Amid a late-January cabinet shuffle in Victoria, there was another notable change afoot in Victoria: the Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology was chopping a few very key words from its name.
Instead, the ministry handling the technology portfolio would now be known as the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Competitiveness, led by the previous energy minister, Michelle Mungall.
The province was already in the process of closing its trade offices in Asia 鈥� but why scrub 鈥渢echnology鈥� from the name?
Jill Tipping, CEO of the BC Tech Association, said she doesn鈥檛 know what prompted the change.
鈥淢y understanding is that technology and innovation continue to be priority areas within that ministry, and I do think it鈥檚 great to position technology and innovation in the context of economic development,鈥� she said.
In response to a request from Business in Vancouver to interview the new minister, a government spokeswoman said it would be weeks before Mungall would be available to discuss the reasoning behind the name change or what it might signal to industry, or otherwise offer her thoughts on the province鈥檚 technology sector.
But a story from Postmedia shortly before the Jan. 22 cabinet shuffle revealed some hints as to the province鈥檚 direction and where technology lands as a priority.
In a plan distributed to top provincial bureaucrats and select stakeholders, the government outlined its desire to spread economic growth throughout more rural parts of the province.
鈥淪quamish, the Tri-Cities, Delta, Tsawwassen, Langford and others offer significant advantages for technology start-ups or satellite office locations, offering lower operating and housing costs, while providing employees the convenience of avoiding gridlock and the benefit of saving time and money while reducing their carbon footprint,鈥� Postmedia quoted from the plan.
The framework also cited Interior communities experiencing 鈥渢ransformational growth鈥� in the technology sector as workers seek out a lower cost of living while staying connected to work through high-speed internet.
Vancouver, however, remains the country鈥檚 third most desirable tech hub behind Toronto and Ottawa, according to real estate services firm CBRE Group Inc.鈥檚 November 2019 Scoring Tech Talent report.
The city has added 22,300 tech workers to the region over the past five years, a 42.6 per cent increase to a total of 74,700.
鈥淭ech in 麻豆传媒映画is booming,鈥� said Ray Walia, CEO of the Launch Academy technology incubator in Gastown. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 happening despite the government, not because of the government.鈥�
During the first month of 2020, at least three tech companies announced plans to open offices in the city鈥檚 downtown core.
Silicon Valley financial technology company Tipalti Inc. is hiring 50 workers, Mastercard Inc. is hiring close to 300 workers and Ottawa-based Shopify Inc. is hiring 1,000 workers.
A $49-million subsidy from Ottawa鈥檚 Strategic Innovation Fund helped entice Mastercard to open its new $510-million cybersecurity centre in Vancouver.
鈥淲hen you are looking at it from a global lens, international tech companies or even just an engineer sitting in Romania doesn鈥檛 know Victoria, doesn鈥檛 know the Okanagan,鈥� Walia said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we should really be focused on, is building the brand of 麻豆传媒映画as a tech epicentre.鈥�
Walia, who spent much of the last year travelling throughout Asia to tout 麻豆传媒映画as a tech hub for international players, is also lamenting the shuttering of the province鈥檚 trade offices across the continent.
The province is folding them into embassies and consulates led by the federal government, but Walia said he鈥檚 lost many of his contacts in Asia as a result.
鈥淚nternational trade takes a hit because those were the touch points, those were the connections B.C. companies had in those markets to expand and grow,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e got to build my relationships with those people all over again.鈥�
West Vancouver-Sea to Sky MLA Jordan Sturdy, the B.C. Liberals鈥� opposition critic for technology, said the recent changes are worrisome for technology and trade.
鈥淲hy did 鈥榯echnology鈥� disappear from the name of the ministry? Is it less important? Do they not really have any tangible goals and are just hoping things work out?鈥� he said.
鈥淲ords matter, right? It sends a signal.鈥�
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