Blog

A natural evolution of his work of nearly five years as Vancouver’s first film commissioner, David Shepheard’s new role will see him continue to facilitate investment into the region while overseeing state-of-the-art infrastructure and enabling the development of Canadian content and IP.

Canadians love wood – and that’s especially true for those here in Vancouver. Mass timber, arguably the darling of government and many designers these days, is often thought of as a single material or product. However, this overlooks the larger world of prefabricated and modular approaches proliferating across the construction industry...

More than half of Earth’s oxygen is produced in the ocean; carbon dioxide is absorbed here as well, wherever air meets water. Three billion people rely on the ocean for their livelihoods, with ocean-based industries like tourism and fisheries key sources of income. Meet a few BC-based companies working to restore and steward the health of our planet's lifeblood.

In this guest article written by Jeanette Jackson, CEO of Foresight, talks about why it’s time to move beyond “business as usual” to address urgent climate challenges. Instead, Jeanette argues the best ways to accelerate innovation is through challenge programs that match needs with solutions.

We caught up with Ian McAvoy, co-founder and CEO, to learn what attracted Volterra Technologies to Project Greenlight.

This technical paper reviews best practices of Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) programs throughout the US and how they are being leveraged to address resilience challenges in the built environment.

The VEC is seeking a multi-disciplinary consulting team to undertake research, consultation, and strategy development to create a process for attracting more high-performance heat pump manufacturers to do business in British Columbia.

Climate policy – specifically policies focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in buildings – are driving some of the largest changes in the construction industry today. Speakers from Bold Construction and Ledcor join City of Vancouver and BC Building Standards and Safety Branch representatives to discuss major regulatory moves coming from local governments in Metro Vancouver in the next few years, while industry leaders will discuss successes and lessons learned in developing high-performance buildings.

VSW's 90+ excellent conference and community events kick off today. We’ve taken the opportunity of highlighting a handful of sessions that could provide a well-rounded experience of what the coming week offers across key pillars for building and thriving in our innovation economy.

Presented by the Vancouver Economic Commission (VEC), Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA), and the Zero Emissions Building Exchange (ZEBx), this series guides attendees through best practices, new building policies and business growth opportunities to help construction businesses hone and maintain their competitive edges in a transforming industry.

In this edition of What We're Reading, we examine three recent research reports that provide a clear picture of current and ongoing issues, and potential solutions, to the difficulties facing small business in Metro Vancouver

We caught up with Mark Warren, director of business innovation at FortisBC, to learn more about the organization’s involvement with Project Greenlight.

Yesterday, the British High Commission and Canada Climate Law Initiative recognized VEC Director Bryan Buggey as one of 26 Canadian Climate Champions working towards building a net-zero future.

In recent years, Vancouver construction businesses have shown incredible leadership and innovation, particularly as we move towards net-zero emissions and the more widespread use of mass timber, but threats and challenges – such as an ageing workforce – remain.

Only eight months ago, Netflix took a long-term lease on a studio facility in the Vancouver region – its second dedicated studio space in BC – significantly increasing its investment into the province. Netflix also continues to demonstrate its support of BC-owned IP through its multi-year anchor sponsorship of the Pacific Screenwriting Program.

While the task of reversing climate change seems monumental, change is already happening at the city level.

The VEC in partnership with City of Vancouver is seeking a multi-disciplinary consulting team to conduct a circular economic study of the food sector in the greater Vancouver region.