Learn more about the advantages of doing business in British Columbia

Two of British Columbia’s cities, Vancouver and Prince George, are the most cost-competitive locations for business on the west coast of North America, according to KPMG’s Competitive Alternatives 2012 study, released March 22, 2012.

British Columbia’s corporate tax rates, among the lowest in the G7, helped our cities come out on top, as taxes represented up to 18 per cent of location-related costs across the 110 cities evaluated in the study. Our low energy costs, fueled primarily by renewable hydroelectric power, also helped propel Vancouver and Prince George to the top of the chart. Utility costs can contribute up to 8 per cent of total location-sensitive costs.

KPMG’s report indicates Vancouver’s business costs are particularly competitive for companies in our world-class industry clusters, including digital media, financial services and clean technology.

The Competitive Alternatives study, an independent comparison of cities in 14 countries, helps executives considering business relocation and expansion. In addition to ranking cities based on 26 cost components, the study provides information on non-cost factors. British Columbia’s labour availability and skills, innovation, cost of living and personal quality of life were also contributing factors to our high rankings.

Interested in exploring the advantages of locating in one of the world’s most competitive business locations? Contact us for confidential, knowledgeable advice.

Has your business relocated to British Columbia from a higher cost region? Tell us your story!

British Columbia’s $8 billion mining sector continues to grow, with Tokyo-based Sojitz Corporation and Denver-based Thompson Creek Mining Ltd. announcing March 14, 2012 that they are expanding their jointly-owned Endako molybdenum mine near Fraser Lake.

British Columbia is a prime location for resource exploration and development, with eight new mines and nine mine expansions anticipated by 2015. Home to Canada’s only molybdenum mines, we are also the third largest exporter of coal globally by volume.

British Columbia is strategically located to meet the demands of growing markets for mining products, with Asia’s closest ports of entry on the west coast of North America. Molybdenum is used in the production of the steel required for construction and industrial development. The Endako expansion will double the mine’s molybdenum production capacity to 55,000 tonnes.

More than 1,200 mining companies operate in British Columbia, exploring rich opportunities in our vast natural resources, accessing more than 400 service suppliers to the mining industry and benefiting from our competitive business climate and mining incentives.

See your next shining opportunity here? Download Prospects in Mining & Natural Gas to learn more.

Which British Columbia mine is next on the expansion list? Let us know what you predict.

It’s been another great year for GLOBE 2012, the influential conference and fair on business and the environment. The need for global collaboration (or ‘collaboratory’ in the words of Jim Weigand, President of Dupont Sustainable Solutions) was a common thread through this week’s sessions.

GLOBE brought together the right elements for the collaboratory, including innovative developers of technology, multinational companies, key policy makers, associations and interest groups. Fittingly, they all met in Vancouver, British Columbia, which has pledged to be world’s greenest city by 2020.

At a Friday morning session, FortisBC and the U.S.-based Harvest Power discussed collaborating on waste to energy biogas projects. One of Harvest Power’s British Columbia companies is also working with the BC Bioenergy Network to deliver electricity to BC Hydro – developing an innovative model for other waste to energy projects in North America.

British Columbia is an ideal location to develop and commercialize bioenergy products and technologies – from wood as well as waste. With almost 11 billion cubic metres of timber, a strategic location at the commercial crossroads of Asia Pacific and North America, a supportive business environment, and a culture of clean technology collaboration, it is no wonder we already produce more biomass energy than any other region of North America.

Ready to join forces on bioenergy generation? Download more information on British Columbia’s forest products.

We’re looking forward to hearing about all the clean technology partnerships and innovations sparked by GLOBE 2012. Let us know about yours!

There are over 200 clean technology companies in British Columbia, and they are providing green solutions to the world. We got to speak to a few of these companies on the second day of GLOBE 2012, one of the world’s highest-profile summits on business and the environment.

Corvus Energy, the Richmond-based supplier of lithium power for large-scale applications, is exhibiting at GLOBE fresh from a trade show south of the border. They didn’t come home empty-handed, having recently landed deals to provide energy storage modules for commercial machinery and airport ground support equipment to major U.S. companies.

Vancouver’s Westport Innovations, the global leader in natural gas engines, was parked at GLOBE’s clean transportation pavilion and is seeing interest from France, Germany and South America at the show. The company just unveiled the result of a joint venture with Weichai Power: China’s first natural gas engine built with high pressure direct injection (HPDI) technology.

Lignol, one of the world’s most promising cellulose to ethanol companies, is also drawing a good crowd at GLOBE. Strong interest in the company’s products and technologies is coming from countries including the United States, Brazil and Belgium.

More British Columbia clean technology companies, including Future Vehicles Technologies and General Fusion, were recently featured in a segment on China’s CCTV Channel 10.

Where do you think British Columbia clean technology will go next?

British Columbia’s vast resources and reputation for innovation make it a natural global hub for clean technology and sustainable energy.  Industry leaders and governments from around the world must agree, as they have converged en masse in Vancouver for this week’s GLOBE conference and trade fair.

The GLOBE 2012 trade show features a 30-person-strong delegation from China.  The country’s impressive exhibit marks China’s first major presence at GLOBE and is aimed at building new business relationships and showcasing the country’s environmental products in the North American market.  With British Columbia’s strong cultural ties to the Asia-Pacific region and location on the west coast of Canada, it is the ideal place for Chinese companies to forge strategic partnerships.

China and British Columbia are already collaborating on many clean tech fronts. In today’s GLOBE session on Sustained Growth and Sustainability, the University of British Columbia’s Pierre Ouillet noted that his institution is working with one of China’s largest property developers, Modern Green, to build a green residential complex. Collaborations like these have helped the university significantly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions since GLOBE 2010. Ouillet explained that British Columbia’s business environment, with low taxes, smart regulations, and a government that actively encourages investment, provides the conditions required for sustainable success.

Many more clean technology leaders, including Austria, Britain, Dubai, Japan and Germany are joining China in pursuing opportunities in British Columbia at GLOBE 2012.

Stay tuned for more news from GLOBE 2012. Let us know what you’d like us to cover in the next few days.

British Columbia is home to the world’s largest fuelling station and fleet of hydrogen fuel cell buses, powered by Ballard Power Systems’ fuel cell technology. Watch to learn more about British Columbia’s clean tech leadership!

From March 14 to 16, 2012, more than 10,000 business leaders, policymakers and sustainability experts from 50 countries will gather in Vancouver, British Columbia for the GLOBE conference and trade fair, featuring one of the highest-profile sustainable business summits in the world. With our clean technology cluster’s global leadership in sectors ranging from hydrogen and fuel cells to clean transportation to biomass energy and more, it is only natural that British Columbia hosts GLOBE biennially.

Dubbed the ‘Davos of Sustainability’, GLOBE draws the best and brightest of the international sustainable business community, making it an outstanding opportunity to develop profitable partnerships. To facilitate environmental business development, British Columbia and Canada are hosting a matchmaking day on March 15. Register to book time with British Columbia’s trailblazing clean technology companies.

Visitors, including buyer delegations from China, Japan, Korea, Europe, the United States and more, will have the chance to see British Columbia’s advanced environmental technologies and solutions on the trade show floor.  The ‘must-see’ list at GLOBE 2012 includes:

• Ballard Power Systems Inc.
• Lignol Innovations Ltd.
• Nexterra Energy Corp.
• Pulse Energy

Have we missed the British Columbia company you most want to see at GLOBE 2012? Let us know and we’ll add them to the list!

Leading up to GLOBE, Vancouver’s International Financial Institutions (IFI) Bootcamp also leverages the concentration of clean technology companies in British Columbia to foster global environmental business partnerships.  IFI Bootcamp, an international matchmaking event taking place March 12 and 13, provides the opportunity for companies that serve institutions like the World Bank to meet with Western Canada’s innovative energy and environmental companies.

For help finding your next clean technology partnership, investment or business opportunity in British Columbia, connect with us at GLOBE booth #1009 , through the Asia Pacific Business Centre or through one of our international trade offices.