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Vancouver also has a thriving movie industry. Third largest film city in North America after LA and NYC. Vancouver is the place to be for animation, CGI, etc....
We are talking about high tech here. Filming is nowhere near high tech as far as I know.
And the animation, CGI companies, are they Vancouver based ones, or just a branch of an American parent? Silicon Valley doesn't exactly just have a branch or an office of 30 people of Google and Facebook.
Vancouver also has a thriving movie industry. Third largest film city in North America after LA and NYC. Vancouver is the place to be for animation, CGI, etc....
Learn something today:
British Columbia held the ranking of third largest production centre for film and television in North America for years, after Los Angeles and New York City,[53] with over 246 motion picture projects and $1.02 billion on production spending in 2010.[41][54] However, declining domestic production in the province through 2011 and less competitive tax rates left BC ranked fourth in overall production after Ontario for the first time since 2004 although it still leads in foreign production.[30][41][53][55]
North Shore Studios - formally Lionsgate Studios - and Vancouver Film Studios are among the two largest special effects stages in Canada.[9][56] VFS being one of the largest production facility outside of Los Angeles;[57] Bridge Studios, in Burnaby, British Columbia, has one of the largest special effects stages in North America.[56] Mammoth Studios, a subsidiary of North Shore studios holds the largest film stages in the world,[citation needed] their largest at 123,883 sq ft (11,509.1 m2).[58]
Vancouver movie industry is mainly B-movies where Vancouver act as an American city...again..lower cost consideration not exactly quality production.....and the industry itself got seriously whacked recently....Natnasci says is recovering....maybe, not heard of anything other than quite few people got relocated or lost their job when production companies moved out.
To be honest, I really do wish that Vancouver could gradually develop a more concentrated tech/startup ecosystem like Austin TX or Cambridge MA. At the very least, Vancouver already has the basic hardware infrastructure - great infrastructure, efficient and fairly capable municipal government that is business friendly, great city planning and public transit, decent unis (though still far behind 1st tier schools on east and west coasts or even UofT/Waterloo in Ontario), and nice proximity to major U.S. business hubs on the west coast. Plus the fact that it has fairly robust international reputation as a place with high living standards. Those are all great assets that Vancouver should capitalize on, that many cities around the world would kill to have.
Sadly, I think Vancouver is still being actively marketed as a little "Hong Kong" and real estate bubble for wealthy foreign investors, along with some mining businesses on the side, as well as a destination for some retirees from other parts of Canada. Sigh...
To be honest, I really do wish that Vancouver could gradually develop a more concentrated tech/startup ecosystem like Austin TX or Cambridge MA. At the very least, Vancouver already has the basic hardware infrastructure - great infrastructure, efficient and fairly capable municipal government that is business friendly, great city planning and public transit, decent unis (though still far behind 1st tier schools on east and west coasts or even UofT/Waterloo in Ontario), and nice proximity to major U.S. business hubs on the west coast. Plus the fact that it has fairly robust international reputation as a place with high living standards. Those are all great assets that Vancouver should capitalize on, that many cities around the world would kill to have.
Sadly, I think Vancouver is still being actively marketed as a little "Hong Kong" and real estate bubble for wealthy foreign investors, along with some mining businesses on the side, as well as a destination for some retirees from other parts of Canada. Sigh...
Ottawa and Kitchener/Waterloo are both competing for the tech hub title as well. Ontario is even planning a high speed train linking London and Toronto with stop in KW, which will make the area within half an hour from downtown Toronto.
I am more optimistic about KW than about Vancouver, which is a bit too isolated. Remember, technology needs all the finance, legal sector nearby as well and Vancouver simply doesn't have that (at least not enough).
To be honest, I really do wish that Vancouver could gradually develop a more concentrated tech/startup ecosystem like Austin TX or Cambridge MA. At the very least, Vancouver already has the basic hardware infrastructure - great infrastructure, efficient and fairly capable municipal government that is business friendly, great city planning and public transit, decent unis (though still far behind 1st tier schools on east and west coasts or even UofT/Waterloo in Ontario), and nice proximity to major U.S. business hubs on the west coast. Plus the fact that it has fairly robust international reputation as a place with high living standards. Those are all great assets that Vancouver should capitalize on, that many cities around the world would kill to have.
Sadly, I think Vancouver is still being actively marketed as a little "Hong Kong" and real estate bubble for wealthy foreign investors, along with some mining businesses on the side, as well as a destination for some retirees from other parts of Canada. Sigh...
I would not put the words "great infrastructure" and "business friendly" together with Vancouver....there is a very good reason why people do not invest money in Vancouver other than buying and building real estate and natural resource play....you do not want to repeat here what some big business people think about business in Vancouver....
I would not put the words "great infrastructure" and "business friendly" together with Vancouver....there is a very good reason why people do not invest money in Vancouver other than buying and building real estate and natural resource play....you do not want to repeat here what some big business people think about business in Vancouver....
Dude I thought you decided to ditch Vancouver and move to America recently, judging by your past posts. Why are you still complaining about Vancouver? Unlike you, I actually do have family (mom) who started and now heads an institutional investment management firm in Vancouver, and who is more than well-versed with the local municipal laws regarding new businesses.
Ottawa and Kitchener/Waterloo are both competing for the tech hub title as well. Ontario is even planning a high speed train linking London and Toronto with stop in KW, which will make the area within half an hour from downtown Toronto.
I am more optimistic about KW than about Vancouver, which is a bit too isolated. Remember, technology needs all the finance, legal sector nearby as well and Vancouver simply doesn't have that (at least not enough).
Do you have more info on the high speed link? I have heard of rumors but have found little information, not to mention when it will actually be built (not holding my breath... give it 30+ years).
Dude I thought you decided to ditch Vancouver and move to America recently, judging by your past posts. Why are you still complaining about Vancouver? Unlike you, I actually do have family (mom) who started and now heads an institutional investment management firm in Vancouver, and who is more than well-versed with the local municipal laws regarding new businesses.
I'm not complanining...I'm stating how the things are...and I do still have occasional business ties with Van.
About knowing big business people in Van I have that in spades, people in the construction business (one of the largest firm), import export and, through my wife, financial management.
My brother in law is business development manager for the US and international markets for one of the largest private companies based in Vancouver...so I got my bases covered about business reality knowledge in Vancouver, thank you
Do you have more info on the high speed link? I have heard of rumors but have found little information, not to mention when it will actually be built (not holding my breath... give it 30+ years).
I don't hold breath either.
It is Canada, where building a 19km subway requires 10-12 years (Eglinton Crosstown) construction only, and extending 6 subway stops takes 6 years (Spadina line extension). The 80 meter long tunnel at YTZ is taking more than 2 years to build.
Just watched "interstellar" yesterday, and Canada moves slower in a different planet.
I don't think this will ever happen. But politicians will say anything to get elected, especially the liberals.
I can imagine the 200 km Toronto-London high speed link if built will be more expensive than 1300km Shanghai-Beijing high speed train, and will definitely take 3 times longer as well. (it took the Chinese 3 years to complete that)
To be honest, I really do wish that Vancouver could gradually develop a more concentrated tech/startup ecosystem like Austin TX or Cambridge MA. At the very least, Vancouver already has the basic hardware infrastructure - great infrastructure, efficient and fairly capable municipal government that is business friendly, great city planning and public transit, decent unis (though still far behind 1st tier schools on east and west coasts or even UofT/Waterloo in Ontario), and nice proximity to major U.S. business hubs on the west coast. Plus the fact that it has fairly robust international reputation as a place with high living standards. Those are all great assets that Vancouver should capitalize on, that many cities around the world would kill to have.
Sadly, I think Vancouver is still being actively marketed as a little "Hong Kong" and real estate bubble for wealthy foreign investors, along with some mining businesses on the side, as well as a destination for some retirees from other parts of Canada. Sigh...
I would argue that Vancouver proper is anything but business friendly under the current political environment. "Greater Vancouver" has more diversity in thinking around the importance of business. Mind you we're weeks from a new municipal election so things could change.
As for retirees, I haven't heard of an influx of retirees to Vancouver - is there data on this? In my experience Victoria, the Fraser Valley and the Okanagan are more likely to be retirement destinations in BC.
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