional District Electoral Area “A” (Wells Gray Country) works very closely with the District of Clearwater in the delivery of economic development in the area, as well as regionally.

Contact the District of Clearwater Economic Development Officer at 250-674-2257 for more information on establishing a business in our community!

Best place to live, work and play OSOYOOS

Welcome to Canada’s warmest lake and hottest climate.

YEAR-ROUND MEETINGS, CONFERENCES AND WEDDING VENUES WITH CAPACITY FOR OVER 400

Golfing. Spas. Beaches.

Award-winning wineries and restaurants.

Eco-desert and aboriginal culture experiences.

groupsales@destinationosoyoos.com

Osoyoos – Canada’s warmest welcome Come to Canada’s only true desert … come to Osoyoos. Here you will discover our country’s warmest lake and hottest, driest climate amid a valley of stunning beauty. Framed by desert hills, lakes, vineyards and orchards, it’s the ultimate desert destination. The small, friendly resort town of Osoyoos is a celebrated centre for business meetings, conferences, weddings and recreation. And it’s no wonder – Osoyoos does have it all. Golf, spas, beaches, wineries, orchards, culinary delights, mountains, First Nations culture and eco-desert experiences.

Indeed, there is something for everyone, every season of the year. A growing number of stylish resorts have technology-equipped banquet and conference rooms accommodating up to 400 people – perfect for business meetings, conferences or weddings. These resorts offer a “paradise” setting for special events such as the Osoyoos Celebrity Wine Festival, drawing hundreds of people every year – the 2012 event is slated for September 14-16. Other distinctively unique events including the Half Corked Marathon, the Tumbleweed Film Festival and the Cherry Fiesta and Fireworks. And there’s more. Wine-tasting at award-winning wineries in picture-perfect vineyards. Golfing on spectacular championship courses. Learning the fascinating legends of the First Nations culture while studying the desert ecology at a world-class centre – don’t miss the live rattlesnake shows! Savouring fresh and innovative local culinary creations. Eating juicy sweet fruit “just picked” at an orchard’s quiet countryside stand. Experiencing bliss in a health and beauty spa.

Romance, adventure, relaxation and inspiration – it’s all yours to experience, year-round in Canada’s hottest destination, with Canada’s warmest welcome. Book today!

For information contact: Cheryle King (Richardson), Group Sales Specialist Destination Osoyoos, 1-888-676-9667, groupsales@destinationosoyoos.com, www.destinationosoyoos.com.

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KAMLOOPS

K

amloops is one of B.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hottest markets in which to invest, as the local economy has been on a steady growth pattern for the past 10 years, and the future holds more opportunities for growth. The City of Kamloops oďŹ&#x20AC;ers diverse industries, abundant skilled labour, a perfect balance of business opportunities and an excellent place to raise a family. Situated at the heart of the Interior of British Columbia, Kamloops is a perfect business hub in Western Canada. Savvy business owners and managers recognize that Kamloops is an optimal place to start or expand their business. Here are just a few reasons why: Land and logistics: t ,BNMPPQT JT DPOTJEFSFE UIF iIVCw PG UIF *OUFSJPS PG # $ XIFSF UIF QSPWinceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major arterial highways intersect, and through which all the major railways in Canada roll. Kamloops is an ideal location for warehousing, distribution, industrial and technological businesses. t ,BNMPPQT *OUFSOBUJPOBM "JSQPSU NBLFT ,BNMPPQT BDDFTTJCMF UP UIF XPSME and provides a frequent ďŹ&#x201A;ight schedule to Calgary, Vancouver and major western hubs. t *U IBT BCVOEBOU DPTU FĂľFDUJWF BOE BĂľPSEBCMF JOEVTUSJBM BOE DPNNFSDJBM land and oďŹ&#x192;ce space. t *U JT MPDBUFE PO BMM NBKPS $BOBEJBO USBOTDPOUJOFOUBM mCSF PQUJD DBCMF SPVUFT Skilled labour: t 5IPNQTPO 3JWFST 6OJWFSTJUZ JT POF PG $BOBEB T NPTU DPNQSFIFOTJWF BOE international universities, oďŹ&#x20AC;ering undergraduate and masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degrees in 25 disciplines, an extensive trades program and Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newest law program.

It is attended by students from 80 countries. t *U JT B TUBUF PG UIF BSU SFTPVSDF DFOUSF GPS SFTFBSDI BOE EFWFMPQNFOU TLJMMFE workforce, business, arts and athletics.

Supportive and thriving business community: t *U IBT B QSPHSFTTJWF DJUZ DPVODJM BOE DJUZ TUBĂľ DPNNJUUFE UP SFEVDJOH SFE UBQF

t ,BNMPPQT JT UIF SFHJPOBM DFOUSF GPS QSPGFTTJPOBM CVTJOFTT TFSWJDFT JO CBOLing, accounting and law. t *U IBT BDUJWF CVTJOFTT HSPVQT TVDI BT 7FOUVSF ,BNMPPQT ,BNMPPQT $IBNCFS PG $PNNFSDF BOE *OUFSJPS 5FDIOPMPHZ *OOPWBUJPO "TTPDJBUJPO XPSLJOH UP ensure business thrives. t *U IBT TUSPOH TVQQPSU BOE JOGSBTUSVDUVSF GPS OFX FOUSFQSFOFVST UISPVHI Venture Kamloops and the Kamloops Innovation Centre.

Superb lifestyle: t ,BNMPPQT PĂľFST BĂľPSEBCMF MJWJOH BOE mSTU DMBTT FEVDBUJPO XJUI TQFDJBMUZ schools. t *U IBT B SFHJPOBM IFBMUI DFOUSF XJUI B EJWFSTF HSPVQ PG TQFDJBMUZ NFEJDBM DMJOics and specialists. t *U JT TVSSPVOEFE CZ ĂŠĂŹ UPQ RVBMJUZ HPMG DPVSTFT BOE CPBTUT B XJEF WBSJFUZ PG exciting outdoor summer and winter activities, plus B.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second-largest XPSME DMBTT SFTPSU o 4VO 1FBLT 3FTPSU o BOE XPSME DMBTT TQPSUJOH GBDJMJUJFT t ,BNMPPQT JT SJDI JO BSUT BOE DVMUVSF XJUI FTUBCMJTIFE MJWF UIFBUSF HSPVQT numerous art galleries, museums and a symphony.

Key industries with growth potential and opportunities t .JOJOH BOE OBUVSBM SFTPVSDFT t *5 IJHI UFDI t 4QPSU UFDIOPMPHZ BOE EFWFMPQNFOU t 4QFDJBMUZ IFBMUI DBSF If you are considering the establishment or expansion of a business, Kamloops should be at the top of your list. Kamloops is where transportation, technology, business and lifestyle come together.

Contact: Venture Kamloops Tel: 888-526-5667 www.venturekamloops.com

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Merritt How to build a stronger business in a strategic location

Merritt Secondary School, Coquihalla Middle School and five primary schools have low 19:1 student-teacher ratios and offer French immersion, distance education, daycare and pre-school programs.

By Rebecca Edwards

I

f you’re looking to build your business in a strong community strategically close to the Lower Mainland and Thompson-Okanagan regions, with easy access to sports and the outdoors, look no farther than Merritt, British Columbia.

“Merritt has the best of both worlds,” says the City of Merritt’s economic development manager, James Umpherson.

“It has the location, labour force and infrastructure to allow businesses to develop and expand without all the trappings of a large urban centre. At the same time, it has all the amenities of a larger city.

Merritt is where the urban lifestyle meets outdoor adventure.”

L]Vi bV`Zh BZgg^ii heZX^Va4 1. Ideal access: Merritt lies in a strategic location for the Lower Mainland and Thompson-Okanagan regions, with easy access to the Coquihalla Highway, an intermodal rail hub and air service.

2. A diverse business community: Merritt already has a wide business base, from high technology and light manufacturing to agriculture, transportation, distribution and service professionals.

3. Tax exemptions for downtown revitalization projects: Merritt has a downtown-revitalization bylaw, offering five years of tax exemptions on business renovations.

4. Revitalization tax-exemption: Merritt has a four-year sliding-scale tax-exemption on new and existing business development, including Class 1 residential developments.

5. Affordable real estate and property taxes: The average house costs 211,914 with residential property tax at 9.224/1,000 on assessed value and commercial property taxes at 26.80/1,000.

6. Young, sustainable labour force: Of the 8,000-strong population, 35 per cent are under 25. Merritt’s trading area reaches 15,000 persons, with average household annual income 56,178 (2006 census). Merritt has significant “baby boomer” and “baby bounce” populations.

8. Sports amenities: Facilities include a modern aquatic centre, a city-run RV park, a mountain-bike park, a skateboard park and a children’s water park. You can play rugby, lacrosse or tennis or visit the bowling alley, hockey and curling rink (home to the Merritt Centennials Junior-A hockey team) or nine-hole golf course.

9. Access to the outdoors: Drop your canoe or kayak right from your back door on the Nicola or Coldwater rivers, which run through the heart of the city.

Nearby Nicola Lake offers beach activities at Monck Provincial Park, kite-surfing and world-class sturgeon and salmon-fishing.

There is also a mountain-bike, ATV and hiking-trail network, with access to the Kettle Valley Railway trail network in the city.

10. Special events: Special events range from professional outdoor stage and music performances in summer to the Canadian Rally Championship each fall, the Cow Trail Classic mountain bike race, Pacific Forest Rally off-road race and the Great Canadian Bike Rally.

The city caps off the year with the Merritt Walk of Stars country music gala and the Merritt Country Christmas Santa Claus Parade (North America’s seventh-largest Christmas parade).

11. Country Music Capital of Canada: As the Country Music Capital of Canada, Merritt hosts international country-music stars at the Merritt Mountain Music Festival each July, many leaving their handprints and signatures along the Walk of Stars tour and others featured in Merritt Walk of Stars Youth Mural Project.

Contact: James A Umpherson, B.A., M.A.E.S. Economic Development Manager City of Merritt Telephone: (250) 378-4224, Ext 211 Mobile: (250) 280-2441 Email: jumpherson@merritt.ca Website: www.merritt.ca

7. Strong education and training centre: The Nicola Valley Institute of Technology offers customized programs to meet local business needs. There are also six trade schools: Nicola Logworks, British Columbia Ministry of Forests and Range Protection Program, Fire Fighter Work Experience Program, Commercial Driver Training Program, Heavy Equipment Operator Training Program and Merritt Academy of Hair Design.

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All Roads Lead To

Merritt is where the roads of business meet urban lifestyle and outdoor adventure: Location: Market access and major transportation corridor Diversity: Economy, Industry, and Labour Force Business Friendly: Incentive Based Business Friendly Bylaws Affordability: Business and Residential Property Values Lifestyle: Urban Amenities and Outdoor Recreation Adventure

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SALMON ARM

W

elcome to the City of Salmon Arm, located in the Interior of British Columbia, within the Thompson Okanagan region.

Salmon Arm is strategically positioned between the major trade centres of Vancouver and Calgary. The city is located on the shores of the pristine Shuswap Lake, a premier vacation destination with more than 1,000 kilometres of shoreline. Salmon Arm offers a mild, yet distinctive, four-season climate with plentiful hours of sunshine.

Salmon Arm has a growing population of 17,464 but with its diversity of retail, commerce and business services, the city has positioned itself as the primary service centre for the surrounding population of more than 40,000. The area has enjoyed consistent population growth trends over the last decade, supporting an expanse of new business opportunities.

Salmon Arm’s diversified economy is comprised of advanced manufacturing, forestry, agriculture, tourism, health care and education. The city’s industrial park is home to world-class design, engineering and manufacturing firms, as well as the Shuswap Regional Airport. With dozens of thriving state-of-the-art operations, the industrial park community has fostered a true teamwork approach, relying on each other’s skill sets to deliver winning solutions to the world!

Quick facts t City population: 17,464 t Service area: over 40,000 t Distance to major markets: Vancouver BC 467km, Calgary AB 515km, Seattle WA 574km t Community airport: Shuswap Regional Airport (CZAM) t International airport: Kelowna International Airport (YLW)(100km) t Major highways: Trans-Canada Highway 1, Highway 97A & 97B

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t Community college: Okanagan College www.okanagan.bc.ca t Serviced industrial area: Salmon Arm Industrial Park t Average hours of sunshine per year: 1,900 t Perfect work-life balance: Salmon Arm, BC! It’s far from all work and no play in this community. With Shuswap Lake moments from your doorstep and a climate that complements year-round outdoor activities, Salmon Arm offers a perfect balance between opportunity and quality of life. The city is home to a thriving arts and culture scene, award-winning golf courses, well-established multi-use trail systems and an expanse of other indoor and outdoor recreational opportunities.

The Salmon Arm Economic Development Society (SAEDS) can help with your investment decisions by providing statistics, resources, strong community knowledge, and a database of available and affordable property options to meet your needs. Contact SAEDS today so we can help you take advantage of Salmon Arm’s expanding business climate and exceptional quality of life!

Contact Salmon Arm Economic Development Society Lana Fitt, Economic Development Manager Website: www.saeds.ca Email: edo@saeds.ca Phone: 250-833-0608

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VERNON Population: 39,000 he City of Vernon is the economic anchor of the North Okanagan, serving a regional population of more than 100,000. With a municipal population of approximately 39,000, Vernon maintains a smalltown feel while offering an abundance of commercial and retail services.

Vernon has a diverse economic base, with employment being generated from a large professional services sector, the traditional resource sectors of forestry and agriculture, as well as from the tourism, administrative, manufacturing and service sectors. Vernon is headquarters to a number of made-in-Vernon success stories, including Kal Tire, Tolko Industries, Okanagan Spring Brewery and DCT Chambers Trucking. Kal Tire has a new 80,000-square-foot head office currently under construction.

The City Centre Neighbourhood Plan has been completed and adopted by council. The plan offers a clear vision that promotes development in Vernon’s downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. Incentives for development in the City Centre are being explored in 2012. Already, new office development is underway in the City Centre, with Nixon Wenger completing its new four-storey office building and new medical and office space underway for 2012.

Recent and ongoing investments in public services and amenities are enhancing Vernon as a desirable place to locate. The hospital expansion is complete, and a new public library and secondary school are expected to open in 2012. The City of Vernon has been investing in improved civic spaces, transit expansion, more sidewalk and trail connections and the creation of cycling infrastructure to enhance the livability of the community.

Companies seeking to locate in Vernon have access to a highly skilled workforce. Okanagan College and the University of BC Okanagan provide post-secondary opportunities to both high school graduates and return-

T

ing students looking to upgrade their skills. These two institutions, as well as other private post-secondary institutions, facilitate the growth of local talent.

Vernon is readily accessible by air, rail and road networks, providing businesses with excellent transportation linkages. The Kelowna International Airport, offering domestic and international connections, is located only 25 minutes from downtown Vernon.

Good food and a rich agricultural history play a large role in the economy, as evidenced by the many farmers markets and agri-tourism opportunities. Local produce and farm products abound, offering tremendous variety in organic and locally produced foods. The City of Vernon is currently exploring the creation of a permanent public market.

Vernon has a well-deserved reputation for its recreational opportunities, including ready access to Okanagan and Kalamalka Lakes. The Ridge course at Predator Ridge Golf Resort was ranked the best new course in Canada by ScoreGolf magazine in 2010. Numerous other golf courses also offer plenty of opportunities to enjoy the beautiful Okanagan summers.

Silver Star Mountain Resort and Sovereign Lake are only 20 minutes from downtown. To soothe those aching muscles after a day on the slopes, the new Sparkling Hill Resort offers European spa luxury at affordable Canadian prices.

With a strong sense of community and beautiful Okanagan location, Vernon offers a great business climate and is a desirable place to live. We invite you to join our success.

Contact City of Vernon Kevin Poole, Economic Development Officer, Tel 250-550-3249, ecdev@vernon.ca, www.investvernon.ca

Business in Vernon is growing, and with competitive tax rates coupled with an unmatched quality of life, it’s easy to see why. Vernon companies enjoy quick access to destinations across western Canada and an international airport only 25 minutes away. Living in Vernon means having access to some of the best recreational amenities in British Columbia.

Contact us today to find out how your company can join in the success.

City of Vernon Economic Development

250-550-3249 ecdev@vernon.ca www.investvernon.ca

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WEST KELOWNA

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ecember 2011 marked a significant milestone for the District of West Kelowna as the municipality turned four. As the newest community in the Okanagan, this milestone represented the completion of three years of foundation work to establish the District of West Kelowna as a community on solid footing through the adoption of the first Official Community Plan and several other master plans.

Situated on the western shore of Lake

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Okanagan, the District of West Kelowna is the second largest municipality of the Central Okanagan with a steady annual population increase of one per cent since incorporation in 2008. “Residents choose to live in West Kelowna for a variety of quality of life reasons, including small-town friendliness and access to outdoor recreational opportunities,” says John Perrott, business development officer for the District of West Kelowna, adding that “businesses continue to find success within the

ow is the time to invest in the Okanagan’s Fastest Growing Community: West Kelowna

Westbank Centre From its earliest roots at the heart of the Westside, Westbank Centre is reinventing itself as the newest Okanagan urban neighbourhood. As envisioned in the recently adopted Westbank Centre Plan, a rich mix of medium density mixed use buildings will house new urban residents and local businesses.

Stevens Road Industrial Park Featuring a strong mix of manufacturing, innovatve product development and surging aviaton sectors, the Stevens Road Industrial Park is the emerging strategic investment for industrial uses.

Located centrally in the Okanagan Valley, 10 KM from the Connector, and home to available parcels in varying sizes ideal for your business or strategic investment.

For more informatin on investment & development opportunites in West Kelowna, call John Perrott, Business Development Officer directly at 778-797-2215 or john.perrott@districtofwestkelowna.ca

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community with more than 1,400 businesses located within the municipal boundary in 2011.”

What was once the largest unincorporated rural area in British Columbia in the mid2000s, this district is working to urbanize itself through a series of strategic infrastructure investments and adoption of new community plans and bylaws that reflect the vision of what the community is to become. A major part of the community transformation is focused around the reimagining of Westbank Centre to reinforce its prominence as the urban town centre.

“We see a vibrant future for Westbank Centre as outlined in the recently adopted Westbank Centre Plan – a neighbourhood comprised of mixed-use buildings filled with interesting local retailers and food-service businesses with a distinctly West Kelowna flavour,” says Perrott. To facilitate a significant transformation, the district will be working with the provincial government to see the provincial highway, currently bisecting Westbank Centre with two one-way streets, realigned to Dobbin Road, while Main Street will be converted back to a pedestrian-focused roadway.

In addition to the vision of Westbank Centre, the Stevens Road Industrial Area is envisioning to undergo changes in the near future.

As one of the larger industrial areas within the Central Okanagan, West Kelowna’s industrial area is home to a fast-growing helicopter cluster, manufacturers and specialty machining firms developing unique products ranging from specialty aviation parts to mountain rescue safety gear to parts for mining and oil drilling. However, on the horizon will be the addition of more industrial land within the zone as several larger parcels will be transitioned from their current uses, which opens up additional opportunity for further development of industrial buildings and attracting new business.

“It’s an ideal time for land investment in West Kelowna with an ideal mix of highly competitive land prices, a new and strong Official Community Plan and district staff focused on helping make projects happen,” says Perrott, adding, “When you combine these factors together, there’s significant opportunities for great things to happen.”

For more information on investing or developing in West Kelowna, contact John Perrott, business development officer, directly at 778-797-2215 or via e-mail at john.perrott@ districtofwestkelowna.ca.

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north coast

Share of B.C. land area: 12%

Ąhazelton Ąkitimat Ąmasset Ąnew hazelton Ąport clements Ąport edward

A TITAN AWAKENS

North Coast poised for wealth from unleashed potential

Ąport simpson Ąprince rupert Ąqueen charlotte city Ąsandspit Ąskidegate Ątelegraph creek Ąterrace

Docking at Prince Rupert

By Grant Wing ike a waking giant, British Columbia’s North Coast is preparing to assume a leading role in Canada’s energy economy. Up and down, you’ll find dynamic communities and signals of the region’s prosperous future.

On Douglas Channel, Kitimat grew up alongside the aluminum smelter that made it B.C.’s industrial heart. Now after years of planning, the National Energy Board has granted Kitimat LNG a 20-year licence to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from B.C. With this green light, Kitimat is positioned to become the

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Photo: Picture BC/Lonnie Wishart

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north coast

Kitimat LNG’s 20-year licence to export liquefied natural gas from B.C. could make Prince Rupert Canada’s energy gateway to Asia

Prince Rupert has a vibrant downtown

national transportation hub for exporting Canadian natural gas to energy-hungry Asian markets. A $5-billion-plus project is under way to build the new LNG terminal. This will have significant impact on the city of 9,000, says Rose Klukas, economic development officer at the District of Kitimat.

The Rio Tinto Alcan aluminum smelter, Kitimat’s industrial mainstay, is also seeing much activity. Modernization, now in planning, will mean employment of many more than the 600 already at the plant.

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expects to see an increase in businesses directly related to major projects and in the number of small companies that support these new businesses.

In particular, Kitimat anticipates the need for increased hotel and motel accommodations and restaurants as well as other additions to its already significant amenities.

“We’re very happy in our community; the general feel is very optimistic. We see good times ahead for Kitimat,” says Klukas.

Terrace has long been the region’s service-and-supply hub.

Now local businesses are gearing up as major projects near

Photos (clockwise from top): Courtesy of Apache Canada Ltd.; Picture BC/Ian Gould; Picture BC/Lonnie Wishart

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Sources: Statistics Canada

Masset, Haida Gwaii’s sportsfishing mecca, will soon be served by a new airport terminal

north coast

Queen Charlotte City Harbour, the hub of Haida Gwaii tourism

fruition and new businesses are starting to arrive in town, says Evan van Dyk, Terrace’s economic development officer.

Signs of growth include record numbers of passengers at Northwest Regional Airport Terrace-Kitimat and the overall busy vibe from local companies.

“Some are doing record contracts and hiring people. It’s been a very good time,” says Van Dyk. The Northwest Transmission Line (NTL), local mining exploration and the massive projects planned in Kitimat are all expected to benefit Terrace’s retail, service and supply centres. (For more on the NTL, see page 107.)

Demographic characteristics Ă 0–17

Ă 18–64

Ă 65+ Ă all ages

Thousands of persons

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 2006

2011

2016

2021

Building permits Ă Non-residential

2026

2031

2036

Top 10 industries by employment — Number of firms with employees

Retail trade

50 Millions of dollars

Among Terrace’s advantages: readily available services and supplies, plentiful land, low real-estate and development costs and strong support from the community and businesses.

With billions of dollars in investment slated for the region in the coming years, Terrace offers many opportunities for just about any type of business, says Van Dyk. Prince Rupert, the North Coast’s largest city, is positioned to benefit from billions in transportation-related projects both at the Port of Prince Rupert and in the region.

As if to underscore the city’s importance as a transportation hub, giant Cosco Group recently named its newest container ship Cosco Prince Rupert.

Cosco’s continued interest in investing in the growing Prince Rupert is something for which the city is very thankful, says Derek Baker, economic development officer at Prince Rupert & Port

Economic activity Ă Residential

60

Sources: Statistics Canada

Cow Bay Café and Eagle Bluff B&B in a heritage building near the waterfront in Prince Rupert

Construction Other services (excl. public services)

40

Accommodation & food services 30

Health care & social assistance

20

Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting Transportation & warehousing

10

Professional, scientific & tech services Jan–Oct 2010

Jan–Oct 2011

Wholesale trade Admin. & support waste management 50

Photos (left to right): Picture BC/Jason Shafto; Picture BC/Mark Margerison

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north coast Old growth in primeval forests near Port Clements

BELOW: Port Edward: an historic fishery town that abounds with outdoor recreational opportunities like fishing

Edward Economic Development Corp.

The Port of Prince Rupert continues to see growth year after year, with an additional weekly container ship stop added to its terminal timetable in 2011. Completion of environmental assessment and planning of the terminal expansion are expected by

Northwest British Columbia: n o t a l w a y s w h a t y o u ’d ex p e c t .

Sure, you may know all about our world-class fishing and the black bears that are actually white.

But did you know that one of our cities, Kitimat, accounts for a full 12% of the total industrial output of the province? Or that the Northwest is home to some of the finest Native carvers in Canada? Or that the region boasts a ski area that is regularly written up in American snowboard magazines? It’s not always what you’d expect. Northwest Regional Airport, Terrace-Kitimat is the reliable air transportation gateway to Heavy Industry, Mining, Forestry and Tourism opportunities.

The most reliable airport in British Columbia’s Northwest.

Call 250-635-2659 or visit us at www.yxt.ca for extra info.

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June 2012, with construction starting soon after, says Baker.

Other planned developments include construction of a woodpellet export facility slated for 2012 and a doubling of capacity at the Ridley Island Coal Terminal for coal originating in Northeast B.C. and headed to Asian markets.

Other opportunities lie in transportation-supporting services such as logistics, ship-fuelling and freight-forwarding.

Tourism is a strong sector of Prince Rupert’s economy, and local hoteliers are reporting the 2011 tourist season as one of the best in several years. The Prince Rupert Cruise Task Force is working to improve the visitor experience and to bolster retail shopping to attract additional cruise ships to the port city.

“Right now is really the prime opportunity for anyone who has been looking at Prince Rupert in the past … to get in first and get established before anyone else,” says Baker.

The villages of Hazelton, New Hazelton and South Hazelton, Photos (top to bottom): Picture BC/Ian Gould; Picture BC/Lonnie Wishart

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north coast Pole-raising at Kitselas Canyon National Historic Site near Terrace

290 kilometres east of Prince Rupert, are the historic commercial centres of Northwest B.C. Scenic mountains, rivers, colourful pioneer history, fishing and ecotourism are all draws. For entrepreneurs, New Hazelton offers low municipal tax rates and fees, available and inexpensive land, and highway and rail access right through the district.

The North Coast’s other port town, Stewart, is set to take advantage of forest resources, mining and tourism. The Port of Stewart is Canada’s northernmost ice-free deep-water port. It offers abundant electricity and readily available residential, commercial and industrial land.

Development applications and permits in Stewart are easily obtained.

A number of significant infrastructure projects and new business services to support tourism, agriculture and transportation are being planned in spectacular Haida Gwaii, says Heather Hornoi, economic development officer at Misty Isles Economic Development Society.

At Masset Airport, a 9,000-square-foot terminal upgrade is under way for visitors who come to Haida Gwaii for world-class sport-fishing.

The villages of Queen Charlotte and Port Clements are developing fully serviced industrial parks. Port Clements is also investigating the development of barge facilities to improve access for local wood products. There are many oppor tunities for small business on Graham Island, Haida Gwaii’s northern island, such as an opening for a gas station in Port Clements, says Hornoi. Other opportunities there lie in marketing the island’s agricultural products and in promoting the rugged environment as a testing ground for new products.

“There are a lot of really unique things here on the island that could be used in a greater capacity,” says Hornoi. Ą Photo: Picture BC/Mark Margerison

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PORT OF PRINCE RUPERT Welcome to North America’s Leading Edge Prince Rupert isn’t just on Canada’s western edge, we are on North America’s leading edge and anchoring the West Coast’s newest trade corridor with Asia. Consider our competitive edge: shortest transpacific sea-land link; superior, uncongested rail and road links with major North American markets; purpose-built high-velocity terminals; deepest natural harbour; and capacity for growth. The Port of Prince Rupert features over 1,000 acres of prime industrial properties, internationally recognized as one of the top logistics and intermodal locations in North America. Contact us to explore how we can help grow your business.

250.627.8899 | pcorp@rupertport.com | www.rupertport.com

LINKING A WORLD OF OPPORTUNIT Y

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Kitimat transportation. Half of Kitimatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population falls between 22 and 55 years of age, with 42 per cent directly employed in the energyintensive manufacturing sector. The Kitimat Valley has a commutable labour force of more than 14,000, and the communities of Kitimat, Terrace and surrounding area are seamless in terms of employment opportunities. Bus service spanning the 58-kilometre distance between the two communities is in place, and car-pooling or driving is approximately 40 minutes.

K

itimat is Western Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest private international deepsea port. Located in one of only two wide, ďŹ&#x201A;at, tidewater valleys on the west coast of Canada, the community is relatively young. Large tracts of undeveloped industrial land remain alongside Kitimatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global manufacturers and up-valley. The private port model attracts those who wish to build, own and operate their own terminals or transship from a non-government port facility. Substantial strategic elements exist in this marvel of nature of industry: international trade, power-intensive advanced manufacturing, small business and much, much more.

Transportation and energy capabilities Twenty-ďŹ rst century growth has launched with vast new volumes of energy resources, increased power-intensive manufacturing, adventure/eco tourism and Kitimat becoming known as the inland coastal retirement community of northwestern Canada. Trade growth in the Kitimat Valley with hub cities of Kitimat and Terrace are driven by location advantages: the shortest, straightest route to PaciďŹ c Rim markets, cost savings for energy-based exports due to its inland location, private shipping to international markets, transcontinental rail, and eďŹ&#x192;cient air connections direct to Vancouver International Airport. Such advantages have attracted billions in new investment since 2004. Known as an outlier for its industrial base, the municipalityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tax strategy ensures industrial taxes remain at or near one per cent of the industries operating costs. This balances other taxation classes and ensures small business and residential taxation remain attractive in Kitimat.

Education Three institutions operate in Kitimat: Simon Fraser University in partnership with Kitimat Valley Institute (KVI) for post-secondary business and masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degrees, and Northwest Community College satellite oďŹ&#x192;ce (NWCC) with accredited trade programs, pre-industrial employment certiďŹ cations and safety training. In September 2009, the University of Northern BC came aboard signing an MOU with KVI which identiďŹ es Kitimat as a research centre and a host teleconference/video conference distance education centre.

Labour force Kitimatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s labour force is highly skilled in heavy industry, trades and

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Quality of life Kitimatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s facilities and services ensure a high quality of life for all ages.

The PaciďŹ c Inland Coast has more than 45 marine parks, protected areas and heritage conservancies, and the region boasts globally signiďŹ cant intact coastal rainforests. Coupled with recreation, culture and arts facilities, aďŹ&#x20AC;ordable housing and a growing business sector, Kitimat is becoming known as one of northern B.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best places to live, work, play and invest.

Location t 7BMMFZ (BUFXBZ PG 8FTUFSO $BOBEB T 1BDJmD *OMBOE $PBTU t 1SJWBUF EFFQ TFB QPSU Ïèè LJMPNFUSFT OPSUI PG 7BODPVWFS Transportation t /PSUIXFTU USBOTQPSUBUJPO DPSSJEPS t 5SBOT $BOBEB :FMMPXIFBE )JHIXBZ t $BOBEJBO /BUJPOBM *OUFSDPOUJOFOUBM 3BJM t /PSUIXFTU 3FHJPOBM "JSQPSU 5FSSBDF ,JUJNBU MBSHFTU BJSQPSU XFTU PG 1SJODF (FPSHF BOE OPSUI PG UIF 0LBOBHBO SFHJPO PG # $

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Investment targets t "EWBODFE FOFSHZ JOUFOTJWF NBOVGBDUVSJOH t 4NBMM CVTJOFTT BOE TFOJPST TFSWJDF TFDUPS t "EWFOUVSF BOE FDP UPVSJTN CVTJOFTTFT Contact Rose Klukas Economic Development OďŹ&#x192;cer District of Kitimat 250-632-8921, rklukas@kitimat.ca

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INTERNATIONAL PRIVATE PORT: OVER $14 BILLION IN PROPOSED NEW PROJECTS TRADING WITH CHINA, KOREA, JAPAN AND OTHER GLOBAL MARKETS There is an energy hub evolving on the north coast of British Columbia. Sustainable, energy-intensive manufacturing, clean energy technology fuels and green energy applications are in play.

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NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE TRUST

T

here are over 30 billion in major projects and investment opportunities planned in Northwest British Columbia The communities of Northwest British Columbia are welcoming new investment to spur regional economic development with the launch of the Invest Northwest BC web portal – www.investnorthwestbc.ca. Invest Northwest BC provides detailed information on over 30 billion dollars of major projects and investment opportunities planned in the region.

Northwest British Columbia has a wealth of underdeveloped forest, mineral and coastal resources with numerous large-scale projects underway and planned within the coming decade. Investors can access the latest, up-to-date information on dozens of major projects and connect directly with private developers and community leaders through the Invest Northwest BC web portal.

BC Hydro’s Northwest Transmission Line, an approximately 344 km, 287 kV transmission line originating in Terrace, B.C. and running north along Highway 37 will provide clean power to billions of dollars in new industrial developments, enable new renewable energy generation projects and allow rural communities to access the electricity grid. The Northwest Transmission Line leverages unprecedented private-sector investment in the region and is regarded as a catalyst for the economic renewal of Northwest British Columbia.

In addition to the Northwest Transmission Line, Kitimat LNG is currently developing a 4.5 billion new liquefied natural gas terminal in Kitimat that will connect Apache Canada and EOG Resources’ gas fields in British Columbia and Alberta with new international markets. RioTinto Alcan is undertaking a 2.5 billion expansion of its aluminum smelting operations in Kitimat, B.C. that will be complete by 2013. In Prince Rupert,

there is unparaleled new investment planned and underway in transportation and logistics infrastructure to enable British Columbia to increase its international export capacity. These investments include 2.5 billion in investment in the Port of Prince Rupert’s Gateway 20-20 projects that will see the addition of a new bulk terminal for potash exports, an export/ import logistics park, an automobile import terminal and more. The Port of Prince Rupert is also working with Pinnacle Renewable Group to develop a recently announced wood pellet export facility on the north coast that will provide significant export capacity for British Columbia’s wood pellet industry and connected forestry sectors.

In addition to these multibillion-dollar projects, every community in Northwest B.C. has major projects planned and unique investment opportunities ranging from the Hudson Bay Mountain Resort’s development in Smithers and the expansion of port infrastructure in Stewart, to the investment in an expanded airport in Masset on Haida Gwaii and billions of potential new investment in gold, copper, silver, molybdenum and coal mines planned throughout the region.

Visit Invest Northwest BC for direct contact information with every company and community leader in Northwest British Columbia and for the latest information on major projects and investment opportunities. www.investnorthwestbc.ca

BC

PORT CITY ON THE MOVE

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northeast Share of B.C. land area: 22.1%

Ąchetwynd

ENERGY RUSH

Northeast’s booming oil-and-gas sector creates openings for construction, services and community-building

Ądawson creek Ąfort nelson Ąfort st. john Ąhudson’s hope Ąpouce coupe Ątaylor Ątumbler ridge

Created for the coal industry, Tumbler Ridge now has windpower, gas and tourism industries

By Grant Wing n energy bonanza is transforming British Columbia’s Northeast, creating opportunities for business to serve the resource industries and build the communities rapidly growing around them.

Constituting an immense swathe of the province from the Rockies to the Yukon and from Alberta moving west to Nechako, the Northeast is endowed with energy resources far greater than previously imagined.

A recent report has concluded that the Horn River Shale Basin represents about 55 per cent of Western Canada’s natural-gas resource. With new drilling technologies unlocking

A

Photo: Picture BC/Peace Photographics

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unconventional gas there, production and exploration are capable of supporting high drilling levels for many years.

Fort Nelson in the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) lies at the heart of the region’s energy boom.

Oil-and-gas development and exploration now employ 44 per cent of the labour force in the basin, says Jaylene Arnold, economic development officer at NRRM. The resulting boom has seen the growth of oil-and-gas service businesses like equipment-rental, trucking, fuel, water-truck and supply companies.

“In terms of business startups, there is a ton of opportunity,” says Arnold.

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northeast

In Hudson’s Hope on the Peace River, hydroelectricity, forestry, oil and gas, agriculture and tourism are economic mainstays

In the great northeastern wilderness

region’s workforce, is also booming. The region’s industrial land base has recently been expanded by 150 acres, most of which have been developed and sold. Construction values were at a six-year high in 2010 at $25.9 million, with the oil-and-gas sector responsible for an overall value of $19.3 million.

Along with businesses related to oil and gas, retailers and food providers are opening in the area, offering a good balance of services to residents, says Arnold.

Another indicator of growth is the increasing need for infrastructure, especially housing, says Jack Stevenson, director of planning for NRRM. The region has discussed infrastructural assistance with the province and is looking at incentives to spur housing development.

Thousands of persons

Ă 0–17

Ă 18–64

Ă 65+ Ă all ages

45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 2006

2011

2016

2021

2026

2031

2036

Economic activity

Building permits

Top 10 industries by employment — Number of firms with employees

Ă Non-residential

Construction Other services (excl. public services) Millions of dollars

Transportation & warehousing Mining & oil & gas extraction Retail trade Professional, scientific & tech services Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting Health care & social assistance Accommodation & food services 0

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100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 Jan–Oct 2010

Admin. & support waste management

92

Ă Residential

0

20

0

30

0

40

0

50

Jan–Oct 2011

0

60

Sources: Statistics Canada

Demographic characteristics

Photos (left to right): Picture BC/Val Utgaren; Picture BC/Maggie Gilbert

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northeast

Sources: Statistics Canada

The Peace River

Feverish activity is also evident in the double-digit growth in scheduled passenger traffic at the airport in the last four years.

“We get four or five 737s a week bringing in workers for the gas fields. So our little airport is getting overrun at the moment, to say the least,” Stevenson says.

South of Fort Nelson on Highway 97, Fort St. John in the North Peace region is feeling the same rush. The energy sector is driving the economy of the North Peace and B.C., in the opinion of Sandra Lemmon, economic development officer for the North Peace Economic Development Commission. Rapid growth is moreover driving opportunities in housing, retail, food, beverages and amenities for the influx of workers.

With local hotels and motels booked up to a year in advance, investors in such accommodations can’t go wrong, says Lemmon.

Agriculture, also strong in Peace River country, produces 90 per cent of the province’s total grain production and is seeing growing livestock and organic farming operations. Entrepreneurship and innovative technology businesses, especially for oil and gas, is also a regional strength, she says.

Business advantages of the North Peace include a strong tax advantage, low cost of land, inexpensive electricity and the community’s eagerness for business partnerships.

“We can’t fill the need of all the projects. We would like to tell people we are open for business,” says Lemmon.

Outside Fort St. John, opportunities lie in supplying the overflow of housing demand.

Taylor, a small but growing community 18 kilometres south of Fort St. John, offers affordable housing. It’s home to Spectra Energy Corp., Canfor Taylor Pulp, Alta Gas Liquids, a sawmill and an oriented strand board plant.

Featured recently on the CBC television series

Village on a Diet, Taylor needs a small grocery store for its diet-conscious citizens, says Lemmon.

Hudson’s Hope is another town with growing needs. BC Hydro, forestry, oil and gas, agriculture, guiding and outfitting and tourism drive the local economy.

With four coal mines undergoing permitting and natural-gas exploration nearby, Hudson’s Hope will need apartment buildings and restaurants to accommodate workers moving there.

South of the Peace River, Chetwynd is a busy town reacting to the diverse industries growing up around it, says Mayor Evan Saugstad. Coal, forestry, gas and wind energy are the major ingredients of its economy. The exponential growth of mining in particular presents major opportunities for businesses doing offsite work like rebuilding, heavy welding, fabrication and equipment service and supply.

Gas is another growing industry, with fracturing sand for the shale-gas industry as one potential business opportunity.

Wind power too is an investment draw, with one such project operating and another scheduled to start construction in 2012.

One result of this business boom: a shortage of rentable office space. Yet the plentitude of available lots means opportunity for office-building development in Chetwynd, says Saugstad.

Businesses serving the growing community like retail gas stations and a grocery store are other opportunities.

Chetwynd is also experiencing a shortage of housing, says Saugstad: “Everything is full. You can’t get a place to rent; you

The South Peace Community Multiplex, focused on entertainment and sports, open since 2008 Photos (top to bottom): Picture BC/Val Utgaren; Picture BC/Peace Photographics

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northeast

Fort St. John in the North Peace region

can’t find a hotel room.”

South of Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge was created for the coal industry but now has active wind-energy, gas and tourism industries too. With two local mines under expansion, natural gas growing and wind energy developing, the city offers investment opportunities in construction, transportation and management services, with more in retail, food, beverage and professional services to come as the population increases. Tumbler Ridge’s

year-round outdoor recreational and spectacular fossil attractions make it an excellent draw for tourism operators.

Farther east, Dawson Creek is the central economic hub. With low unemployment and some of the highest wages in the province, it offers a good climate for business, says Mayor Mike Bernier.

In the last two years, Dawson Creek has seen $80 million in private investment in hotels, stores, housing and a wide spectrum of other companies.

Oil and gas are the main economic drivers, but wind energy in Dawson Creek and surrounding communities also attracts hundreds of millions in investment. Site of the province’s first wind farm, Dawson Creek has ambitions to become a training and manufacturing centre for wind-energy technology, says Bernier.

Just 10 kilometers away, the village of Pouce Coupe offers affordable housing and low property taxes. The area surrounding Pouce Coupe has excellent growing conditions, affordable farm land and low production costs.

BC Hydro’s Site C dam is another big project with the potential to attract 7,000–8,000 direct jobs to the region.

The result: a region growing so fast that investment hasn’t quite kept up.

“It’s really exciting being the mayor of a community where your [issue is] trying to manage the growth, not actually promote it,” says Bernier. Ą

FORT ST. JOHN

F

ort St. John, B.C.’s oil and gas capital, is located in a region estimated to have one of the largest oil and gas deposits in the world. As the unprecedented potential of the Horn River and Montney Basins are developed, Fort St. John continues to be a powerhouse of opportunity with an abundance of natural resources and the entrepreneurial spirit to take advantage of it all.

We are known as the “Energetic City,” for it’s no secret that the energy sector is a strong driver of economic growth in the region. We are a dynamic and growing community, rich in natural resources and full of young families, professionals and entrepreneurs. With a population approaching 20,000 and a service area exceeding 69,000, Fort St. John is an opportunity not to be missed for business startups, entrepreneurs and investors.

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As the community experiences rapid growth and development over the next few years, Fort St. John continues to celebrate our city and our people, while welcoming newcomers with open arms to share our energetic spirit. We are a city that has a friendly small-town feel combined with all accommodations, restaurants, shopping and services of the big city.

Contact The City of Fort St. John 877-785-6037, info@fortstjohn.ca www.fortstjohn.ca

Photo: Picture BC/Andrew Tylosky

2/12/12 9:54:49 AM

NORTHERN ROCKIES REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY Population: 6,209 (BC Stats estimate 2010) Regional development in the Northern Rockies: Laying the groundwork for success The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM), Fort Nelson First Nation (FNFN), Prophet River First Nation (PRFN), industry and provincial partners are all working diligently to ensure a strong and diverse economy in B.C.’s Northeast region. Consistent capital growth, after record-breaking land tenure sales in the Horn River and Cordova Basins in 2008 and 2009, is a result of promising findings through exploration and the refinement of technologies associated with both upstream and downstream natural gas production. Growth in the economy is similarly reflected in the Northern Rockies’ growth in population – the highest annual percentage in 2009-2010 in the province of B.C., at 3.4 per cent.

2009 proved a historic transition for the Town of Fort Nelson and the Northern Rockies Regional District, as the two combined to form British Columbia’s first regional municipality. With an innovative fixed-ratio tax structure, the NRRM received overwhelming support from the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA) and Canfor, who saw value in the stability and fairness of the system. Industry, local business and residents all benefit from this simple and predictable tax structure designed to ensure the NRRM’s communities can provide quality services and infrastructure now and in the future. It is likely that the NRRM’s bold leadership has laid the groundwork for other B.C. communities.

The Alaska Highway, combined with railhead access and regular scheduled and charter air service at the Northern Rockies Regional Airport, makes Fort Nelson a natural transportation hub and will play the lead role in the continued diversification of its economy. Strategic busi-

ness and capital planning of such methods of transportation in the community (the airport and Alaska Highway Corridor Study) will ensure that development stays ahead of the curve. Largely in response to the development of the Horn River Basin and the steadfast growth of the service sector, new light-industrial lands are in the process of being developed in Fort Nelson. 250 fully serviced acres are available for public ownership, accessed by an exclusive industrial traffic route off of the Alaska Highway.

In addition to continued growth in the local oil and gas service sector and light-industrial development, the Forestry Roundtable meets regularly to explore new options in our changing forest industry. FNFN and the NRRM have agreed to pursue a community forest agreement, working together to establish a future community forest tenure.

Tourism in this beautiful area also remains a priority since the worldfamous Alaska Highway serves as Fort Nelson’s main street, and the globally significant 6.4-million-hectare Muskwa-Kechika wilderness lies in the backyard.

A recent study saw 224,200 visitors through the area from May to September, spending approximately 47.5 million on local goods and services.

More than 200 new businesses of all sizes have established themselves in Fort Nelson since 2009, with a continued expectation of the same growth through 2011 and beyond. Storefronts in retail, service-sector providers, corporate oil and gas drilling, completion and production services, and expansion of the accommodations sector all show the value and measurable potential of the NRRM. Reaching the peak of business success is not a small feat; doing so in the Northern Rockies is well within reach.

Contact: Enterprise Northern Rockies Email: ecdev@northernrockies.ca Tel: 250-774-2541, www.NorthernRockies.ca

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Chetwynd

T

he District of Chetwynd hosted a Housing Opportunities & Needs Forum November 10, 2011. The purpose of the meeting was to hear from industry members on their present and future operations and expected workforce growth projections, and how they see this translating into direct worker housing demands.

Council approved a Tax Revitalization Exemption Policy to stimulate multi-family housing development in Chetwynd for multi-family residential projects.

Council agreed to provide a full (100) municipal tax revitalization for five (5) years for multi-family residential development or redevelopment for six (6) or more units. The policy was adopted by council at the regular council meeting November 21, 2011.

“The overriding purpose being to incent housing development and to create an action plan(s) for new housing development opportunities in our community to meet the growing demand.”

James Munro, director regional development from BC Housing for Affordable Housing Partnerships discussed the programs available within the partnership models to deliver community-based housing. The provincial government would support facilitation, co-ordination, financing and rental assistance.

The federal government could access capital grants for partnerships. Karen Ungerson, from CMHC, reported on the SEED funding program, grant and loan opportunities (up to 100,000 in the form of repayable interest loan for private and non-profit developers of affordable housing) for those who can demonstrate that their proposed project will be affordable.

Neil Curtis, Crown lands, manager, planning and local government, discussed the process that has happened for the available Crown lands that are currently for sale within Chetwynd.

These lands are listed with MLS and are zoned for development of residential and multi-family lots. Phase 2, the release of additional Crown residential lots, is in the application stage for review and is moving ahead for future additional lots that will be for sale.

Industry representatives reported more than 300 workers would be needed over the next 18 months in forestry, oil and gas and coal developments. All reported the need for housing, and due to the demand and turnover of employees, a collaborative approach to long-term housing was essential for the growth and planning for Chetwynd and area.

For supporting documents, stats and additional information, please contact the Economic Development Office. The plans to move forward from the discussion following the meeting are to work hard to ensure that partnerships and commitments from all the developers, industry and building community can happen. We have and will continue to work to deliver unique opportunities to address the current housing development shortfall and support our growing industries.

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Contact Ellen Calliou, Economic Development Officer District of Chetwynd Phone: 250-401-4113 Email: calliou@gochetwynd.com www.gochetwynd.com

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2/12/12 9:54:55 AM

&KUEQXGT VJG

#FXCPVCIG Business-Friendly Climate diverse economy strong service centre: forestry, oil and gas, coal, wind and ranching near shale, tight, sour & natural gas zones bulk water fill station (residents/ industry) industrial land, light industrial and commercial spaces available sewer dump facility for commercial/industry centrally located: close to airport, rail and major highways local contract services available

High Quality of Life

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a four season playground with an abundance of activities for all ages rec complex: curling rink, skating oval, ice area, skateboard park, sports fields, fitness centre, track, weight room, racquet courts & climbing wall leisure pool: wave pool, sauna, hot tub and slide mountain biking, hiking, ski trails ... the most livable small community in BC (Smart Growth BC)

RE INDUS

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Box 357, Chetwynd BC V0C 1J0 Tel: 250.401.4113 | Fax: 250.401.4101 Email: calliou@gochetwynd.com

www.gochetwynd.com

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2/12/12 9:54:56 AM

Hudsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hope

Population: 1,100 The place to â&#x20AC;Ś Live â&#x20AC;Ś Play â&#x20AC;Ś Invest Live Hudsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hope was recently described by a new resident as â&#x20AC;&#x153;The worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest welcome matâ&#x20AC;? as he was so impressed by the friendliness of the locals.

Located in a valley beside the Peace River with the Rocky Mountains providing a backdrop, the community beneďŹ ts from a micro-climate that oďŹ&#x20AC;ers mild temperatures.

New families are delighted to ďŹ nd a simpler lifestyle where the kids can simply go out to play with friends or head to the pool or arena. All amenities are within safe, easy walking distances.

Seniors are welcomed at the New Horizons club and are urged at join up for card nights, potlucks, seniorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; trips, arts and culture activities, and stick curling.

Play For many years, the town motto was â&#x20AC;&#x153;Playground of the Peace,â&#x20AC;? and today we have even more to oďŹ&#x20AC;er.

A new curling rink and an outdoor pool have been added to the impressive list of facilities; including a skating arena, rodeo grounds, skateboard park, tennis courts, baseball ďŹ elds and an indoor riding arena.

The Peace River, Williston, Dinosaur and Cameron lakes oďŹ&#x20AC;er camping, ďŹ shing, swimming, and boating opportunities. Two boat launches and a yacht club provide access to the water.

Historically the staging area for guide and outďŹ tting for the region, Hudsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hope is still home to elk, moose, deer, black bear, grizzly, cougar, lynx, fox and coyote.

98

Invest Individuals and companies that choose to locate in Hudsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hope are in the best position to take advantage of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dynamic economy.

Thanks to BC Hydro facility upgrades, a major shale gas development, wind power and three coal mines (planning stages), our district is booming!

A recent community visioning and strategic plan identiďŹ ed the following business opportunities as essential for community growth: t 0JMmFME TFSWJDF DPNQBOJFT t "DDPNNPEBUJPOT QSJNBSJMZ NVMUJGBNJMZ SFTJEFOUJBM BTTJTUFE MJWJOH complex, residential housing, motels or hotels. t 5SVDLJOH TVQQPSU DPNQBOJFT F H DBS XBTI CVML GVFM DBSEMPDL t 5PVSJTU PSJFOUFE BDUJWJUJFT BOE TFSWJDFT Hudsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hope oďŹ&#x20AC;ers the lowest tax rates in the region and has a thriving economy.

Contact For further information, please contact: +PIO -PDIFS $"0 %JTUSJDU PG )VETPO T )PQF cao@hudsonshope.ca or phone: 250-783-9901 www.hudsonshope.ca

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2/12/12 1:18:25 PM

The place to live, play, invest

www.hudsonshope.ca 250-783-9901

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2/12/12 9:55:01 AM

North Peace Economic Development Commission

Opportunities are abundant in the natural resource-rich North Peace region.

Explorers, fur traders and then homesteaders joined the First Nations as they settled in the vast Northeast region of British Columbia with dreams of freedom and a better life. These same dreams continue to attract people to the North Peace today. But now, instead of hardship, new-comers find contemporary community facilities and remarkable job and business opportunities.

Bisected by the Peace River, the B.C. Peace region comprises nearly one-quarter of the province’s land area. The people of this region find many benefits to living in a vibrant and diversified economy.

The largest demographic of the region’s population is comprised of young, growing families. This is largely due to the numerous child development, health-care, education and activity programs that are provided to the residents of the region. The North Peace region is not only a great place to raise a family and live an active lifestyle, it is also a place that is rich with opportunities to start a business.

The North Peace region’s competitive advantages are its low tax rates, low cost of energy, connectivity to the shortest link between Shanghai and Chicago through the Port of Prince Rupert, low overall business costs (including a regional airport) and low cost of land.

From prairie farmland and boreal forest to alpine tundra and rugged Rocky Mountains, the Peace Region produces 90 per cent of the province’s grains, 38 per cent of its hydro-electric power, has some of the largest gas fields in North America with more than 20,000 wells drilled, employs about 2,300 forestry workers and plays host to more than 300,000 tourists each year.

The North Peace region plays a significant role in the province’s economy, contributing an estimated 9.2 billion or 12 per cent of B.C.’s net exports. While a significant share, it is made even more remarkable when considered in the context of the region’s workforce: with only two per cent of the province’s labour force, each worker in the region generated nearly seven times more in export revenue compared with the province as a whole. This staggering contribution to the province’s exports is made possible by its vibrant and diversified economy which includes strong industries in energy and fuels, mining, agriculture, forestry, tourism, retail and construction.

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The energy sector is currently driving the economy in the North Peace and is greatly contributing to the provincial economy, accounting for 90 per cent of B.C.’s energy and fuels exports in 2010. Oil & Gas Inquirer magazine indicated that, “The Montney and Horn River unconventional gas plays are massive prospects that are reshaping Canada’s petroleum sector.” The region saw significant growth in the Energy sector in 2011, with several large production companies beginning exploration and production operations in the Montney Basin.

Worldwide demand for coal has increased dramatically and created many more opportunities in the North Peace, which has hundreds of years of coal reserves remaining. There are currently proposals for three separate coal mines that border the edges of the District of Hudson’s Hope with expected reserves of more than 50 years each.

Currently, the region’s mining activities contribute 14 per cent of B.C.’s total mining exports with the expectation that this with grow significantly with the approval of the proposed mining projects.

On April 19, 2010, the B.C. government announced that it would be moving forward with the third stage of the Site C clean-energy project (Site C). Site C will contribute to the local and provincial economy by creating an estimated 7,500 direct construction jobs throughout the 10 year construction period and up to 35,000 indirect jobs through all stages of the project.

The agriculture sector includes prairie crops of wheat, barley, canola and forage seed production. The region contributes 90 per cent of B.C.’s wheat, 95 per cent of B.C.’s canola, and 30 per cent of B.C.’s honey production. The region also produces exceptional quality grass seeds which creates a very competitive livestock industry.

Livestock production includes traditional beef and dairy cattle, sheep, hogs, goats and horses, and a growing diversification into game farming of bison, reindeer and exotic livestock like llamas, alpacas, foxes, ostriches, emus and wild boars. The region is home to some of the largest herds of bison in the province, producing nearly threequarters of B.C.’s bison.

The forestry sector includes a wide array of tree species that vary from spruce to balsam poplar and paper birch. The majority of the timber harvested from the 4.673 million hectares of the Fort St. John TSA is processed by the pulp mill, sawmill and one of the world’s largest OSB plants that is located in the North Peace.

The explosive growth in the region has led to a dire need for residential and commercial developments in the region as a whole. The communities require the construction of an additional 1,000 family dwellings this year alone. A significant growth in population is anticipated to occur over the next decade resulting in a demand for housing that cannot be met by current infrastructure.

The North Peace is abundant with opportunities and welcomes your with an entrepreneurial spirit!

Written by Kaleena Ross, North Peace Economic Development Commission Tel: 250-785-5969 Email: bre.invest@npedc.ca

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2/12/12 1:32:09 PM

Invest in the

NORTH PEACE BC’s most vibrant economy

City of Fort St John District of Taylor District of Hudson’s Hope PRRD Areas “B” and “C”

Explore the Opportunities: Industrial Developments Mining Exploration and Development Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Agriculture and Alternative Energy Development Commercial and Industrial Transportation Opportunities Tourism Development- over 300,000 tourists pass through the region to view the beautiful landscape and historic sites every year.

Residential and Commercial Developments needed for a booming population that is expected to nearly double in the next 5 to 10 years.

“This place gets in your blood...”

- Cam Carruthers, Technical Sales

Contact us for an investment profile or any other information T: (250)785.5969 E: invest@npedc.ca 9325 100th Street | Fort St John , BC | V1J 4N4

www.npedc.ca

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2/12/12 9:55:04 AM

Tumbler Ridge

Population: 3,000

T

umbler Ridge is not what you think it is – in fact, it’s much more than what you might have heard. It is a community that continues to redefine what opportunity and quality of life are in northern B.C. Over the past decade, the town has been a victim of its own success. The massive marketing and PR campaign that took place over the course of 2000-01, resulted in the sale of over 900 houses at rock-bottom prices to people from all over the world.

Unfortunately, this image of what Tumbler Ridge once was has been etched in the collective memory of most people living outside of the region. It is with this in mind that the community has resolved to let the rest of the province, and the world, know who they really are today.

The District of Tumbler Ridge is one of the youngest communities in British Columbia. This town of approximately 3,000 people is idyllically situated in the rolling foothills on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, within the Alaska Highway corridor. Gifted with a diverse topography that has earned the community the moniker ”Waterfall Capital of the North,” Tumbler Ridge sits amidst a wilderness of lakes, rivers and numerous breathtaking falls. The town site itself is reminiscent of a wilderness village resort equipped with all possible recreational amenities, including a multimillion-dollar community centre, a network of 47 non-motorized recreational trails, 300 kilometres of snowmobile routes and the most challenging/scenic nine-hole golf course in northern B.C. At first glance, it is readily apparent that this town cannot be compared to any other. In fact, its design was a social experiment of sorts.

Not only was Tumbler Ridge created to retain a stable workforce for the Northeast B.C. coal project, it was master-planned in such a way that people would likely choose to live there, regardless of the presence of active coal mining. Underground utilities, expansive pedestrian-oriented infrastructure and a centralized commercial core are just a handful of representative samples that reflect Tumbler Ridge’s number 1 selling feature: its quality of life.

The social experiment worked. Not only did this superior lifestyle attract new residents at a time when the town was economically shaky, it continues to draw people in and provides the town with a firm toehold toward reaching its goal of becoming a destination of choice for international travellers. Surrounded by nearly 1600 square kilometres of provincial parks and wilderness, this four-season destination offers unlimited year-round recreational opportunities for all ages, interests and abilities. Elevated to global recognition in 2000 by the discovery of dinosaur footprints, Tumbler Ridge is also home to

102

the Peace Regional Palaeontology Research Centre and the Dinosaur Discovery Gallery offering insight and hands-on experiences in dinosaur exploration in one of the world’s finest fossil areas. The only things that seem to be missing at this point in time are operators and service providers that can enhance the experiences Tumbler Ridge has to offer. In turn, this has highlighted an immense opportunity for new entrepreneurs wishing to enter the tourism industry or those that are established but would like to spread their wings in an area that is virtually untapped.

Fortunately, service providers that decide to set up shop in Tumbler Ridge at this point in time will not have to wait for the town to reach its desired visitor destination status before reaping huge benefits. The Northeast coal slopes are buzzing once again with two local mines under expansion and numerous additional mines undergoing feasibility, the natural gas industry is growing annually, and the town is 125 kilometres from the nearest shopping centre. It’s a business owner’s dream. Recent arrivals that are benefitting from the current business climate are a 102-room hotel, restaurant and conference centre valued at over 10 million, a Subway™ franchise, an equipment-rental outlet and numerous others who were fully operational in 2011.

While Tumbler Ridge’s “traditional” industries continue to thrive, the economic horizon holds the potential for the establishment of new, uncharted development opportunities. With investigative use permits issued for virtually every mountaintop, Tumbler Ridge’s wind resources have proven to be a lucrative prospect for new, multibillion-dollar green-energy projects being proposed for the area. The final progression of these projects stand to bring several years of construction-based activity and a core base of employment. Most recently, the District of Tumbler Ridge has welcomed Capital Power Corporation and their 72-turbine Quality Wind Project north of the community. The district is also courting biomass companies for the establishment of a wood-pellet manufacturing plant that would create wealth and new employment from beetle-killed forests, while helping to serve the regions transition to greener sources of energy.

Looking ahead, Tumbler Ridge is preparing to accommodate a growing population coming to the community for employment, retirement and a change of pace. Not only are they working to secure more product and services options, there is also an immense desire to increase the amount and diversity of housing within the community. In an era of endless options, the current stock of houses, all of which were built in the early 1980s, offer a limited range that may not suit everyone who wishes to relocate. Tumbler Ridge has an immense amount of affordable, developable land and a foundational base of infrastructure that was originally designed to accommodate up to 10,000 residents. Estate lots, accessible houses for an aging population and multi-family developments all have a place in the community’s range of desired housing options.

Let it be known that Tumbler Ridge is redefined. It wishes to be viewed by the outside word as a proud, vibrant, diverse and sustainable community, where life is as spectacular as its natural surroundings. Tumbler Ridge has already proven that it isn’t going anywhere – now it’s working to reinforce that permanency even further.

For more information please contact Kelly Bryan, Community Development Officer, at 250-242-4242, cdo@dtr.ca or visit www.investTumblerRidge.com.

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2/12/12 9:55:11 AM

INVEST IN TUMBLER RIDGE Northeastern BCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most desirable community

The perfect place...

A place for people. A place for business.

Impressive Opportunities @ @ @ @ @

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C O L U M B I A

C A N A D A

TUMBLER RIDGE

Lasting Impressions

2/12/12 9:55:12 AM

nechako Share of B.C. land area: 22.2% Ąatlin Ąburns lake Ącassiar Ądease lake Ąfort st. james Ąfraser lake Ągranisle Ąhouston Ąsmithers Ątelkwa Ąvanderhoof

The historic M.V. Tarahne sternwheeler on Atlin Lake

HEART’S CONTENT

Province’s geographic centre offers rich promise

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By Noa Glouberman ritish Columbia’s largest economic development region by area – nearly 206,000 square kilometres – is also the least populated. Rooted at the heart of the province and extending north and west to the Yukon border, Nechako is home to roughly 40,400 persons.

And what a home it is. Sheer mountains, deep canyons, oldgrowth forests, rivers thick with salmon and a rugged coastline provide habitat for moose, mountain goats, bear and other wildlife. It’s clear why tourism is an economic mainstay.

“Tourism opportunities within the [region] are limitless,” reads the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako website. “Given the diverse geographic terrain, location on a main transportation corridor and robust natural beauty, future growth in the tourism sector is projected.”

B

Photo: Tourism BC

2/12/12 9:55:16 AM

nechako

ABOVE: Smithers is

home to some of B.C.’s finest, most accessible hiking RIGHT: The Bulkley

River Bridge on the Yellowhead Highway near Houston

In BC Check-Up 2011, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of BC (ICA of BC) states that while “tourism opportunities related to recreation and outdoor-adventure are numerous … [they remain] relatively untapped when compared to the vast potential [Nechako] holds.”

Yet Nechako’s communities of Atlin, Burns Lake, Cassiar, Dease Lake, Fort St. James, Fraser Lake, Granisle, Houston, Smithers, Telkwa and Vanderhoof represent growing hubs for travel and adventure.

Nicknamed the “little Switzerland of the North,” Atlin offers mountaineering in its surrounding glaciers and ice fields. Burns Lake receives widespread acclaim for its mountain-bike scene.

At the southern tip of Stuart Lake, Fort St. James is a haven for freshwater fishing, hosting a popular fishing derby each July, with thousands in prize dollars. Winter is an active time in Houston, where snowmobiling and cross-country skiing areas are well developed and maintained.

In June 2011, Fort St. James, Houston and several nearby communities received provincial funding to stimulate local tourism through the Community Tourism Opportunity (CTO) program.

“The smaller communities in my riding have much to offer tourists who visit,” John Rustad, MLA, Nechako Lakes, said in a release. “The funding offered by the CTO program will enhance these communities’ abilities to further promote themselves” through advertising, tourist-related signage, audio walking tours,

tourism brochures, online activities and research.

Nestled in the fertile Nechako Valley, Vanderhoof counts agriculture as a primary industry. “We grow a lot of hay and grain and recently put canola in two fields,” says Nicole Armstrong, office assistant at the Vanderhoof Chamber of Commerce. “Cattle [ranching] is very big up here, and we have a number of dairy farms and small-scale livestock enterprises: sheep, pigs, chicken and others.”

Mining, adds Armstrong, forms a large piece of the local economic pie. New Gold Inc. plans to see its Blackwater openpit gold project, located approximately 100 kilometres south of Vanderhoof, up and running by 2017. Terrane Metals Corp.’s Mt. Milligan copper-gold mine, currently in construction about two hours north of town, is expected to be in production in the fourth quarter of 2013.

“Environment Canada gave the Mt. Milligan mine the green light in late 2010,” confirms the ICA of BC in its report. “As primary access to the site will be via Fort St. James, the Nechako will surely benefit. The Mt. Milligan project is anticipated to generate 600 jobs during construction and 400 full-time jobs once in production.”

The story is similar in Smithers, where two operating mines employ many residents, and the Smithers Exploration Group supports such endeavours as the Northwest Community College School of Exploration & Mining.

“The college campus itself has grown and relocated into a brand-new facility in Smithers,” says Allan Stroet, economic development officer, Bulkley Valley Economic Development Association. “The graduates are often immediately offered jobs upon completing their studies.”

Agriculture is a primary industry of Vanderhoof

Photos (top to bottom): Picture BC/Ryan Jensen; Tourism BC/Tom Ryan; Picture BC/Shannon Himmelright

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2/12/12 9:55:33 AM

nechako

ABOVE: Surprise Lake near Atlin

LEFT: MacKenzie Lake

Forestry plays a key role in Nechako’s economy.

“Manufacturing of forest products is still the top industry, and sawmills provide most of the jobs,” according to the WelcomeBC website. In A Guide to the BC Economy and Labour Market, BCStats asserts that “wood and lumber production is dominant, accounting for four out of 10 manufacturing jobs. Another 10 per cent of the manufacturing workforce is employed by the paper industry.”

Indeed, the dual economic impact of the mountain pinebeetle epidemic and the collapse of the housing market in the United States has started to ease, and the future is looking brighter for forestry in B.C.’s northwest. “[The] epidemic has created many new opportunities to diversify the forest sector, including pulp- and pellet-plant operations, bio-energy facilities and value-added wood production

Demographic characteristics Ă 65+

Ă all ages

45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 2006

2011

2016

2021

2026

2031

2036

Economic activity

Building permits

Top 10 industries by employment — Number of firms with employees

Ă Non-residential

Ă Residential

25

Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting Retail trade

20 Millions of dollars

Construction Other services (excl. public services) Accommodation & food services Transportation & warehousing Professional, scientific & tech services

15 10 5

Health care & social assistance Manufacturing

Jan–Oct 2010

Admin. & support waste management 50 106

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0

10

0

15

0

20

0

25

0

30

Jan–Oct 2011

0

35

Sources: Statistics Canada

Thousands of persons

Ă 0–17 Ă 18–64

Photos: (left to right): Tourism BC; Picture BC/Bradley J. D. Bell

2/12/12 9:55:44 AM

nechako With abundant woodlands, lakes and rivers, Houston has forestry, tourism, ranching and mining as its main industries

– furniture manufacturing, cabinetry, fence-posts production and many others – all waiting to be further explored,” states the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako website.

Clean energy has emerged as a fast-growing industry lately.

In August 2011, BC Hydro approved Western Bioenergy Inc.’s Fort Green Energy Project – a 30-megawatt biomass plant in Fort St. James – and West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd.’s smaller Fraser Lake Sawmill Biomass Project. Both are scheduled for completion by 2016 and will use the abundant waste wood in the area to produce enough electricity to power tens of thousands of residences

BURNS LAKE

Sources: Statistics Canada

B

urns Lake is located in north central B.C. in the Bulkley Nechako region, surrounded by incredible landscapes that are rich in resources. Burns Lake is a resource community with a population rich in culture, pioneers and entrepreneurial spirit. Diversification in all economic sectors, including agriculture, alternate energy, forestry, mining and tourism are being explored.

Burns Lake serves as a regional service centre to a population in excess of 10,000. These surrounding areas play an important role in Burns Lake’s economy, success and future.

The lakeside-living lifestyle provides a great working atmosphere, for clear business decision-making. The low cost of living, safe family environment and being surrounded by incredible recreation and outdoor opportunities allow for an excellent grounded base we all crave.

Looking to the future, the message from political leaders and economists is that Canada will fair well, with B.C. being poised to take off economically and northern B.C. will give lead. Northern B.C. is being touted as “the area to watch” for many things including mining exploration, skills training, bio-mass technology, tourism, infrastructure and building expansions.

Our virtually untapped potential, combined with countless current opportunities, makes Burns Lake well-positioned for business. With our central strategic location close to major transportation routes with air, rail, port and highway, we are set up for your business to grow! Give us a call!

Contact: Cindy Shelford, Economic Development Officer Lakes Economic Development Association (LEDA) t: 250-692-3700 c: 250-692-9937 cindy.shelford@lakesdistrict.com Photo: Picture BC/George Rhoades

^^00.1_Invest in BC_2012.indd 107

annually. They’ll also create jobs and generate economic activity.

Another large-scale industrial project, the 344-kilometre Northwest Transmission Line, promises to broaden development in B.C.’s northwest. Slated for completion in 2013, it will create an estimated 280 jobs during peak construction.

The ICA of BC states that “projects located in other northern B.C. development regions, such as the … Northwest Transmission Line and subsequent mining developments, have the potential to create both direct employment and economic spinoffs in the region. However, it may take some time for the Nechako to realize the benefits of this activity.”

“The Northwest Transmission Line will provide a reliable supply of clean electricity to attract and support new industrial growth,” asserts BC Hydro. “New industrial developments, such as mines, would support overall economic development in the region by providing direct employment and encouraging development of retail and other support services.” Ą

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We are on the cusp OF A NORTHERN DECADE!

What Burns Lake has to offer you: AdlZg Xdhi d[ a^k^c\ 7jh^cZhh"[g^ZcYan Xa^bViZ Egdm^b^in id bVg`Zih 6XXZhh id aVWdjg K^WgVci Xdbbjc^in g^X] ^c Vgih VcY XjaijgZ l^i] nZVg"gdjcY eZg[dgbVcXZh

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2012

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2/12/12 9:55:50 AM

Corien Speaker, Chief Administrative Officer District of Elkford PO Box 340, Elkford, BC V0B 1H0 250-865-4002 250-865-4001 cspeaker@elkford.ca

ASSOCIATION MEMBERS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICES ALBERTA Dianne Nellis, Chief Administrative Officer Saddle Hills County PO Box 69, Spirit River, AB T0H G0 780-864-3760 780-864-3904 admin@saddlehills.ab.ca

BULKLEY-NECHAKO

Tim McEwan, President Initiatives Prince George Suite 201 – 1300 First Avenue, Prince George, BC V2L 2Y3 250-649-3204 250-649-3200 mcewan@initiativespg.com Mike McGee, Executive Director Nazko First Nation PO Box 4129, Quesnel, BC V2J 3J2 250-992-9085 Ext. 205 250-992-7982 mike.mcgee@nazkoband.ca

Kevin Weaver, Economic Development Officer City of Cranbrook 40 – 10th Avenue South, Cranbrook, BC V1C 5V7 250-489-0232 250-426-7264 kweaver@cranbrook.ca Jennifer Wetmore, Community Economic Development Coordinator Regional District of Kootenay Boundary Box 2949, Grand Forks, BC V0H 1H0 250-442-2722 250-442-5311 jennifer@boundarycf.com Paul Wiest, General Manager of Comm. Futures Nelson and Area Economic Development Partnership 201-514 Vernon Street, Nelson, BC V1L 4E7 250-352-1933 250-352-5926 pwiest@futures.bc.ca

Jerry Botti, Manager Community Futures of Nadina PO Box 236, Houston, BC V0J 1Z0 250-845-2522 250-845-2528 jerry.botti@cfdcnadina.ca

Heather Oland, Vice-President, Strategic Initiatives Initiatives Prince George Suite 201 – 1300 First Avenue, Prince George, BC V2L 2Y3 250-649-3201 250-649-3200

Emily Colombo, Economic Development Officer District of Fort St. James PO Box 640, Fort St. James, BC V0J 1P0 250-996-8233 250-996-2248 edo@fortstjames.ca

Rebecca Reid, Initiatives Development Officer Community Futures of Fraser Fort George 1566 7th Avenue, Prince George, BC V2L 3P4 250-562-9622 Ext. 105 250-613-5622 rebeccar@cfdc.bc.ca

Maureen Czirfusz, Economic Development Officer Houston & District Chamber of Commerce PO Box 396, Houston, BC V0J 1Z0 250-845-7640 250-845-3682 manager@houstonchamber.ca

Diane Smith, Economic Development Officer District of Mackenzie Bag 340, Mackenzie, BC V0J 2C0 250-997-3221 250-997-5186 diane@district.mackenzie.bc.ca

Brian Woodward, Chief Administrative Officer Village of Canal Flats Box 159, Canal Flats, BC V0B 1B0 250-341-1302 250-349-5460 bwoodward@canalflats.ca

Keith Frederink, Manager Community Futures of Stuart-Nechako Box 1078-2750 Burrard Avenue, Vanderhoof, BC V0J 3A0 250-567-5219 250-567-5224 cfdcsn@telus.net

KOOTENAY

MAINLAND SOUTHWEST

Kathie LaForge, Economic Development Officer District of Vanderhoof PO Box 900, 160 Connaught Street, Vanderhoof, BC V0J 3A0 250-567-4711 250-567-9196 edo@district.vanderhoof.ca Fiona Lamprecht, Grantwriter District of Vanderhoof 1409 Ejner Road, Vanderhoof, BC V0J 3A1 250-567-5319 grantwriter@telus.net Cindy Shelford, Economic Development Officer Lakes Economic Development Association 586 Highway 16- Innovation Place, Box 808, Burns Lake, BC V0J 1E0 250-692-3700 250-692-3701 edo@lakesdistrict.com Allan Stroet, Economic Development Officer Bulkley Valley Economic Development Association 201 – 3842 Third Avenue, PO Box 3243, Smithers, BC V0J 2N0 250-917-8989 allanstroet@bveda.ca Corrine Swenson, Regional Strategic Development Analyst Regional District of Bulkley Nechako PO Box 820, Burns Lake, BC V0J 1E0 250-692-3195 Corrine.swenson@rdbn.bc.ca

CARIBOO April Cheng, Economic Development Officer Quesnel Community and Economic Development 339A Reid Street, Quesnel, BC V2J 2M5 250-992-3522 250-992-3544 acheng@quesnelinfo.com Karen Eden, General Manager Community Futures Cariboo Chilcotin 266 Oliver Street, Williams Lake, BC V2G 1M1 250-392-3626 250-392-4813 karen@cfdccariboo.com Margaret Graine, E.D.O. Village of McBride 100 Robson Centre, McBride, BC V0J 2E0 250-569-7556 msgraine@telus.net Alan Madrigga, Manager, Economic Development City of Williams Lake 450 Mart Street, Williams Lake, BC V2G 1N3 250-392-1764 250-392-440 amadrigga@williamslake.ca

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Janice Alpine, Business Coach KEDI – KABDA 207 – 14th Avenue N, Cranbrook, BC V1C 3W3 250-426-0595 jalpine@kabda.org Rod Bateman, Business Development Officer KEDI – KABDA 207 – 14th Avenue N, Cranbrook, BC V1C 3W3 250-426-0595 rbateman@kabda.org Lisa Erven, Manager Planning & Development Columbia Basin Trust Suite 300 – 445 13th Avenue, Castlegar, BC V1N 1G1 250-304-1636 250-365-6670 lerven@cbt.org Sheila Gamble, Executive Director Kootenay Rockies Economic Alliance 110a Slater Rd NW, Cranbrook, BC V1C 5C8 250-347-9902 250-489-4153 info@krrea.org Terri MacDonald, Regional Innovation Chair in Rural Economic Development Selkirk College Rural Development Institute 301 Frank Beinder Way, Castlegar, BC V0G 2J0 250-365-1434 250-365-1260 tmacdonald@selkirk.ca Suzanne McCrimmon, Manager, Community Economic Development Golden Area Initiatives PO Box 20190, Golden, BC V0A 1H0 250-344-2420 250-344-2420 smccrimmon@goldenbritishcolumbia.com Wendy McCulloch, General Manager Community Futures of Boundary PO Box 2949, Grand Forks, BC V0H 1H0 250-442-2722 250-443-9315 wendy@boundarycf.com Al Muholland, Chief Administrative Officer City of Kimberley 340 Spokane Street, Kimberley, BC V1A 2E8 250-427-5311 250-427-5252 amulholland@city.kimberley.bc.ca Rosemary Phillips, Education and Workforce Strategic Initiatives Coordinator Ktunaxa Nation Council 7468 Mission Road, Cranbrook, BC V1C 7E5 250-420-2722 250-489-5760 rphillips@ktunaxa.org Helder Ponte, Director, Economic Sector Ktunaxa Nation Council 7468 Mission Road, Cranbrook, BC V1C 7E5 250-420-2722 250-489-5760 hponte@ktunaxa.org Sandy Santori, Executive Director Lower Columbia Initiatives #1-1355 Pine Avenue, Trail, BC V1R 4E7 250-364-6461 ssantori@lcic.ca

Sarah Winton, Community Economic Development Community Futures of Boundary PO Box 2949, Grand Forks, BC V0H 1H0 250-442-2722 250-443-9315 sarah@boundarycf.com

Bob Andrews, Planning Assistant Township of Langley 20338 – 65th Avenue, Langley, BC V2Y 3J1 604-532-7548 604-533-6110 bandrews@tol.ca Ken Baerg, Director, Economic Development City of Abbotsford 32315 South Fraser Way, Abbotsford, BC V2T 1W7 604-864-5586 604-853-4981 KBaerg@abbotsford.ca Sandy Blue, Manager, Economic Development District of Maple Ridge 11995 Haney Place, Maple Ridge, BC V2X 6A9 604-467-7320 604-467-7335 sblue@mapleridge.ca Brian Buggey, Director – Business Development Vancouver Economic Development Commission 1620 – 1075 West Georgia, Vancouver, BC V6E 3C9 604-632-9668 Ext. 108 604-632-9788 bbuggey@vancouvereconomic.com Francis Caouette, Manager Economic Development City of North Vancouver 141 West 14th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7M 1H9 604-990-4243 604-943-0739 fcaouette@cnv.org Cameron Chalmers, General Manager, Community Services District of Squamish PO Box 310, Squamish, BC V8B 0A3 604-815-5000 cchalmers@squamish.ca Stacey Crawford, Economic Development Officer District of Mission 34033 Lougheed Highway, Mission, BC V2V 5X8 604-820-3789 604-820-6738 scrawford@mission.ca

Mitchell Edgar, Manager of Economic Development City of New Westminster 511 Royal Avenue, New Westminster, BC V3L 1H9 604-521-3711 604-527-4511 medgar@newwestcity.ca Lori Graham, Legislative Services/EDAC Pitt Meadows Economic Development Corporation 12492 Harris Road, Pitt Meadows, BC V3Y 2J4 604-465-9481 604-465-4986 lgraham@thinkpittmeadows.ca Shirley Henry, Secretary Treasurer to Pemberton Chamber Pemberton & District Chamber of Commerce PO Box 370, Pemberton, BC V0N 2L0 604-894-6477 604-894-5571 info@pembertonchamber.com Oleene Herman, Executive Director Community Futures Fraser North 32386 Fletcher Avenue, Mission, BC V2V 5T1 604-826-6252 Ext. 202 604-826-0052 oherman@northfraser.org John Jansen, President Chilliwack Economic Partners Corporation 201 – 46093 Yale Rd, Chilliwack, BC V2P 2L8 604-792-7839 604-792-4511 cepco@chilliwackpartners.com Donna Jones, Economic Development Manager City of Surrey 14245 – 56th Ave, Surrey, BC V3X 3A2 604-591-4289 604-591-4357 dljones@surrey.ca Marten Kruysse, Strategic Economic Initiatives District of North Vancouver 355 West Queens Road, North Vancouver, BC V7N 4N5 604-990-2318 604-984-8664 marten_kruysse@dnv.org Janay Legge, Legislative Services/EDAC Pitt Meadows Economic Development Corporation 12492 Harris Road, Pitt Meadows, BC V3Y 2J4 604-465-9481 604-465-1986 jlegge@thinkpittmeadows.ca Neonila Lilova, Economic Development Manager City of Richmond 6911 No 3 Road, Richmond, BC V6Y 2C1 604-247-4934 604-276-4162 nlilova@richmond.ca Gary Mackinnon, Economic Development Officer Township of Langley 20338 – 65th Avenue, Langley, BC V2Y 3J1 604-533-6084 604-533-6110 gmackinnon@tol.ca Lee Malleau, Director of Business Development Vancouver Economic Development Commission 1620-1075 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3C9 604-632-9668 604-632-9788 lmalleau@vancouvereconomic.com Tyler Mattheis, Director of Economic Development Hope Business & Development Society PO Box 37, 345 Raab Street, Hope, BC V0X 1L0 604-860-0930 tyler@advantagehope.ca John McPherson, Business Development Officer Vancouver Economic Development Commission 1620-1075 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3C9 604-632-9668 604-632-9788 khuhn@vancouvereconomic.com Dan McRae, Economic Sustainability Coordinator District of Squamish 37955 Second Avenue, Squamish, BC V8B 0A3 604-815-5020 dmcrae@squamish.ca

Jeff Dawson, General Manager Community Futures of Howe Sound PO Box 2539, Squamish, BC V8B 0B7 604-892-5467 604-892-5227 jeff.dawson@cfhowesound.com

Kerry Mehaffey, Economic Development Officer Lil’Wat Nation Box 602, Mount Currie, BC V0N 2K0 604-894-2333 kerry.mehaffey@lilwat.ca

Darrell Denton, Business Retention & Expansion Officer District of Maple Ridge 11995 Haney Place, Maple Ridge, BC V2X 6A9 604-467-7320 604-467-7335 ddenton@mapleridge.ca

Gerald Minchuk, Director Development Services & Economic Development City of Langley 20399 Douglas Crescent, Langley, BC V3A 4B3 604-514-2815 604-514-2322 gminchuk@city.langley.bc.ca

David Munro, Manager of Economic Development City of Coquitlam 3000 Guilford Way, Coquitlam, BC V3B 7N2 604-927-3442 604-927-3405 dmunro@coquitlam.ca Mary Ann Smith, Senior Economic Development Officer City of Surrey 14245 – 56th Avenue, Surrey, BC V3X 3A2 604-591-4333 604-594-3055 masmith@surrey.ca Jerry Sucharyna, Economic Development Officer District of Lillooet PO Box 610, Lillooet, BC V0K 1V0 250-256-7422 250-256-4288 jsucharyna@lillooetbc.ca Jay Teichroeb, Economic Development Manager City of Abbotsford 32315 South Fraser Way, Abbotsford, BC V2T 1W7 604-864-5586 604-853-4981 JTeichroeb@abbotsford.ca Alice To, Film & Economic Initiatives Coordinator District of North Vancouver 355 West Queens Road, North Vancouver, BC V7N 4N5 604-991-2241 604-987-7185 aliceto@dnv.org Alexandra Tudose, Administration District of Maple Ridge 11995 Haney Place, Maple Ridge, BC V2X 6A9 604-467-7320 604-467-7335 atudose@mapleridge.ca John Tylee, Consultant Director of Policy & Research Vancouver Economic Development Commission 1620-1075 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3C9 604-632-9668 604-632-9788 jtylee@vancouvereconomic.com Oddvin Vedo, Retired 2155 Field Road, Sechelt, BC V0N 3A1 604-657-5105 oddvinvedoe@gmail.com Kate Zanon, Legislative Services/EDAC Pitt Meadows Economic Development Corporation 12492 Harris Road, Pitt Meadows, BC V3Y 2J4 604-465-9481 604-465-4986 kzanon@thinkpittmeadows.ca

NORTH COAST David Anderson, Economic Development Officer Central Coast Regional District PO Box 186, Bella Coola, BC V0T 1C0 250-799-5291 250-799-5750 edo@ccrd-bc.ca Derek Baker, Economic Development Officer Prince Rupert & Port Edward Economic Development Corporation 424 3rd Avenue West, Prince Rupert, BC V8J 1L7 250-627-5138 derek.baker@princerupert.ca John Ferrell, General Manager Community Futures of Pacific Northwest Suite 200 – 515 33rd Avenue West, Prince Rupert, BC V8J 1L9 250-622-2332 250-622-2334 john@cfdc-pnw.com Rose Klukas, Manager, Economic Development District of Kitimat 270 City Centre, Kitimat, BC V8C 2H7 250-632-8900 250-632-4995 rklukas@kitimat.ca Alexander Pietralla, Economic Development Officer K.T. Industrial Development Society Box 5, Kitimat, BC V8C 2G6 250-639-9614 250-639-9669 ktids@telus.net Christine Slanz, Executive Director Northwest Science & Innovation Society 3224 Kalum Street, Terrace, BC V8G 2N1 250-638-0950 250-638-0951 christine@nsis.ca Evan van Dyk, Economic Development Officer Terrace Economic Development Authority 3224 Kalum Road, Terrace, BC V8G 2N1 250-635-4168 250-635-4152 evan@teda.ca

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Andrew Webber, Manager, Development Services Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine 300-4545 Lazelle Avenue, Terrace, BC V8G 4E1 250-615-6100 250-635-9222 awebber@rdks.bc.ca

NORTH EAST Lori Ackerman, Executive Director Sci-Tech North 9325-100 Street, Fort St. John, BC V1J 4N4 250-785-9600 250-785-9649 scitechnorth@pris.ca Jaylene Arnold, Economic Development & Tourism Officer Northern Rockies Regional Municipality 5319 – 50th Avenue South, Bag Service 399, Fort Nelson, BC VOC 1R0 250-774-2541 Ext. 2040 250-774-6794 ecdev@northernrockies.org Fred Banham, CAO South Peace Economic Development Commission PO Box 810, Stn. Main, Dawson Creek, BC V1G 4H8 250-784-3200 fred.banham@prrd.bc.ca Mike Bernier, Mayor City of Dawson Creek PO Box 150, Dawson Creek, BC V1G 4G4 250-784-3600 mayorbernier@dawsoncreek.ca Kelly Bryan, Community Development Officer District of Tumbler Ridge PO Box 100, Tumbler Ridge, BC V0C 2W0 250-242-4242 250-242-3993 cdo@dtr.ca Ellen Calliou, EDO District of Chetwynd PO Box 357, Chetwynd, BC V0C 1J0 250-401-4103 250-401-4101 calliou@gochetwynd.com Elaine Davis, Economic Development Assistant District of Chetwynd PO Box 357, Chetwynd, BC V0C 1J0 250-401-4125 250-401-4101 edavis@gochetwynd.com Mike Gilbert, Community Development Officer Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Bag Service 399, 5319 – 50th Avenue South, Fort Nelson, BC VOC 1R0 250-774-2541 Ext. 2043 250-774-6794 mgilbert@northernrockies.ca Colin Griffith, Director of Strategic Initiatives Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Bag Service 399, 5319 – 50th Avenue South, Fort Nelson, BC VOC 1R0 780-733-9054 250-774-6794 cgriffith@northernrockies.ca Sue Kenny, General Manager Community Futures of Peace Liard 904 – 102 Avenue, Dawson Creek, BC V1G 2B7 250-782-8748 250-782-8770 skenny@communityfutures.biz Sandra Lemmon, Economic Development Officer North Peace Economic Development Commission 9325 100th Street, Fort St. John, BC V1J 4N4 250-785-5969 250-785-5968 invest@npedc.ca Kaleena Ross, Business Retention and Expansion Program Coordinator North Peace Economic Development Commission 9325 – 100 Street, Suite 206, Fort St John, BC V1J 0A8 250-785-5969 250-785-5968 bre.invest@npedc.ca Brenda Sitter, Administrative Assistant Community Futures of Peace Liard 904 -102 Avenue, Dawson Creek, BC V1G 2B7 250-782-8748 250-782-8770 bsitter@communityfutures.biz Jack Stevenson, Director of Planning Northern Rockies Regional Municipality 5319 – 50th Avenue South, Bag Service 399, Fort Nelson, BC VOC 1R0 250-774-2541 Ext. 2041 250-774-6794 jstevenson@northernrockies.ca

David Arsenault, Economic Development Officer Penticton Economic Development Services 553 Railway Street, Penticton, BC V2A 8S3 250-276-2164 david.arsenault@penticton.ca

John Perrott, Business Development Officer District of West Kelowna 2760 Cameron Road, West Kelowna, BC V1Z 2T6 778-797-2215 778-797-1001 john.perrott@districtofwestkelowna.ca

Katie Ferland, Economic Development Coordinator City of Nanaimo 455 Wallace St., Nanaimo, BC V9R 5J6 250-755-4465 250-755-4404 katie.ferland@nanaimo.ca

Robyn Cyr, EDO/Film Commissioner Columbia Shuswap Regional District Box 978, 781 Marine Park Drive NE, Salmon Arm, BC V1E 4P1 250-832-8194 250-832-3375 rcyr@csrd.bc.ca

Kevin Poole, Economic Development Officer City of Vernon 3400 30th Street, Vernon, BC V1T 5E6 250-550-3249 250-545-5309 KPoole@vernon.ca

Paris Gaudet, Executive Director Mid-Island Science, Technology & Innovation Council 150 Commercial Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5G6 250-753-8324 250-753-0722 pgaudet@mistic.bc.ca

Alberto De Feo, Chief Administrative Officer District of Lake Country 10150 Bottom Wood Lake Road, Lake Country, BC V4V 2M1 250-766-6671 250-826-5160 adefeo@lakecountry.bc.ca Laurel Douglas, Chief Executive Officer Women’s Enterprise Centre Suite 201-1726 Dolphin Avenue, Kelowna, BC V1Y 9R9 250-868-3454 250-868-2709 laurel@womensenterprise.ca Patti Ferguson, Chief Administrative Officer City of Armstrong PO Box 40, Armstrong, BC V0E 1B0 250-546-3023 250-546-3710 pferguson@cityofarmstrong.bc.ca Robert Fine, Director of Economic Development Regional District of Central Okanagan 1450 KLO Road, Kelowna, BC V1W 3Z4 250-469-6280 250-868-0512 rfine@investkelowna.com Lana Fitt, Business Development Salmon Arm Economic Development Corp.

20 Hudson Avenue NE, Box 130, Salmon Arm, BC V1E 4N2 250-833-0608 250-933-0609 edo@saeds.ca Jayne Fosbery, Development Officer Westbank First Nation 301-515 Highway 97S, Kelowna, BC V1Z 3J2 250-769-4999 250-769-2430 jfosbery@wfn.ca Corie Griffiths, Economic Officer Regional District of Central Okanagan 1450 KLO Road, Kelowna, BC V1W 3Z4 250-469-6280 coriegriffiths@gmail.com Leslie Groulx, Economic Development/ Corporate Administrator District of Clearwater Box 157, Clearwater, BC V0E 1N0 250-674-2257 250-674-2173 leslie.groulx@districtofclearwater.com Mae Ketter, Economic Development Assistant Community Futures of Nicola Valley PO Box 159, 2099 Quilchena Avenue, Merritt, BC V1K 1B8 250-378-3923 250-378-3924 mae@cfdcnv.com Calum Lloyd, Economic Development Coordinator Penticton Economic Development Services 553 Railway Street, Penticton, BC V2A 8S3 250-276-2163 250-492-6119 calum.lloyd@penticton.ca Sherri-Lynne Madden, Services Coordinator Thompson Nicola Regional District 300 – 465 Victoia Street, Kamloops, BC V2C 2A9 250-674-3530 250-674-3540 smadden@tnrd.bc.ca Alan Mason, Director of Community Economic Development City of Revelstoke PO Box 2398, Revelstoke, BC V0E 2S0 250-837-5345 250-837-4223 amason@cityofrevelstoke.com Gregg Murray, Business Retention & Expansion Manager Venture Kamloops 297 First Avenue, Kamloops, BC V2C 3J3 250-828-6818 250-828-7184 gregg@venturekamloops.com

THOMPSON OKANAGAN

Jim Newman, Community Development Manager Town of Osoyoos 8707 Main Street, PO Box 3010, Osoyoos, BC V0H 1V0 250-495-4614 250-495-0407 jnewman@osoyoos.ca

Debbie Arnott, General Manager Community Futures of Sun Country PO Box 1480, 203 Railway Avenue, Ashcroft, BC VOK 1A0 250-453-9165 250-453-9500 darnott@cfsun.ca

Helen Patterson, Accounting and Economic Development Officer Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust 204-3131 29th Street, Vernon, BC V1T 2S7 250-545-6829 250-545-6896 support@sidit-bc.ca

Luby Pow, C.E.O Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust 204-3131 29th Street, Vernon, BC V1T 5A8 250-545-6829 250-545-6896 ceo@sidit-bc.ca John Powell, Economic Development Coordinator Regional District Okanagan Similkameen 101 Martin Street, Penticton, BC V2A 5J9 778-515-5520 778-515-5521 jpowell@rdos.bc.ca Brian Sims, Executive Director Community Futures of Thompson Country 101-286 St Paul Street, Kamloops, BC V2C 6G4 250-314-2999 250-828-6861 BSims@communityfutures.net Dan Sulz, Executive Director Venture Kamloops 297 First Avenue, Kamloops, BC V2C 3J3 250-828-6818 250-828-7184 dan@venturekamloops.com James Umpherson, Business & Economic Development Manager City of Merritt PO Box 189, Merritt, BC V1K B8 250-378-4224 Ext. 211 250-378-2600 jumpherson@merritt.ca Wayne Vollrath, Chief Administrative Officer District of Logan Lake # 1 Opal Drive PO Box 190, Logan Lake, BC V0K 1W0 250-523-6225 Ext. 229 250-523-6678 wvollrath@loganlake.ca Terry Vulcano, Economic Development Officer Village of Lytton PO Box 100, Lytton, BC V0K 1Z0 250-455-2355 250-455-2142 terry@lytton.ca

VANCOUVER ISLAND/COAST Felicity Adams, Director of Development Services Town of Ladysmith PO Box 220, Ladysmith, BC V9G 1A2 250-245-6405 250-245-1114 fadams@ladysmith.ca Sasha Angus, Economic Development Officer Greater Victoria Development Agency 100 852 Fort Street, Victoria, BC V8W 1H8 250-383-7191 Ext. 204 250-385-3552 sangus@gvda.ca Lisa Brinkman, Planner Town of Ladysmith PO Box 220, Ladysmith, BC V9G 1A2 250-245-6415 250-245-1114 lbrinkman@ladysmith.ca Kim Burden, Executive Director Parksville & Dist. Chamber of Commerce PO Box 99, Station Main, Parksville, BC V9P 2G3 250-248-3613 250-248-5210 kim@parksvillechamber.com Lori Camire, Manager Community Futures of Alberni-Clayoquot 4757 Tebo Avenue, Port Alberni, BC V9Y 8A9 250-724-1241 250-724-1028 LCamire@cfac.ca Murray Clarke, Chief Administrative Officer Town of Sidney 2440 Sidney Avenue, Sidney, BC V8L 1Y7 250-656-1139 250-656-7056 mclarke@sidney.ca Geoff Crawford, Business Development Manager Comox Valley Economic Development Society 102-2435 Mansfield Drive, Courtenay, BC V9N 2M2 250-334-2427 250-334-2414 geoff@investcomoxvalley.com Pat Deakin, Economic Development Manager City of Port Alberni 4850 Argyle Street, Port Alberni, BC V9Y 1V8 250-720-2527 250-723-3402 patrick_deakin@portalberni.ca

Victor Goodman, CEO Campbell River EDC Rivercorp Enterprise Centre East 900 Alder Street, Campbell River, BC V9W 2P6 250-830-0411 Ext. 3 250-830-0660 vic.goodman@rivercorp.ca Lara Greasley, Manager, Marketing & Communications Comox Valley Economic Development Society 102-2435 Mansfield Drive, Courtenay, BC V9N 2M2 250-334-2427 250-334-2414 lara@investcomoxvalley.com Jolynn Green, Executive Director Community Futures Central Island 104 – 5070 Uplands Drive, Nanaimo, BC V9T 6N1 250 585-5585 250-585-5584 jolynn@cfnanaimo.org Pam Krompocker, Executive Director Community Futures of Powell River 4717 Marine Ave. 2nd Avenue, Powell River, BC V8A 2L2 604-485-7901 604-485-4897 pam@prfutures.ca Kathy Lachman, Business Development Officer Cowichan Region Economic Development Commission 135 Third Street, Duncan, BC V9L 1R9 250-746-7880 250-746-7801 klachman@cvrd.bc.ca Amrit Manhas, Research & Information Analyst City of Nanaimo 455 Wallace Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5J6 250-755-4468 250-755-4436 amanhas@city.nanaimo.bc.ca David McCormick, Manager of Property and Community Relations Port Alberni Port Authority 2750 Harbour Road, Port Alberni, BC V9Y 7X2 250-723-5312 250-723-1114 dmccormick.papa@portalberni.ca Geoff Millar, Manager of Economic Development Cowichan Region Economic Development Commission 135 Third Street, Duncan, BC V9L 1R9 250-746-7880 Ext. 2 250-746-7801 gmillar@cvrd.bc.ca Evan Parliament, Chief Administrative Officer Sooke Economic Development Commission 2205 Otter Point Road, Sooke, BC V9Z 1J2 250-642-1634 250-642-0541 info@sooke.ca Scott Randolph, Manager Powell River Regional Economic Development Society 201 A – 7373 Duncan Street, Powell River, BC V8A 1W6 604-485-0325 604-485-0385 srandolph@prreds.com John Watson, Economic Development Officer Comox Valley Economic Development Society #102 – 2435 Mansfield Drive, Courtenay, BC V9N 2M2 250-334-2427 250-334-2414 john@investcomoxvalley.com

CORPORATE Renato Arcos, Proprietor RMA Consulting Services 2781 14th Ave, Port Alberni, BC V9Y 2X6 250-720-2112 250-720-2208 rmaconsultant@shaw.ca Ron Bagan, Managing Director Colliers International 19th Floor, 200 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 2R6 604-662-2633 604-661-0849 ron.bagan@colliers.com Mark Betteridge, CEO Discovery Parks 100-887 Great Northern Way, Vancouver, BC V5T 4T5 604-734-6511 604-734-7278 markbetteridge@discoveryparks.com

Robert Beynon, Vice President, Development Economics Intervistas Consulting Inc. 550-1200 West 73rd Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6P 6G5 604-717-1864 604-717-1818 rob_beynon@intervistas.com Frank Bourree, CEO Chemistry Consulting Group Inc. 400-1207 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC V8Z 1N3 250-382-3303 Ext. 208 250-383-4142 f.bourree@chemistryconsulting.ca Keith Britz, Partner Meyers Norris Penny LLP 45780 Yale Road, Suite #1, Chilliwack, BC V2P 2N4 604-792-1915 604-792-6526 keith.britz@mnp.ca Denis Brown, Senior Construction Manager Govan Brown Szeto Constuction Managers Inc. Suite 710, 1281 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3J7 604-683-8838 604-683-8823 dbrown@govanbrown.com Victor Cumming, Principal/Owner Westcoast CED Consulting Ltd. 7816 Okanagan Landing Road, Vernon, BC V1H 1H2 250-260-4484 250-260-4186 wcced@shawbiz.ca Malcolm Earle, Vice President, Industrial Division Colliers International 19th Floor, 200 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 2R6 604-661-0895 604-661-0849 malcolm.earle@colliers.com Gordon Easton, Director, CIRA Colliers International 19th Floor, 200 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 2R6 604-662-2642 604-661-0849 Gordon.Easton@colliers.com Bruce Flexman, President International Financial Centre 1170 666 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 2X8 604-683-6627 604-683-6646 bflexman@ifcbc.com Tracey Fredrickson, Marketing Consulting Tracey Fredrickson Consulting 103-668 West 16th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1S6 250-470-7838 tracey@traceyfredrickson.ca Michael Grant, Construction Manager Tag Construction Ltd. 21869 – 56th Avenue, Unit B, Langley, BC V2Y 2M9 604-534-2685 604-534-8998 Michael@tagconstruction.com David Hall, Partner Economic Planning Group of Canada 765 Sea Drive, Brentwood Bay, BC V8M 1B1 250-652-6677 dhall@epgvictoria.com Paul Harris, Publisher Business in Vancouver Magazines 102 – 4th Avenue East, Vancouver, BC V5T 1G2 604-608-5156 604-688-6058 pharris@biv.com Colin Heartwell, Consultant Heartwells, The Suite 402 – 2239 West 1st Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6K 1E9 604-742-1205 colin_heartwell@telus.net Chris Heminsley, Director, Economic and Business Development BC Hydro 333 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 5R3 604-623-4061 Jennifer Hogan, Strategic Projects Coordinator Talisman Energy Suite 2000, 888-3rd St. SW, Calgary, AB T2P 5C5 403-513-7068 403-237-1047 jxhogan@talisman-energy.com Marilyn Hutchinson, Director Sustainability and Growth Grieg Seafood BC Ltd #106 – 1180 Ironwood Street, Campbell River, BC V9W 5P7 250-286-0838 250-203-0314 mhutchinson@grieg.ca

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Karen Knowles, Economic and Business Development BC Hydro 333 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 5R3 604-699-7261 karen.knowles@bchydro.com Adrian Kopystynski, Principal GreenCity Planning Services 15 – 3363 Rosemary Heights Cr, Surrey, BC V3S 0X8 604-535-7201 adkopy@shaw.ca Mackenzie Kyle, Partner Meyers Norris Penny LLP 2300-1055 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver, BC V7X 1J1 604-685-8408 604-685-8594 mackenzie.kyle@mnp.ca Leslie Lawther, President Cheakamus Consulting Inc. Unit #51 – 1275 Mount Fee Road, Whistler, BC V0N 1B1 604-935-2669 leslawther@gmail.com Doug Little, Vice President of Energy Planning and Econ BC Hydro 333 Dunsmuir Street, 10th Floor, Vancouver, BC V6B 5R3 604-623-4088 doug.little@bchydro.com Stu MacGillivray, Community Energy Solutions Manager Fortis BC 16705 Fraser Highway, Surrey, BC V4N 0E8 604-576-7125 604-592-7894 stu.macgillivray@fortisbc.com Ian MacPherson, Consultant Ian MacPherson 10588 – 159 Street, Surrey, BC V4N 3J4 604-582-9448 604-677-5992 heathian@telus.net Catherine Matheson, Public Affairs Officer BC Lottery Corporation 2940 Virtual Way, Vancouver, BC V5M 0A6 604-225-6455 604-225-6422 camatheson@bclc.com Marleen Morris, President Marleen Morris & Associates 3566 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6R 1Y7 604-742-0043 604-734-2446 marleen@mmassociates.ca John Murray, Managing Director Economic Growth Solutions Inc. 5377 Monte Bre Court, West Vancouver, BC V7W 3B2 604-913-1170 604-913-1179 jmurray@economicgrowthsolutions.com Steve NicolLions Gate Consulting Inc. #207, 2902 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6K 2G8 604-733-5622 604-733-5677 steve@lgc-inc.com Catherine Proulx, Managing Director Twist Marketing #215 – 1235 26th Avenue SE, Calgary, AB T2G 1R7 403-242-4600 403-242-4609 cathy@twistmarketing.com Terry Robertson, Consultant Robertson Enterprise Consulting 5920 Egret Court, Richmond, BC V7E 3W3 604-274-1102 604-274-1735 tr@telus.net Stan Rogers, President Legacy Pacific Land Corporation #428, 44550 South Sumas Road, Chilliwack, BC V2R 5M3 604-824-8733 604-824-4003 stanrogers@legacypacific.com Alexandra Ross, President Streamlined Vision Ltd. Suite 408, 1917 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6J 1M7 604-905-8672 604-894-6722 vision@streamlinedvision.com Blair Salter, Principal Daystar Marketing 66 Diefenbaker Wynd, Delta, BC V4M 3X3 604-943-0739 604-943-0739 Blair_Salter@telus.net

Randy Sunderman Peak Solutions Consulting 666 Braemar Drive, Kamloops, BC V1S 1H9 250-314-1842 250-314-1840 rsunman@telus.net Jamie Vann Struth Vann Struth Consulting Group Inc. 2395 Lakewood Drive, Vancouver, BC V5N 4T8 604-762-6901 jamie@vannstruth.com Mike Welte, Director of BC Fraser Valley Farm Credit Canada 200-1520 McCallum Road, Abbotsford, BC V2S 8A3 604-870-2703 604-870-2431 mike.welte@fcc-fac.ca Dinah White, Senior Manager Chemistry Consulting Group Inc. 400-1207 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC V8Z 1N3 250-382-3303 Ext. 203 250-383-4142 d.white@chemistryconsulting.ca

GOVERNMENT/INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS Soo-Kyung Ahn, Senior Manager – Korea Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Suite 288, 800 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2C5 604-660-5916 SooKyung.Ahn@gov.bc.ca Jim Anholt, Senior Project Manager Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation BC Trade and Investment Office #730, 999 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E1 604-775-2275 Jim.Anholt@gov.bc.ca Robert Arthurs, Senior Manager, BC Business Services and Olympic Legacy Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation 3585 Gravely Street, Vancouver, BC V5K 5J5 604-660-3358 robert.arthurs@gov.bc.ca Harbs Bains, Senior Manager, BC Business Services and Olympic Legacy Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation 3585 Gravely Street, Vancouver, BC V5K 5J5 604-660-2241 604-660-3437 harbs.bains@gov.bc.ca David Baleshta, Portfolio Manager Investment Capital Branch PO Box 9800, Stn Prov Govt, Victoria, BC V8W 9W1 250-952-0614 250-952-0371 David.Baleshta@gov.bc.ca Richard Braam, Regional Project Manager Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Bag 5000, Smithers, BC V0J 2N0 250-847-7797 604-847-7232 rick.braam@gov.bc.ca Ashleigh Brewer, Director of Member Initiatives Economic Development Association of BC #402 – 44550 South Sumas Road, Chilliwack, BC V2R 5M3 604-858-7199 604-858-7345 info@edabc.com Diana Brooks, Regional Manager Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation 101 – 100 Cranbrook Street North, Cranbrook, BC V1C 3P9 250-426-1301 250-426-1253 diana.brooks@gov.bc.ca Myles Bruns, Regional Manager Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Suite 250 – 455 Columbia Street, Kamloops, BC V2C 6K4 250-371-3931 250-318-5150 myles.bruns@gov.bc.ca Nina Cagic, Assistant Director, Americas & Europe Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation 730-999 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E1 604-660-5883 nina.cagic@gov.bc.ca Janet Cho, Manager – North China Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Suite 288, 800 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2C5 604-660-5919 Janet.Cho@gov.bc.ca

Donald Simpson, BSB/M Donald Simpson 102-45734 Patten Avenue, Chilliwack, BC V2P 1S1 604-793-4826 simpsoncd@shaw.ca

Tamara Danshin, Regional Project Manager Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Room 120A, 10600 – 100th Street, Fort St John, BC V1J 4L6 250-787-3351 250-787-3210 tamara.danshin@gov.bc.ca

Mary Jane Stenberg, Special Advisor to the President on Strategic Initiatives Kwantlen Polytechnic University 12666 72nd Avenue, Surrey, BC V3W 2M8 604-599-2127 604-599-2235 MaryJane.Stenberg@kwantlen.ca

Dan Dibbelt, Executive Director Northern Alberta Development Council 206 Provincial Building, 9621 96 Ave Postal Bag 900 – 14, Peace River, AB T8S 1T4 780-624-6274 780-624-6184 dan.dibbelt@gov.ab.ca

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Marcus Ewert-Johns, Executive Director Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Suite 288, 800 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2C5 604-775-2217 604-775-2197 Marcus.Johns@gov.bc.ca Jeff Finkle, President & CEO International Economic Development Council 734 15th Street NW / Suite 900, Washington, DC 20005 202-223-7800 202-223-4745 jfinkle@iedconline.org Sarah Fraser, Executive Director, Community Partnerships Branch Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation 2nd Floor, 800 Johnson Street, Victoria, BC V8W 9N7 250-387-5440 250-387-1407 sarah.fraser@gov.bc.ca Marcia Freeman, Manager of Business and Marketing CMHC 1661 Duranleau Street, 2nd Floor (Granville Island), Vancouver, BC V6H 3S3 604-666-2529 604-666-7376 mfreeman@cmhc-schl.gc.ca Marie Gallant, Manager Director Community Futures Development Association 1056 – 409 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 1T2 604-685-2332 Ext. 225 604-681-6575 mgallant@communityfutures.ca Penny Gardiner, Executive Director Economic Developers Association of Canada Suite 200, #7 Inovation Drive, Flamborough, ON L9H 7H9 905-689-8771 905-689-5925 admin@edac.ca Amardeep Gill, Manager – India Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Suite 288, 800 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2C5 604-775-2133 Amardeep.Gill@gov.bc.ca Greg Goodwin, Executive Director Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation 4/F, 800 Johnson St., PO Box 9853, Victoria, BC V8W 9T5 250-953-3008 250-387-7972 greg.goodwin@gov.bc.ca Brodie Guy, Economic Development Manager Northern Development Initiative Trust 301 – 1268 5th Avenue, Prince George, BC V2L 3L2 250-561-2525 250-561-2563 brodie@northerndevelopment.bc.ca Leann Hackman-Corty, Executive Director Economic Developers Alberta Suite 127, #406 917-85th Street, SW, Calgary, AB T3H 3Z9 403-214-0224 403-214-0224 leann@edaalberta.ca

Karen Lam, Project Manager Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation 730-999 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E2 604-775-2188 karen.lam@gov.bc.ca Adeline Leung, Trade Commissioner Foreign Affairs and International Trade 2000-300 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 6E1 604-666-7633 604-666-0954 adeline.leung@international.gc.ca Troy Machan, Director – Americas and Europe Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Suite 288, 800 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2C5 604-775-2039 Troy.Machan@gov.bc.ca Glenn Mandziuk, Chief Executive Officer Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association 2280 D Leckie Road, Kelowna, BC V1X 6G6 250-860-5999 250-860-9993 gmandziuk@totabc.com Alison McKay, Senior Researcher Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation 12th Floor 510 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 3A8 604-660-6396 604-660-3699 alison.mckay@gov.bc.ca Dean McKinley, Economic Development Manager Northern Development Initiative Trust 301 – 1268 5th Avenue, Prince George, BC V2L 3L2 250-561-2525 250-561-2563 dean@northerndevelopment.bc.ca

Heather Lalonde, Executive Director Economic Developers Council of Ontario Inc. Box 8030, Cornwall, ON K6H 7H9 613-931-9827 613-931-9828 edco@edco.on.ca

Mark Startup, President & CEO Shelfspace, The Association for Retail Entrepreneurs 208-1730 West 2nd Ave., Vancouver, BC V6J 1H6 604-730-5252 604-736-3154 mark@shelfspace.ca Gord Stewart, President ICBA Benefit Services 18-21535 88th Avenue, Burnaby, BC V5C 6P3 604-298-7752 604-298-7749 gord@icba.ca

Mike Stolte, Executive Director CIEL 1419 Josephine St., Nelson, BC V1L 1Y3 250-352-9192 815-550-2038 mstolte@theciel.com

Niamh Murphy, Program Analyst Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation 2nd Floor, Johnson St PO Box 9837, Victoria, BC V8W 9T1 250-356-7334 250-896-3801 niamh.murphy@gov.bc.ca

Verona Thibault, Executive Director Saskatchewan Economic Devlopment Association Box 113, Saskatoon, SK S7K 3K1 306-384-5817 306-384-5818 seda@seda.sk.ca

Michael Nicholas, Director – India and Southeast Asia Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Suite 288, 800 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2C5 604-775-2144 Michael.Nicholas@gov.bc.ca

Michael Track, Manager, Investor Services Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation BC Trade and Investment Office #730, 999 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E1 604-775-2202 604-775-2197 Michael.Track@gov.bc.ca

Rob O’Brien, Manager – Japan Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Suite 288, 800 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2C5 604-660-5918 Rob.OBrien@gov.bc.ca

Brian Krieger, Director – BC Business Services Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation 3585 Gravely Street, Vancouver, BC V5K 5J5 604-660-0220 604-660-3437 brian.krieger@gov.bc.ca

Khris Singh, Regional Project Manager Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation 201-1, 2435 Mansfield Drive, Courtenay, BC V9N 2M2 250-897-3276 250-331-0220 khris.singh@gov.bc.ca

Mark Morrissey, Executive Director Nunavut Economic Developers Association PO Box 1990, Iqaluit, NU X0A 0H0 867-979-4620 867-222-3620 exdir@nunavuteda.com

Lori Henderson, Manager, Community Adjustment Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation 2nd Floor, 800 Johnson Street, Victoria, BC V8W 9N7 250-356-7828 lori.henderson@gov.bc.ca

Arlene Keis, CEO GO2 – The Resource for People in Tourism 450-505 Burrard Street, PO Box 59, Vancouver, BC V7X 1M3 604-633-9787 604-633-9796 akeis@go2hr.ca

Jianye (Jason) Si, Senior Manager – East China Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Suite 288, 800 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2C5 604-660-5911 Jianye.Si@gov.bc.ca

Tanja Stockmann, Senior Industry Officer Natural Resources Canada 580 Booth Street, 12th Floor, Ottawa, ON K1A 0E4 613-944-4782 Tanja.stockmann@nrcan.gc.ca

Janine North, CEO Northern Development Initiative Trust 301 – 1268 5th Avenue, Prince George, BC V2L 3L2 250-561-2525 250-561-2563 janine@northerndevelopment.bc.ca

Paul Irwin, Senior Director – North Asia Division Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Suite 288, 800 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2C5 604-660-5906 Paul.Irwin@gov.bc.ca

Neil Saxon, Senior Tourism Development Officer Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation 403 – 1715 Richmond Avenue, Victoria, BC V8R 4P9 250-387-2784 neil.saxon@gov.bc.ca

Cheryl McLay, Regional Project Manager Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Suite # 142-2080 Labieux Road, Nanaimo, BC V9T 6J9 250-751-3217 250-751-3245 cheryl.mclay@gov.bc.ca

Henry Han, Director – Business Development Initiatives Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation 730-999 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E1 604-660-5888 henry.han@gov.bc.ca

George Hunter, CEO Small Business BC 82-601 W Cordova St., Vancouver, BC V6B 1G1 604-775-5475 604-775-5520 hunter.george@smallbusinessbc.ca

Richard Sawchuk, Senior Manager Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation 730-999 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E1 604-775-0030 richard.sawchuck@gov.bc.ca

Kerry Pridmore, Director of Strategic Initiatives Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation 2nd Floor, Johnson St PO Box 9853, Victoria, BC V8W 9N7 250-356-7999 250-356-7972 kerry.pridmore@gov.bc.ca

Leslie Wada, Project Manager Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation BC Trade and Investment Office #730, 999 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E1 604-775-2275 604-775-2197 Leslie.Wada@gov.bc.ca Dale Wheeldon, Chief Executive Officer Economic Development Association of BC #402 – 44550 South Sumas Road, Chilliwack, BC V2R 5M3 604-858-7199 604-858-7345 wheeldon@edabc.com Philip Yung, Director – Greater China Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Suite 288, 800 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2C5 604-660-5908 Philip.Yung@gov.bc.ca

Edwina Ramirez, Manager – Southeast Asia & Oceania Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Suite 288, 800 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2C5 604-775-2192 Edwina.Ramirez@gov.bc.ca

Raymond Zhu, Senior Manager – South China Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Suite 288, 800 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2C5 604-660-5910 Raymond.Zhu@gov.bc.ca

Dale Richardson, Regional Manager – Northwest Region Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation 110 – 1st Ave Suite 220, Prince Rupert, BC V8J 1A8 250-624-7499 250-624-7716 dale.richardson@gov.bc.ca

HONOURABLE MEMBERS

Tatiana Robertson, Manager, Community Adjustment Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation PO Box 9837 Stn Prov Govt 2nd Fl, 800 Johnson St, Victoria, BC V8W 9T1 250-356-8883 250-387-1407 tatiana.robertson@gov.bc.ca

Valerie Anne Caskey, Retired Honourable Member EDABC 604-530-8469 valerietoo@shaw.ca Bill Ellwyn, Retired Honourable Member EDABC 865 Gaetjen Street, Parksville, BC V9P 1A6 250-951-0607 wmellwyn@shaw.ca Peter Monteith, CAO City of Chilliwack 8550 Young Road, Chilliwack, BC V2P 8A4 604-793-2966 604-793-2285 monteith@chilliwack.com

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