Business in Vancouver

Time-Zone Troubles for Olympics

B.C. bars face early mornings rather than evening excitement as Games gear up| Pages 8-9

The new math for B.C. lumber

Amid U.S. tensions, producers may need to retool operations to compete in Europe

The Biggest Stories of 2025

The top headlines that drove change in boardrooms, legislatures and communities across B.C. | Pages 8-11

Property assessment fallout

B.C. lawyers at odds over what Cowichan ruling means for future assessments.

Foreclosure season descends upon B.C.

Recent surge in courtordered sales may portend to challenging times ahead for some homeowners | Pages 10, 36

Holiday hiring headaches

Are too many young people prioritizing flexibility over putting in hours during the busy holiday season? | Page 9 November 24 - November 30, 2025 | Issue 1881 | $4

Grocery shoppers feeling the pinch

While overall inflation comes back down to Earth, food prices continue to soar. Page 8

Up to 400 jobs could be cut at City of Vancouver

An es t i m a te d 4 00 jo b s could be cut at the City of Vancouver as staff works to build a $2.39-billion operating budget for 2026 that allows Mayor Ken Sim a nd his A BC Vancouver-dominated council to implement a property tax hike freeze for next...

Why more restaurants are adopting no tipping policy

Rather than dessert, one R ichmond restaurant is hoping to end customers’ meals on a sweet note by doing away with tips. It’s a trend picking up steam in other B.C. establishments. Spicy Pro Hot Pot Inc. l a st month on social media it would stop...

Reconciliation work in Vancouver gains new momentum

If there were a message Michelle Bryant-Gravelle wanted to share with Vancouverites for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, it is simple: reconciliation happens all year long, and it’s everyone’s responsibility. For starters, that...

Clouds over campus

International enrolment declines, tuition shortfalls and a student housing crunch put B.C. universities and colleges under growing pressure this year | Pages 4-5

B.C. tech jobs lured east?

The province saw a net loss in tech jobs in 2024. Experts say uncertainty and Alberta’s newfound appeal are to blame

Small businesses want ‘clear’ trade strategy

The BIABC is urging the province to develop a clear plan of attack to help with tariff uncertainty

Daycare supply and demand dynamics

New provincially funded spaces haven’t eliminated massive waitlists and demand for accessible and affordable child care in B.C.

Consumers cautious about ticketed event spending

BC Lions see strong start to the season, Whitecaps attendance wanes despite performance and some festivals pivot to attract guests in a tough economy

B.C. forestry sale ignites dispute

2025 | Court-approved licence sale has raised questions about First Nations consultation and the protection of species at risk | Pages 4-5 Issue 1858 | $4.00

Summer music festivals, teams in search of sponsors

2025 | Issue 1857 | $4.00

Guatemalan Indigenous leaders bring anti-mine message to Canada

2025 | Xinka representatives visit Vancouver to voice ongoing opposition to a B.C.-owned silver mine in their territory | Page 8 Issue 1856 | $4.00

Real estate development trusts seeing success

2025 | The relatively new investment vehicle carries risks, but offers potential to fund major projects in the Lower Mainland | Page 7 Issue 1855 | $4.00

A dozen local chambers quit BC Chamber

2025 | The provincial advocacy organization faces uncertainty amid financial challenges and leadership change | Page 6 Issue 1854 | $4.00

B.C.’S PLAN TO BUILD PROJECTS FASTER

The B.C. government has i nt roduced leg i sl at ion that would streamline the approval of renewable energy projects by placing them under the regulatory body currently in charge of the oil and gas sector. After introducing the bill to the legislative...

HOTEL CONVERSION COST STIRS DEBATE

A$ 1.1 million fee that the ow ner of a vacant single-room-occupancy building on the downtown Granville strip must pay to transform his property into a commercial hotel was the subject of much debate at Vancouver city hall this month. Four councillors...

COMMERCIALIZING CARBON CAPTURE

On a recent sunny Friday, Richard Laliberte stepped th rough the back door of Best Buy Canada’s former headquarters. Inside, Geek Squad chatter is now replaced with the hum of a modern assembly line. Robotic arms spin through the air, cutting and...

TOURISM LEADERS CALL FOR ACTION

Tourism and hospitality advocates know what they would like to hear from federal politicians campaigning for votes in Canada’s April 28 election. BIV spoke with many executives in those sectors and heard repeatedly that they want the federal...

ANCHOR RETAILERS LEAVE LARGE FOOTPRINTS TO FILL

Nordstrom and HBC exits from downtown Vancouver cast ‘pretty dire’ outlook for surrounding area, analyst says

TROUBLE

These corporate claims were filed with the B.C. Supreme Court registry in Vancouver. Information is derived from notices of civil claim. Civil claims have not been tested or proven in court. DEFENDANTS Masimo Canada ULC and Masimo Corp. and Keltic...

ALUMINUM STEELS ITSELF FOR TARIFFS

Starting this week, all unwrought aluminum produ c ed at t he B C Work s smelter in Kitimat and exported to the U.S.—which is to say 80 per cent—will face tariffs of between 25 per cent and 50 per cent. It’s a serious concern for a major industry in...

B.C.’S PULP AND PAPER PROBLEM

Few commodities produced in B.C. are more at risk from U.S. trade protectionism than lumber. Highly exposed to the American market, B.C. lumber producers already pay billions in anti-dumping and countervailing duties—duties that are expected to...

Indigenous beauty brand prepares to launch in U.S.

February 17-23, 2025 | Issue 1841 | $4.00

GRAHAM CLARKE IS MAKING WAVES

PROFILE | Marina owner and business magnate Graham Clarke is dealmaking and pursuing expansion at 81

AGRITECH TAKES ROOT ON B.C. FARMS

TECHNOLOGY | Local farms are not yet adopting AI, but companies in the province are leveraging artificial intelligence to automate agriculture

PROROGUED PARLIAMENT STALLS PAPER EXCELLENCE INVESTIGATION

The B.C. government has turned down a petition to investigate Canada’s largest forestry company at a time when a federal probe into the firm faces the prospect of total collapse. On December 2, 2024, the national Standing Committee on Natural...

CAN B.C. FIX ITS TIMBER TROUBLES?

An NDP government has had no small part in breaking B.C.’s forest industry, if you believe a number of industry observers and analysts. But can an NDP government now fix it? The pledge to do so came from back-to-back resource conferences last week—the...

Opinion: B.C.’s economy will face extraordinary challenges

Premier David Eby discusses his government’s 2025 priorities and threepoint Trump tariff response plan

In conversation with Mayor Ken Sim

BIV’s inaugural townhall discussion with Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, sponsored by Jacob Bros Construction and presented in partnership with REW, offered subscribers, business leaders and industry experts an opportunity to ask Mayor Sim questions about his...

B.C. ECONOMY HEADED FOR A SLOWDOWN

In , four energy mega-projects totalling $ billion to $ billion in pri- vate and public sector investment in B.C. were either completed and commissioned or substantially completed. With the wind-down of con- struction activity on the Coastal...

B.C. CHRISTMAS TREE MARKET NEEDLED BY SUPPLY SHORTAGE RESOURCES | RISING DEMAND FOR LIVE TREES, HIGH LAND COSTS AND LABOUR ISSUES HAVE LED LOCAL FARMERS TO IMPORT MORE PRODUCT, AND HAVE PUSHED PRICES HIGHER

The live Christmas tree in- dustry is experiencing a re- surgence, but B.C. farmers are finding it hard to meet rising customer demand. In the last € to ‚ years—and particularly in the last six—more B.C. consumers have looked to purchase a live...

B.C. BUSINESSES ADAPT TO NEW TECH TOOLS

TECHNOLOGY | From AI in retail, to cleantech in the resource sector, and new tools to market real estate, companies across industries continue to evolve as technology advances and consumer trends shift

VANCOUVER SEES ‘SWIFT’ ECONOMIC UPTICK

Vancouver businesses are gearing up for what some executives say resembles the business bump they received during the 2010 Winter Olympics: Pop superstar Taylor Swift is coming to town. She has a passionately loyal fan base that includes countless...

B.C.’S NEXT BIG CHALLENGES

Whoever forms British Columbia’s next government can expect to face fiscal challenges and troubling macroeconomic headwinds that have blown the provincial economy into the shoals. Whereas B.C. posted some of the strongest growth in Canada between 2010...

COSTS CRUSHING SMALL BUSINESSES

TROUBLE

These corporate claims were filed with the B.C. Supreme Court registry in Vancouver. Information is derived from notices of civil claim. Civil claims have not been tested or proven in court. DEFENDANT Imperial Fire & Safety...

B.C.’S RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA HAS STALLED

Stimulus measures have started coursing through the veins of the Chinese economy in a government attempt to revive the world’s second-largest economic force. B.C. business owners are taking notice. That’s because a healthy China benefits more than...

FIVE YEARS SINCE DRIPA

It has been nearly years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission put out its calls to action to help guide the country toward meaningful reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. One of those calls was the adoption of the United Nations...

BUSINESS PUTS REFORM ON THE B.C. BALLOT

Go back a decade and one of business leaders’ biggest asks of politicians was that governments balance their budgets. Times have changed and today, industry’s main request of candidates vying for provincial office is that they take measures to grow...

B.C.’S DIGITAL HEALTH REVOLUTION

Investment and innovation advance care

BUILDING FOR A BIGGER B.C.

BIV announces 2024 BC CEO and BC CFO Award winners

T he achievements and business leadership of five chief executive officers and two chief financial officers will be highlighted at Business in Vancouver's 2024 C-Suite Awards this October. Recipients of BIV’s BC CEO Awards and BC CFO Awards have...

CANADIAN CRUDE EXPORTS RISE

Canadians will pay dearly for the newly completed expansion to the long-delayed Trans Mountain pipeline—$31 billion to be precise. But the controversial investment isn’t without its economic benefits. While it is too early to say for certain whether...

A&W COOKS UP A NEW CORPORATE STRUCTURE

On e o f C a n a d a’s m o s t recognizable fast-food chains—and the country’s strongest brand—has a new recipe for a significant corporate restructuring. T he fast- grow ing and successful North Vancouver-based A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. plans...

WHAT A SECOND TRUMP TERM MEANS FOR OUR ECONOMY

Pol ls have shown former president Donald Trump widening his lead over President Joe Biden since the June ƒ – election debate, in which Biden’s performance was widely panned. The results suggest an increased likelihood that the Republican candidate...

B.C.’S EVOLVING EV ECONOMICS

FRESH IDEAS FOR B.C.’S ALR

Calls are growing louder for the B. C. government to change regulations to allow more food manufacturing on the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). Mayors, business owners, academics and community advocates are voices in a chorus of people who want to...