Hundreds of feature films and TV series including blockbusters such as Deadpool, Planet of the Apes, Twilight and Mission Impossible 4 and top rated TV series such as Arrow, Riverdale, The Flash and Once Upon a Time have been filmed in British Columbia. Production companies enjoy access to a diverse range of filming locations, support from a highly skilled workforce, and one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the G7. These business advantages have helped British Columbia establish a global reputation as one of North America’s top full service production centres.  A new deal between Canada and streaming giant Netflix... continue reading

British Columbia is globally recognized for high-quality food products and safety standards, and has rich production potential. Fertile growing conditions and a diverse geography and climate support a variety of commodities, from seafood and livestock products to soft fruits and flowers. For these reasons the province has developed a strong reputation for delicious fruits, seafood and wines, but lesser known products are gaining traction through gastro-tourism and food festivals. Food festivals are a great way to explore the diversity and creativity of local cuisine. The BC Seafood Festival features a huge range of tasting stati... continue reading

British Columbia is a leading research and development hub at the forefront of green innovation and is ranked among the top ten in the world. The clean technology sector, including power generation, energy efficiency, transportation and industrial processes that create green benefits, has been growing steadily and is considered to be worth $3 trillion per year globally. The City of Surrey has recently taken significant strides towards clean technology and sustainable waste solutions. The Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators has recently awarded Surrey’s Biofuel Facility a national innovation award, recognizing t... continue reading

British Columbia’s artificial intelligence (AI) industry has applications in the sectors of ICT and wireless, film and digital effects, and data analysis. While some B.C. companies focus on developing these applications, others are addressing ethical concerns of implementing the new technology, or tracking the pros and cons of AI. Vancouver’s burgeoning AI industry has attracted a lot of female engineers and company leaders. The city’s chapter of Women Who Code, a global non-profit organization supporting women in technology, has over 1,600 members. Vancouver AI companies include Sanctuary AI, a recent spinoff ... continue reading

The demand for clean energy and technology is booming, and British Columbian entrepreneurs are rising to the occasion. Solar and wind power, electric vehicles and digital devices are all gaining popularity as consumers – and investors – seek to support eco-friendly products. One outcome of green consumerism is an increase in mining activity. Electric and hybrid cars require up to four times more copper than conventional vehicles, and B.C. is the largest copper producer in the country. Alternative energy sources like wind and solar rely heavily on batteries, and have driven the demand for lithium up by 10% each year s... continue reading

British Columbia’s Okanagan region is best known for delicious fruit, world-class wines and eco-adventure tourism. Those qualities are now contributing to employee attraction and retention for tech industry giants like Disney Interactive and numerous startups. People from across the province have been flocking to the area for affordable infrastructure, attractive quality of life and now, for opportunities in the tech sector. Kelowna in particular is rapidly becoming a high-tech hub. From local startups to new offices of established companies, the Okanagan Lake city is growing a significant tech community. Since 2016, the t... continue reading

British Columbia has a robust Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry with over 2,650 companies and more than 20,500 jobs spanning the fields of software as a service (SaaS) and enterprise-level solutions, the internet of things (IoT) and mobile technologies, cloud computing, big data and machine learning, e-commerce, and fintech and security clusters.  British Columbia is also home to Innovate BC (BCIC), a Crown agency of the Province, which encourages the development and application of technologies to meet the needs of local industry. It collaborates with business accelerators and partners across Bri... continue reading

Who would have thought that augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) would one day be the future of the mining industry? It is true and what is happening is fascinating. VR is the future of the mining industry, where users wearing VR headsets can get an accurate representation of an area’s geography. This enables them to navigate future facilities and infrastructure and view things that they would not be able to see in person. B.C.’s Llamazoo Interactive can build mines digitally before ground is ever broken. This Victoria- based company can take data from mining companies and visualize it in 3D; this is just ... continue reading

Music is central to British Columbians as shown through our 285 music companies, 160 recording studios and 200+ music festivals.  Notable B.C.-born music-talents include internationally renowned artists such as Michael Bublé, Sarah McLachlan, Nelly Furtado and Bryan Adams. In March, Michael Bublé hosted the 2018 Juno Awards in Vancouver, B.C., which was the fourth time Vancouver has been chosen as the host city. As the third largest music production centre in Canada, B.C. was an ideal province for hosting. Among the B.C. Juno Award winners were Lights, Grimes, Jocelyn Morlock, the Anciients and Diana Krall. The awards showc... continue reading

The world is looking for clean and renewable energy sources, and British Columbia is answering the call. Hydroelectricity, the mainstay of power for the province, is among the cleanest, safest and most reliable energy sources. The extensive B.C. coast is home to wave energy research, and solar, wind and biomass options are being adopted across the province. With growing demand for clean energy and an impressive local history of hydrogen technology development and commercialization, British Columbia is a leader in the global hydrogen fuel cell industry. Hydrogen can store energy and produces no carbon emissions during use. As glob... continue reading