Smart City - Person standing in front of a moving skytrain in Vancouver

Smart & Beautiful City

A smart city in a spectacular setting

Consistently ranked among the most livable cities in the world, Vancouver is celebrated for its striking natural beauty – temperate rainforest, sandy beaches flowing into the Pacific Ocean, mild year-round climate, and over 200 parks. The city’s inspiring setting is a powerful draw for international businesses, startups and entrepreneurs who gravitate to its laidback, outdoor-focused lifestyle, contributing to a robust and resilient economic climate and an international reputation as an innovative, smart city.

Vancouver offers a business climate that’s innovative, progressive, green and approachable.

Smart city appeal

With a thriving economy, talented workers and enviable location, Vancouver is a smart city that holds infinite appeal for businesses and workers. A hallmark of its diverse economy is steady growth in clean technology and a rapidly expanding creative sector — especially in digital entertainment & interactive – along with a pioneering green economy and successful traditional sectors such as tourism, forestry, mining, transportation and logistics.

Compared to other cities in North America, Vancouver offers exceptionally low corporate tax and hydro rates, as well as dedicated tax incentives from various levels of government. Vancouver’s location is another major asset, with a timezone offering same business-day access to global hubs like Los Angeles, New York and London. Vancouver is also readily connected to the Asia-Pacific region and its international business centres, including Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo.

 

What others have to say about us...

Smart city host

Over the years, the world has had many opportunities to experience Vancouver’s bar-setting beauty, coveted lifestyle and smart city appeal. A vast collection of international conferences and events have been hosted here, including the annual TED Conference; GLOBE, which convenes innovators and changemakers who are accelerating the clean economy; SIGGRAPH, the world’s largest conference on computer graphics; the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup; and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Coming up: the Invictus Games 2025 and FIFA World Cup 2026.

Smart city with a social conscience

Vancouver’s business climate isn’t just about getting business done – it’s also about doing business with a social conscience. The city is home to more than 750 social enterprises engaged in problem-solving across all facets of life. These businesses blend enterprise and social values through various business models, including for-profit social purpose businesses, non-profit social enterprises and co-operatives.

In short, Vancouver is a modern, creative and clean city that strives to lead by example every day. Having a business with a Vancouver address offers cachet – just ask global brands that have chosen to set up shop here, including Microsoft, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Amazon and Twitter.