Published Articles
Why we are Canada's Best Place to Live (in Outlook 2010 in the Times Colonist)
October 17, 2009
If you have been a casual observer of global markets over the past year you would not be alone in viewing the world’s economy as more of a roller coaster than an economic and financial system. While Greater Victoria and BC are better positioned to weather the difficulties of today's changing economy than other parts of the world, we have not been immune from the impact of these demanding times.
So what has saved us from the far worse fate that other jurisdictions have experienced?
In a word, diversification. By not having “all our eggs in one basket” and being home to industries that compliment and balance each other, Greater Victoria enjoys a more stable and predictable economic environment that almost any other jurisdiction in North America. This has been recognized by a number of outside sources. The region was named the best place to live by Moneysense magazine, and more recently named the #1 “Micro City of the Future” in Canada (#3 in North America) by the Financial Times of London, and the top “Next Gen” region in Canada for young professionals.
Far from being the home of “newlyweds and nearly deads”, the region boasts economic numbers that beat many of the “western tiger” jurisdictions such as Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. The region’s technology sector weighs in at over $1.7 billion dollars annually and employs over 12,000 people, while our hallmark industry, tourism, comes in at over $1 billion and brings over 3 million visitors to the region each year. Major economic drivers in their own right, our region’s academic institutions bring over 40,000 bright minds to the region, helping drive research and innovation and contributing to our region’s dynamic workforce where fully 68% of people have a post secondary education. All of these resources will be needed to support the region’s growing ocean and marine sector, which is estimated to contribute over $1 billion per year for the next decade.
This and more is possible, but wishing won’t make it so. In order to maintain our region as a world class destination for investment, household sustaining jobs and to take advantage of new opportunities, we must continue building on our strengths. It is through continual attention to opportunities and growing our markets that our outlook for 2010 and beyond remains bright.
Sasha Angus, Economic Development Officer with the Greater Victoria Development Agency
Articles - 2010
Borrowing for the Bridge Our Best Option (in September Business Examiner) (August 30, 2010)
ADS is Positive for BC Tourism (in Business Vancouver Island) (August 11, 2010)
Regional Issues Require Regional Decision Making (in Business Examiner) (July 28, 2010)
Task Force Only a First Step (in Business Vancouver Island) (July 07, 2010)
Paying for the Bridge (in Business Examiner) (June 30, 2010)
Shoulder to Shoulder with Tourism (in Business Vancouver Island) (June 17, 2010)
What is the Cost of Not Building the Marina? (in Business Examiner) (June 01, 2010)
Business Vote is Complicated (in Business Vancouver Island) (May 17, 2010)
Keep an Eye on Tax Spending (in Business Vancouver Island) (April 08, 2010)
Calling for Police Amalgamation (in Business Examiner) (March 24, 2010)
Health, Police Connected (in Business Vancouver Island) (March 11, 2010)
Tourism Benefits of the Games Needing Our Support (in Business Examiner) (March 01, 2010)
Listen to the Tax Canary (in Business Vancovuer Island) (February 15, 2010)
Education and Sewage (in Times Colonist and Blackpress, Letters) (January 29, 2010)
Bay Street Bridge Closure a Wake Up Call (in Business Examiner) (January 27, 2010)
Improving Province's Productivity (in Business Vancouver Island) (January 15, 2010)
Stable Funding for Tourism an Urgent Need (in Business Examiner) (January 04, 2010)
Articles - 2009 
Municipalities Need to Tighten their Belts (December 10, 2009)
What About the Displaced Traffic? (in Business Examiner) (November 27, 2009)
The Local TV/Cable Battle (in Business Vancouver Island) (November 12, 2009)
Budgetary Mitigation Efforts for HST (in Business Examiner) (October 26, 2009)
Why we are Canada's Best Place to Live (in Outlook 2010 in the Times Colonist) (October 17, 2009)
Carving a Place on the Canadian Stage (in Business Vancouver Island) (October 07, 2009)
Budget Deficits and Health of the Community (in Business Examiner) (September 30, 2009)
Keeping the Lens on Crime and Public Safety (in Business Vancouver Island) (September 18, 2009)
HST from Three Perspectives (in Business Examiner) (August 28, 2009)
The Ups and Downs of Tourism (in Business Vancouver Island) (August 10, 2009)
Bar Watch Program Shows Results (August 06, 2009)
Experience Vancouver Island (in Business Vancouver Island) (July 08, 2009)
Dealing with Downtown Drunkeness (in Business Examiner) (July 06, 2009)
TV Playing Field Must be Even too (in Business Vancouver Island) (June 15, 2009)
Get Prolific Offenders Off the Street (in Business Examiner) (June 04, 2009)
Mico-firms in Need of Capital Too (in Business Vancouver Island) (May 11, 2009)
Small Business Realities on Raising Minimum Wage (in Business Examiner) (May 04, 2009)
Letter to the Editor - Johnson St. Bridge (April 22, 2009)
Changes Needed for Film Biz (in Business Vancouver Island) (April 08, 2009)
Keeping Tax Increases Sustainable (in Business Examiner) (April 06, 2009)
Keeping Cities Affordable (in Business Vancouver Island) (March 13, 2009)
Preserving Heritage at What Cost? (in Business Examiner) (March 02, 2009)
Deficit Budgets - Good? (in Business Vancouver Island) (February 11, 2009)
Getting Organized for Budget Investments (in Business Examiner) (January 19, 2009)
The 2009 Budget Slalom (in Business Vancouver Island) (January 11, 2009)
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