- Business in Vancouver

Lesley Shannon is an optimist.  But for the Simon Fraser University engineering science professor, the pandemic is making her glass appear increasingly half empty as she contemplates how well women will be represented in her field in the years to come.  “The pandemic has […]

Every day, vast amounts of heat generated from industry, data centres and hockey rinks is just wasted. When the source of waste heat is close enough, it can be tapped and piped into a building or a district energy system. Clearly, it’s not feasible to run pipes from a cement plant in East […]

British Columbia is inching closer to the first anniversary of the interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past few weeks, we have seen some optimism in the province in regards to the vaccine rollout as well as significant support for a gradual reopening of the economy. This […]

There is a lot to be proud about in the Langara community; alumni are contributing to the economy, faculty members are respected leaders in their fields, and important initiatives in Indigenization and sustainability have made significant impact at the College. And while Langara has long prided […]

When Tamara Vrooman took over the reins of Vancouver Airport Authority in July 2020, she faced one of the biggest challenges of her career.  Appointed President and CEO of the organization that operates Vancouver International Airport (YVR) in the midst of a global pandemic - that has […]

These corporate claims were filed with the BC Supreme Court registry in Vancouver. Information is derived from notices of civil claim. Civil claims have not been tested or proven in court.   Defendant Watershed Solutions Inc. Plaintiff Street Quality Entertainment Ltd. Claim $5,891,527 […]

The following is a list of stock trades made by corporate executives, directors and other company insiders of B.C.’s public companies filed in the week ended Feb 25, 2021. The information comes from a compilation of required reports filed with the BC Securities Commission obtained from […]

While B.C. is getting some good news when it comes to likely future supply of COVID-19 vaccines, many metrics to chart the spread of the virus in B.C. are trending in the wrong direction.  Health officials reported 634 new infections overnight. That is the second highest total so […]

The number of people seeking short-term financial help from the Vancouver Rent Bank has increased significantly since the pandemic was declared in March 2020, with job loss and underemployment driving the demand. The volume in applicants has fluctuated each month but what has remained steady is a […]

Employment in many sectors has shrunk because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but a reduction in staff numbers is not a new phenomenon for B.C.’s top telecom companies, according to Business in Vancouver’s Biggest Communication Technology Firms in B.C list (biv.com/lists). The average number […]

A rising tide of public trust in government institutions, traditional media and business leaders in Canada during the onset of the COVID pandemic last March has now receded, a new report finds. In fact, some demographics are showing trust levels in these institutions at a lower state than […]

Look, the biggest risk Dr. Bonnie Henry is taking with our lives with her new vaccination plan is that we will be ready but not able to enjoy the rest of the continent as we wish for a while. The province’s health officer’s intuitive but evidence-based initiative to prolong the […]

What will the 2021 season look like for the Vancouver Canadians? The fact is, given the uncertainty surrounding border crossings and public gatherings post-COVID, not even the club’s top executives know for sure. That’s the assessment of Canadians President/Partner Andy Dunn, who has […]

While the mass public rollout of COVID-19 vaccines will be an unprecedented undertaking, the public awareness campaign to ensure everyone knows when and where to get vaccinated will be equally challenging. That’s the assessment of B.C. researchers and public communications experts, who said […]

Canadian regulators have given the green light to Johnson & Johnson’s (NYSE:JNJ) COVID-19 vaccine. Friday’s (March 5) approval marks the fourth COVID-19 vaccine to be approved by Health Canada and the first requiring only one dose. The move comes exactly one week after the […]

I often get asked how I can run Webnames.ca as its CEO, serve on multiple boards, speak at 30-plus events a year, act as a mentor, take part in philanthropic and fundraising activities and still find time to write columns. And yes, I do have school-aged kids, which means drop-offs, pickups and […]

A botched deal last year between Canada and Chinese vaccine manufacturer CanSino Biologics Inc. laid bare this country’s vulnerabilities amid efforts to devise a proper immunization plan. Faced with Canada’s limited vaccine manufacturing capacity, the federal government began putting […]

It's been 353 days since casinos in B.C. were allowed to operate. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry ordered all gaming operations to shut down at midnight on Monday, March 16 last year as part of a wide-reaching shutdown of some business sectors to stem the spread of COVID-19. Nearly a […]

Vaccinations have helped reduce the number of outbreaks at seniors' homes, but B.C. has a long way to go until they start to have any widespread effects.  The number of British Columbians actively fighting COVID-19 infections rose by 89 overnight, to 4,743 – the highest […]

B.C.’s top doctor is expressing regret over how the province communicated to those expecting to get their second COVID-19 vaccine dose before those appointments were cancelled. Provincial officials revealed earlier this week the province would expand the interval between first and second […]

Each week, BIV staff will share with you some of the interesting stories we have found from around the web.   Kirk LaPointe, publisher and editor-in-chief: It may be far away on the other side of the country, but scientists believe that the Atlantic gulf stream is weakening due to […]

The extradition hearings for Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. CFO Meng Wanzhou continued Thursday at a brisk pace, with Crown counsel Robert Frater leading the counter-argument against the defence's claims that Donald Trump's comments irreversibly damaged the integrity of the proceedings. Frater, […]

An attempt by Metro Vancouver to strengthen industrial land protection at the regional level, at the expense of municipal autonomy over land use, hit a brick wall Friday. A recommendation from Metro Vancouver’s regional planning committee to increase the voting threshold for minor industrial […]

The B.C. government is extending the deadline and lowering the revenue loss threshold for small and medium-sized businesses to apply for a recovery grant that has been undersubscribed. One year ago, the John Horgan government announced a $345 million grant for small and medium-sized businesses […]

More provinces may be jumping on board with B.C.’s plans to immunize more residents against COVID-19 by delaying the interval between doses by up to four months. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommended on Wednesday (March 3) that provinces should consider […]

Last month, Research Co. and Glacier Media asked Canadians about their experience as dog owners. We learned about the incidence of “pandemic canines” and gauged views on the existence of a “pet soul.” We also found out that dog owners who voted for the Conservative Party […]

More than 200,000 British Columbians had received at least the first dose of one of the two vaccines for COVID-19 as of late February. If provincial health authorities are to hit their targets of 4.3 million British Columbians vaccinated by the end of September, they will need to vaccinate up to […]

Capital Point, a new Class AAA strata office and retail complex in Burnaby’s central business district in Metrotown is arriving just in time.  A year of telecommuting is ending as Canada rolls out vaccines this spring and millions of Canadians gratefully prepare to ditch work-from-home […]

B.C. announced March 3 that it has vaccinated more than 200,000 individuals with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine – 11 weeks after the first dose was administered in the province on December 16.  There are now 203,193 B.C. residents who have had at least one dose […]

There will be no empty pockets for a Surrey-based health-tech firm this year. PocketPills Inc. has closed out a Series B funding rounding to the tune of $30 million, the company revealed Wednesday (March 3). The digital pharmacy is known for its online platform that allows users to order […]

Movement of goods through the Port of Vancouver increased a marginal 1% for 2020, a year in which global trade was beset by challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, cargo through the port increased to 145.5 million metric tonnes (MMT) from 144.2 MMT compared with 2019. Records were set […]

B.C.’s Human Rights Tribunal has dismissed the complaint of a woman who says she was reprimanded for not helping decorate a workplace for Christmas and alleged she was discriminated against on religious grounds. Marion Ashton, who identifies as agnostic, was employed by the Ministry of […]

The defence team for Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. CFO Meng Wanzhou is targeting ex-U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments on Dec. 11, 2018, when he said he would “certainly intervene” in the case if he deemed it to benefit trade negotiations with China. The comments […]

Four women. Four episodes. Four conversations on 21st century leadership. Business in Vancouver is proud to present a special Women in Leadership podcast series featuring four exemplary British Columbian leaders. Beginning March 9, the four-part series will explore the topics of leadership, […]

Ottawa is extending relief to businesses still reeling from the pandemic a day after Statistics Canada revealed the national economy contracted 5.4% last year. The Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and the Canadian Emergency Rent Subsidy will be maintained at their current rates from March 14 […]

A dysfunctional supply chain is not good for economic health in B.C. or anywhere else. It’s not much good for overall public health either. The challenges facing goods movement along the critical transpacific trade loop outlined in last week’s BIV print edition underscore the upheaval […]

Kris Hartvigsen has seen more than a few job descriptions for sales positions over his career that looked shiny on the surface but then inevitably dulled when peering a little deeper. “There's always this list of responsibilities,” says the CEO of Dooly Research Ltd.  “And […]

Global, national and provincial vaccine distribution has brought consumers and business owners hope that pandemic-era restrictions will be eased over the next year. There is also hope that the worst of the economic impact brought by COVID-19 is over. Between lives, jobs and businesses, a lot is […]

The gloves are coming off - or maybe going on, if they're in the kitchen - as chef-testants from across the nation vie for the glory on Top Chef Canada, which returns in April for its ninth season. The Food Network show features a diverse line-up of culinary talent from coast to coast this year. […]

Two more British Columbians lost their lives while suffering from COVID-19, pushing the province's death toll from the virus to 1,365, provincial health officer Bonnie Henry said March 2.  That comparatively low number of new deaths is good news given that the province's […]

B.C. Supreme Court March 1 struck down sections of B.C.’s Civil Resolution Tribunal Act dealing with ICBC reforms as unconstitutional. Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson ruled it is unconstitutional for Victoria to simply reassign determination of accident claims out of the courts and to its […]

B.C.’s Ministry of Finance appears to be going a pretty good job of bean counting, with one exception, according to a BC Auditor General's report. The AG’s office spent 50,000 hours poring over the B.C. government's 2019-20 financial statements, and found but a single quibble with the […]

B.C. restaurants shouldn’t be leaving pandemic contact-tracing sign-in sheets in the open where everyone can see them, B.C.’s privacy commissioner says. Michael McEvoy said a staff member should be collecting the names and contact information and shielding that data from other people. […]

Strong sales in the Greater Vancouver region helped push the sales-to-active-listings ratio for all residential property types to 44.6%, which is far higher than the 28.8% percentage seen in January. Industry wisdom is that when this metric is above 12% for a period of time, the market is […]

Why won’t B.C. Premier John Horgan comment on a provincial government trade agreement with China that has connections to mounting allegations of genocide against Muslim Uyghurs? China’s alleged genocide in Xinjiang is said to be motivated, in part, by expansion of the country’s […]

The largest delivery yet of COVID-19 vaccine doses bound for Canada is due to arrive this week. Public Services and Procurement Minister Anita Anand confirmed Tuesday (March 2) the first 500,000 doses of the Covishield vaccine from the Serum Institute of India will reach Canada by Wednesday. That […]

Canada’s vaccine-distribution system has suffered from shortages and delays from manufacturers as governments around the world compete for valuable vaccine doses. That competition is likely to continue despite B.C. health officials and politicians saying March 1 that they are […]

Ever wondered what Vancouver looks like from over 750 km above? The European Space Agency released a video this weekend showing just that. Every Friday they feature a different place and this past Friday was Vancouver's turn. In the short video, the space agency talks about the geography around […]

It is the largest public health initiative in B.C.’s history. 2021’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign comes with challenges and complications of equal magnitude. Is the province, its medical system and supply chain management up to the task? Inoculating the 4.3 million people eligible to […]

Close to one million Atlantic salmon smolts were euthanized last week and the first layoff notices were issued to Mowi’s B.C. salmon farm workers in preparation for the shutdown of Discovery Islands open-net salmon farming ordered by federal Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bernadette Jordan. A […]