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.

What spurs new companies to grow and create employment? The right mix of great ideas, and talented entrepreneurs, along with key connections and critical marketplace niche!  Now University of Victoria (UVic) is forging ahead with bringing all the elements  together to create big success stories in British Columbia and beyond.

Bright young entrepreneurs at UVic now have a big leg up in accelerating the success of their businesses. With the Engineering Entrepreneurship@UVic, a recently announced business accelerator program at UVic, students can start new companies with the help of business titan Sir Terence Matthews.  Matthews, whose investment company Wesley Clover is a world-wide driver of new business, will play a critical role in supporting the young entrepreneurs by opening doors to potential first customers and providing access to much needed financing. Combined with their strong motivation and bright ideas, the students offer mentors like Terry Matthews a chance to take an active role in guiding promising new businesses and propelling them to success. 

The UVic program highlights the innovative approach British Columbia’s top notch universities play in supporting their students’ beyond the classroom. Students with razor sharp entrepreneurial skills will become an invaluable asset to B.C.’s already highly skilled workforce, and new businesses will drive the B.C. economy to greater heights through innovation, investment, employment growth, and export development.  

Tell us what you’re working on!

British Columbia covers a total area of 94.8 million hectares (366,000 square miles) and if you’ve ever wondered who owns that little piece of land over yonder, chances are it’s Crown land! Over 94% of British Columbia is Provincial Crown land and it’s available for a wide range of purposes to provide opportunities for sustainable economic development.

The Integrated Land Management Bureau issues Crown land tenures and sells Crown land on behalf of BC. The Province works to balance the needs of the public, investors and stakeholders to achieve economic prosperity, socially responsible and environmentally sustainable uses of Crown land, while respecting and considering Aboriginal interests and promoting reconciliation with First Nations in British Columbia.

 Some areas of interest for Crown land include:

• Adventure Tourism and Commercial Recreation
• Oil and Gas
• Filming
• General Commercial Use
• Water Power
• Wind Power
• Ocean Energy

The Ministry of Agriculture and Lands provides an array of information on how to apply for Crown land.           

Want to know more about Crown land? FrontCounter BC is the one stop natural-resource information shop!

So do you want to write some code to help reduce carbon pollution?  Canadian software developers are being challenged to create web and mobile apps that will build awareness and inspire action to reduce carbon pollution!

The Apps4Climate Action contest has more than $40,000 in cash and prizes spread across five categories: best mobile app, best web app, people’s choice, best of B.C. and overall best app.  Submit your best apps to the Apps4Climate Action website by July 15.  If you’re not a coder, register for contest updates and to vote for the people’s choice award!

To help you out, check out the Climate Change Data Catalogue which provides access to over 500 climate change data sets and supporting docs on a centralized website.

Get coding!

Well, we have your updates!

British Columbia is a proud partner of the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) and is working with other North American jurisdictions to address climate change and collaboratively reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Innovative solutions to combating climate change, including carbon pricing and greenhouse gas targets, are key drivers for BC’s green economy! The BC Climate Action Plan outlines BC’s efforts, and some accomplishments to date include:

- Implementing the Carbon Tax;

- Supporting carbon trading through the Pacific Carbon Trust;

- Providing funding to companies leading the way in alternative energy technologies through the Innovative Clean Energy Fund; and

- Providing incentives and rewards for smart choices targeted towards climate change through LiveSmart BC.

These are just some of the innovative and exciting climate change solutions British Columbia has underway! Join us at Globe 2010! Stop by our booth or B.C.’s session (Day 1 – Wednesday March 24 @ 3:30 in meeting room 1) where a great panel of climate professionals will join to discuss continuing efforts to develop carbon trading regimes in North America.

Tell us what updates you are most interested in and return to let us know what interesting facts you heard at the session and at GLOBE 2010!

Prince Rupert! 

Prince Rupert, British Columbia

March 10, 2010 marked the 100 year birthday of the picturesque northern city Prince Rupert…  honestly though, it doesn’t look a day over 99! Nestled comfortably between misty mountains and the Pacific Ocean, Prince Rupert is recognized for much more than its spectacular sunsets and recurring rainbows. This city has spent the last 100 years developing into the dream envisioned by its founder Charles Melville Hays – the perfect terminus for marine trade and travel by rail and sea. 

Prince Rupert serves as a critical transportation hub for the province, boasting a port that is ice-free year round and strategically located 30 hours closer to Asian markets than any other North American port… and did we mention it’s the deepest natural harbour in North America? 

This port city of 12,000 people flaunts some impressive infrastructure and expertise in the area of shipping and transportation. Prince Rupert has a world-class dedicated ship to rail container terminal as well as established grain, coal and cruise terminals serviced by CN Rail which is the only railway on the continent to serve ports on the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Gulf Coast. 

Check out the big plans Prince Rupert has for their next century as they increase   container volumes and  expand the container terminal .

Tell us what makes Prince Rupert a great place to do business!

Hon. Ida Chong

Everyone who watched the 2010 Olympics (about half the world’s population) knows that BC is a great sports destination.  But did you know we’re also sport innovators?  BC is home to companies that are developing technologies related to sport, apparel, health, wellness and rehabilitation.

Consider Electronic Arts Canada in Burnaby, one of the largest and most successful game development studios in the world and home to the Worldwide Motion Capture Studio.  Looking to improve your core stability? Try the performance and stability-enhancing athletic shorts created by Coretection!  Companies like lululemon athletica or Boardroom ECO Apparel are also leaders in manufacturing technical and sustainable fabrics.

Sledge hockey at Robson Square

To bring together partners, and potential partners, in sports technology and innovation, the BC Innovation Council and the Ministry of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development hosted the BC Sports Technology & Innovation breakfast Feb. 26. This highly interactive event saw over 100 local and international representatives come together to network. Guests included entrepreneurs, international conglomerates, Olympic sponsors, venture capitalists, sporting organizations and athletes.

Business connections were made, technologies were tested, and fun was had by all –  just check out our athletes testing new gear in the sledge hockey demonstration at GE Ice Plaza!

British Columbia is a centre for international finance and new incentives make it the hot spot for those looking to do business, especially in high tech sectors.
 
The financial services sector in British Columbia benefits from Canada’s resilient and well-regulated financial system and is the fastest growing economic sector in British Columbia.  With over 100,000 finance professionals, British Columbia is a destination of choice for companies like HSBC Bank Canada, UBS and the Bank of China among others.

Business incentives, including research and development and sector specific tax credits, make a business case that’s tough to match.  For example, the International Financial Activity incentive  provides a refund of provincial corporate and/or provincial personal income taxes for international financial services performed within British Columbia. 

And British Columbia continues to look for new opportunities to stay ahead of the competition – a recent report has recommended  improvements to draw innovative companies in green technology, digital media and life sciences!

Bringing the dead back to life

British Columbia has the most bio-energy fuel in the world.  This includes wood affected by the mountain pine beetle (MPB) epidemic that has been wreaking devastation on mature lodge pole pine forests.  What’s dead isn’t wasted though.  Over the past few years, British Columbia companies have been developing ways of taking MPB wood and recycling it into renewable energy sources such as biofuel and wood pellets.

MPB wood is a renewable resource that is proving to be a valuable export to countries in Europe and Asia as a clean-burning source of energy.  British Columbia has a Bioenergy Strategy to stimulate innovation, expand the use of biofuels, and take advantage of its huge stores of bioenergy sources.

The energy sector is taking notice – several of British Columbia’s clean energy leaders and international partners joined the province on Monday in several announcements including the expansion of Prince George’s wood pellet plant and an agreement to export of 2.5. million tons of wood pellets to Europe over the next 10 years.

An inukshuk in Whistler welcomes visitors to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games!