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What We’re Reading: Sheltering in Place and Offline
First Nations Technology Council (“Technology Council”) CEO Denise Williams sat down remotely with Information and Communications Technology Council analyst Faun Rice to talk about the impact COVID-19 has had on Indigenous peoples living in BC. Immediate impacts on First Nations communities extend far beyond the ability to work remotely and include access to education, healthcare, and benefits. -
The $426 Million Sector You’ve Never Heard of – Meet Vancouver’s Contech Ecosystem
The $170 billion industry employees some 1.4 million people in every community and city across the country. And yet, there remains room for improvement in this mainstay industry – arguably one of our oldest and one of our most traditional. -
What We’re Reading: Saving Lives from the “Other Crisis” During the COVID-19 Pandemic at Lifeguard Digital Health
Digital health is skyrocketing with the lockdowns and physical distancing necessitated by the global pandemic. Dr. Chandana Unnithan with Lifeguard Digital Health, a Vancouver-based medical technology manufacturer, dives into the importance of healthcare technology. -
What We’re Reading: BC’s Creative Tech Sector Drives Economic Growth and Jobs in Canada
Creative technology is flourishing in Vancouver and BC, and lockdowns resulting from the global pandemic have facilitated an even greater surge in consumption. Brenda Bailey, executive director of DigiBC, discusses the creative industry’s evolution, current challenges and future prospects. -
From Waste to Wealth – Vancouver’s Deconstruction Economy Potential
Working with a team of BCIT Sustainable Business Leadership Students, Adam Corneil and George Benson, VEC’s Sector Manager for the Built Environment, have now completed a study on the potential value of deconstructed and salvaged materials across the whole of Metro Vancouver. -
What We’re Reading: BC’s Pre- and Post-COVID Economy
With ICTC, we're discussing why BC’s success in flattening the curve is just one of many factors to consider when looking at BC's post-COVID economy. -
British Columbia’s Blockbuster Motion Picture Industry is Back in Business Under Phase 3 of the BC Restart Plan
Under Phase 3 of the BC Restart Plan, motion picture and television production has been given the green light to resume, albeit with restrictions that ensure the ongoing safety of cast, crew, suppliers and other workers. -
Why the call for a global clean restart?
COVID-19 may have caught the world by surprise, but the climate crisis has been predicted for decades. Can we act now to “flatten the curve” on climate change? -
A brand evolution: Welcome to our refreshed look
You may have that noticed the Vancouver Economic Commission website and social media channels have switched over to a refreshed brand identity system. -
Five Platforms Facilitating the Transition to Virtual Onboarding
With more and more businesses turning towards remote working, technology supporting virtual onboarding and training has become more important than ever. -
Access to Early-Stage and Venture Capital remains crucial topic for BC
If starved of investment, our region's entire innovation ecosystem could dry up over time, beginning with the startup ecosystem, and ultimately impacting the entire range of mid-sized and mature companies that generate local IP and revenues. -
Impact Enterprises will Lead the Global Pandemic Recovery: An Interview with Decade
As the world turns toward economic and social recovery, many individuals and businesses are questioning whether it makes sense to return to “normal” – with many calls to base our rebuilding efforts on improving our collective future and outlook. -
Why Tech could form the backbone of BC’s economic recovery
Technology is already supporting our recovery process by enabling people to work and purchase remotely – and safely. Forced to isolate and physically distance themselves, people use tech to maintain social connection, entertain themselves, and stay informed. Here are five considerations and assumptions that could be integral to productive and thoughtful discussions of technology and its role in economic recovery. -
SPUD’s “Stay Home” Program is a Model of Economic Resilience
Vancouver-based grocery delivery service SPUD has introduced the “Stay Home” program to support at-risk individuals, frontline workers, the elderly and others facing difficulties accessing vital nutrition during the global pandemic. -
Public Transit is Essential for Healthy, Connected and Sustainable Cities
TransLink’s numerous operations actively support our social, economic and ecological wellbeing. As such, it is deeply integrated with the health and sustainability of our city and its residents. -
AbCellera Biologics Describes Unprecedented Speed of Innovation
Within days of using their industry-leading antibody technology to analyze a blood sample from a recovered COVID-19 patient, the AbCellera team identified 500 antibodies with potential to treat the respiratory illness – the world’s largest panel of antibodies to date. -
Vancouver Apparel Companies Outfit Frontline Workers
Vancouver's local clothing companies are redirecting focus from fashion to function to help outfit frontline healthcare practitioners with life-saving protective apparel. Outdoor apparel makers like Arc’teryx, Boardroom Clothing and Mustang Survival are collaborating with Vancouver Coastal Health to design and produce gowns that bring new levels of protection to healthcare workers. -
Breaking Bread Champions National Support for Independent Restaurants
Breaking Bread was inspired by a collective desire to support workers whose livelihoods depend on continued operation of the restaurant industry. -
Small Businesses Pivot to Join the Fight Against COVID-19
Small businesses in Vancouver are demonstrating hope, compassion and resilience in the face of COVID-19 by rallying to support each other, and to protect the public and slow the spread of the pandemic. -
How Speedy Government Funding is Facilitating Unprecedented Research
We are witnessing the sheer agility that governments and funding bodies can achieve during crises. We are also experiencing firsthand the corresponding speed of innovation made possible by adequately resourced minds and institutions.