Vancouver drivers to capitalize by renting vehicles during World Cup Peer-to-peer rental site Turo projects drivers in June and July in Vancouver will reap at least $600,000 from renting their personal vehicles

Vancouverites are increasingly renting out their vehicles via peer-to-peer networks.
I looked into this phenomenon in the lead-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, when one platform told me it expects Vancouver vehicle owners to reap about $600,000.
#technology

PST expansion set to hurt B.C. businesses Professional services such as accounting, security to be taxable in the province starting in October

Most B.C. businesses to feel effects of the province’s planned PST expansion to professional services, including accounting and security.
#BCpoli #BCecon

www.biv.com/news/pst-exp...

Clint Mahlman retires; London Drugs appoints Nick Curalli president Curalli had been vice-president of technology solutions and has been with company more than 30 years

End of an era at London Drugs with president and COO Clint Mahlman readying to retire in May.
Nick Curalli will have big shoes to fill.
Thanks Clint for the many interviews through the years.
All the best in retirement!
#retail #retirement

SFU partners with Queen's University, seeks $900M from feds for supercomputers SFU targets building new supercomputer to be among top 25 in the world

SFU and Queen's University plan to bid for what could be $900M to build out supercomputing infrastructure.
It's about time the feds allocate all of the $2.4 billion for AI capacity that former PM Justin Trudeau promised almost two years ago.
#BCtech

Big grocers' sales flatline in Metro Vancouver as local upstarts flourish Grocers in Coquitlam, Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey and Vancouver bet on growth, aiming to compete with industry giants

Plenty of new grocery stores set to open in Metro Vancouver.
The 10-store Sungiven Foods Canada having the most ambitious target: 15 more Metro Vancouver stores by 2029. That includes "at least" two more this year.
Check out my look at that and others:
#grocery #retail #BCecon

B.C. agtech venture Miraterra closes $16M funding round Company say it empowers farmers, food producers, and industries to make smarter, more efficient and sustainable decisions

Good news for Vancouver ag-tech Miraterra, which today said it closed a $16M financing round to scale work analyzing soil to empower farmers to make better decisions.
#BCtech #agriculture

B.C. grocery prices to surge as Iran war drives up energy costs Fruit growers and importers have already noticed trucking rates have risen 35 per cent since the start of the war

B.C. grocery prices to surge as Iran war drives up energy costs
#food #inflation #oil #grocery

Revenue down, hopes up for Vancouver restaurants and bars as World Cup nears Pedestrians in Vancouver for the FIFA World Cup will flow east from BC Place but optimism among restaurant and bar owners is high across the city

Vancouver's hospitality sector is excited about the World Cup but some win or lose based on how fans must exit BC Place to the east.
#FIFAWorldCup #hospitality
www.biv.com/small-busine...

In news that might have been expected, Moody's downgrades B.C.'s credit rating.
#BCecon
www.biv.com/news/economy...

YVR voted best airport in North America for record 15th time Skytrax voters rank Vancouver International Airport as the 10th best in the world, up three spots from last year

Great news for Vancouver International Airport as it was voted by millions of passengers as being among the top 10 airports in the world.
It also ranks as the best airport in North America.
#Aviation #travel #tourism
www.biv.com/news/transpo...

One year in: B.C.'s U.S. alcohol ban hurts wine festival, import agents The prohibition has rankled U.S. officials, reduced consumer choice and caused havoc for some in local alcohol-related industries

B.C.'s year-old ban on U.S. alcohol imports not only rankles U.S. officials and reduces consumer choice, which is the intent of the policy.
It also hurts some Canadian small businesses and the Vancouver International Wine Festival.
#VIWF #retail #BCpoli #cdnpoli

FIFA shuffle: Vancouver event planners pivot as World Cup nears BC Place launches new convention space, punts out some shows during upgrades

The #FIFAWorldCup is forcing some events out of Vancouver venues, as event organizers stay nimble with strategies to overcome challenges.
This is taking place as festival organizers say corporate support has dropped off, requiring them to operate more frugally.

Westshore Terminals sues over alleged $6.2M scam tied to Roberts Bank project B.C. coal-port operator alleges defendants hacked emails to impersonate contractor, divert funds for potash facility in Delta

Here's how scammers allegedly diverted more than $6.2 million from Westshore Terminals.
#fraud #lawsuits

B.C. funding shift could leave 90K patients without family clinics The B.C. government proposed a plan to end a population-based funding compensation model that has existed since 1999

B.C. government's planned changes to how doctors are paid riles some doctors.
Some say their clinics may have to close.
#healthcare #BCpoli
www.biv.com/news/economy...

B.C. firms race to stake claim in quantum computing’s next frontier Several B.C. companies are investing in this next-generation technology with more capacity than traditional computers

Check out my look into the brave new world of quantum computing, and the changes it is set to bring.
Some B.C. companies are at the forefront of this evolving tech sector.
#quantum #technology #BCtech

B.C. retailers aim to bolster e-commerce as national data shows decline Vancouver’s Aritzia and Kits Eyecare post double-digit growth despite national slowdown

Surprising StatsCan data show Canadian e-commerce sales FELL in late 2025.
Overall retail sales rose.
I look into why and into which B.C. companies are bucking the trend.
#retail #ecommerce #AI #technology

Granville Street to get pedestrian zone, new patios during World Cup A five-block section of Granville Street will be closed to all vehicle traffic for 39 days of the tournament

Granville Street to close to vehicle traffic, get sidewalk patios on five blocks downtown during for a 39-day stint for the FIFA World Cup.
#FIFA #FIFA2026 #WorldCup

The U.S. remains the top destination country for Canadians but that is because it is so close.
It’s interesting that the y/y trip reductions continue from a smaller base, and this comes when the y/y exchange rate is better for Canadians.

B.C. travel across U.S. border declines for 13th straight month Decline comes despite the Canadian dollar rebounding from low levels in 2025

For 13 months in a row we have had declining B.C. road travel into the U.S.
Data show B.C.-plated passenger vehicles in February made 16.6 per cent fewer trips across the four main border crossings near Vancouver, compared with February 2025.
#travel #tourism

B.C. wineries press premiers to allow direct wine sales across the country Premiers last year signed an MOU agreeing to work toward an interprovincial free trade agreement by May

Canada's premiers signed an MOU last year to work toward allowing Canadian wineries to sell direct to consumers countrywide.
The push is on to keep them to that pledge.
#BCwine #CdnPoli #BuyCanadian
www.biv.com/biv-rss-news...

B.C. policy change on billing could limit health-care access Government plans to enforce a rule requiring doctors to not spend more than 30 per cent of their time on patients without official family doctors

A B.C. government policy change is set to impact how family doctors can bill for services.
This means they will not be able to treat as many people who do not have designated family doctors. Those people may find it harder to get treatment.
#BCpoli #healthcare
www.biv.com/news/economy...

Raven Indigenous fund closes at $32M, eyes first B.C. investments Fund invests in projects that help the environment or Indigenous people

Fund that invests in Indigenous projects has closed a capital round and is eyeing B.C. investments
#capital #Indigenous

Transit rider sues TransLink for ticketing outside fare-paid zones Lawsuit allegations also include transit officers elbowing, shoving and unlawfully detaining passengers

A transit rider is suing TransLink for allegedly issuing fare-evasion tickets outside fare-paid zones and allegedly having its officers shove, elbow and detain passengers.
Also alleges they target "newcomers" and those who do not speak English well.
TransLink: they "follow established procedures."

Vancouver's Nettwerk Music Group nets $300M and management buyout CEO Terry McBride leads management team, while Create Music provides $300M and largest shareholder Beedie Capital retains some shares

Vancouver's Nettwerk Music Group nabs $300M investment from Create Music Group, and separately gets management buyout.
Management to have 80% stake. Some investors exit.
Ryan Beedie / Beedie Capital had been the largest shareholder. He said his company will remain a "significant shareholder."
#music

Real estate projects boost downtown Vancouver's business climate Real estate developers are planning projects to revitalize parts of downtown Vancouver including bail reform, public-safety projects, funding for social housing, police and mental-health support

Big night for public hearings on major real estate projects in downtown Vancouver.
One has passed. On to the other.
I look into those projects and other solutions to revitalize the area.
#yvrre #retail #hospitality #BCpoli

www.biv.com/news/real-es...

New Flair Airlines CEO to be based in Toronto, not Vancouver Len Corrado had retired from Sunwing Airlines last year after a seven-year stint that included almost three years as president

Flair Airlines' CEO is no longer based in Vancouver.
Maciej Wilk has left, with Toronto-based Len Corrado today taking over.
Airline said the transition was "planned," but Wilk had been elevated to permanent CEO from interim CEO last summer.
#aviation

'Millions' in missing tips: B.C. restaurants sound alarm Fintech payment system allegedly removed money from digital wallets in unauthorized way, business owners say

Hearing from restaurant owners that they are missing money put into a fintech to facilitate transferring tips to workers.
I'm thinking that this glitch that has gone on for more than a week better be corrected quickly.
#hospitality #restaurants
www.biv.com/news/hospita...

Thanks for reading, Jennifer!

B.C. hospitality industry sees growth split along K-shaped lines Customers in B.C. increasingly want either premium experiences or discounts, according to operators

Here's how restaurants, hotels and airlines are making business decisions thanks to the K-shaped economy, where rich spend lavishly and others become more frugal.
#Kshaped #hospitality #BCecon

B.C. travel across U.S. border plunges for 12th straight month Traffic going through U.S. border crossings near Vancouver drops 32% in January

British Columbians in January continued to travel less to the U.S.
B.C.-plated vehicles travelled south at the four main border crossings near Vancouver 31.8 per cent less in January than in January 2025 - the 12th straight month of declines.
#tourism