News Influencing Decision Makers in BC
Beth McMahon
Beth McMahon has been appointed as the new president and CEO of the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC), effective September 16, 2024. McMahon, an award-winning association leader, offers a wealth of experience to the position. Her appointment is intended to guide HAC into a new era of growth and advocacy success.
Megan O’Flaherty, CPA, CA has been appointed as the new Chief Financial Officer at Emil Anderson Group.
Gord Johns has been officially endorsed as the NDP candidate in Courtenay-Alberni for the upcoming federal election.
Michael Heck has been promoted to the position of First Vice President and District Manager, Western Canada at Marcus & Millichap.
Aamir Bharmal
Aamir Bharmal will join WorkSafeBC as Chief Medical Officer effective November 4.
Gavin Dew has been announced as the new candidate of BC Conservatives for Kelowna-Mission.
Anna Warwick Sears, the executive director of the Okanagan Basin Water Board, has been chosen as the candidate for the Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream riding by the B.C. NDP.
Sarah Kooner, a healthcare advocate who works at the Fraser Valley Child Development Centre, has been named BC NDP candidate in Abbotsford South.
Dave Kelly has been named the new President and CEO of Richardson Wealth, succeeding Kish Kapoor, who announced his resignation later this year.
Rechelle Effendy
Rechelle Effendy, CAIA, CPA, CMA, has been appointed as BCI‘s Senior Vice President, Finance & Chief Financial Officer.
RJC Engineers (RJC), a renowned national employee-owned engineering firm, announces Damien Stoneham as new Managing Principal of the Vancouver office.
The new Univar Solutions, LLC distribution facility in Abbotsford was officially opened by the world-renowned company on behalf of its customers who rely on specialty materials and chemicals. Located next to Univar Solutions’ Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, facility, the site is advantageously situated about 2.5 miles from the US border.
Coast Ability in Sechelt, has been acquired by HME Home Health Ltd. Following the acquisition, the current HME Home Health location in Sechelt will undergo a transition and rebranding, becoming the company’s eighth location in the province.
NNPBC and the Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment (CANE) BC Chapter are thrilled to announce and show their full support for the appointment of Dr. Shannon Waters as BC’s inaugural deputy PHO of planetary and water health.
Stantec, a global leader in sustainable design and engineering, has been selected by the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP) for a new five-year master services agreements (MSA) to upgrade, expand, and modernize the electrical infrastructure in greater Los Angeles. The firm will support LADWP’s Power System Reliability Program (PSRP) projects to renew aging infrastructure and assist LADWP in driving the clean energy transition forward. Stantec will serve as one of the Owner’s Representatives (OE) for the duration of the US$104-million agreement and supply power system and resource development services.
The BC government’s $25 million Prince George & Region Prosperity Fund, which promotes social inclusion and poverty reduction, is currently accepting applications. Submissions are being accepted through September 27th.
Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment is launching the H.E.A.L. Healthcare website on August 16th at the Donald Rix Northern Health Sciences Centre (home of the Northern Medical Program) at UNBC.
Harpreet Badohal, an officer with WorkSafeBC, has been named the BC NDP candidate Kelowna-Mission.
KF Aerospace, which operates all over Canada and has been specializing in Boeing airframes for more than 35 years, was selected the 2023 Boeing Supplier of the Year for Safety and Quality.
Klaus Wilkens
Klaus Wilkens, President and CEO of Munich Reinsurance Company of Canada, has officially joined the Board of Directors of the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC).
Tourmaline Oil Corp. has just made a massive $1.3 billion ($947 million USD) deal to acquire all shares of Crew Energy Inc.
On August 11, David “Boxcar Bill” Smith, the owner and tattoo artist, launched Hammer Fight Tattoos, the province’s inaugural and sole mobile tattoo studio that has been certified and inspected. Hammer Fight Tattoos is the second of its kind in the entire country.
The research group, led by Professor Dr. Ellen Petticrew, Department of Geography, Earth, and Environmental Sciences (GEES), and Quesnel River Research Centre (QRRC) Manager Dr. Jason Raine, received $5 million from the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF), co-funded by Canada and British Columbia and administered by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The team will examine how climate change and human activities affect Quesnel Lake watershed fish habitat and ecosystems and raise Chinook salmon from northern Fraser River populations.
Atlas Engineered Products announced its financial and operational results for the second quarter of 2024. The company brought in $15.1 million in revenue, up 34 per cent from the previous year; $3.1 million in adjusted EBITDA, a 50 per cent rise over the previous year; closed a $14.6 million purchased deal private placement on June 26, 2024. At the end of the quarter, the company had a healthy cash position of $20.0 million. Strategic investments in robotics and automation have started, with funds going to sites in British Columbia, Ontario, and New Brunswick.
Jessica Berglund has been named the next chief civilian director of the Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia.
A seaweed industry pilot project of the Pacific Seaweed Industry Association, in collaboration with industry partner North Island College, has been financed by the Government of British Columbia, via the Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills.
Annette Garm
Annette Garm has been named the new Chief Executive Officer of Care BC, commencing August 12, 2024, as announced by PFM Executive Search.
Businesses are encouraged to apply for Alacrity Canada‘s Canada Digital Adoption Program, which offers $2,400 in grant money and on-the-ground assistance from a sponsored eCommerce advisor to promote online growth. The application period ends on September 30, 2024.
As part of the Clean Coast, Clean Waters initiative, the provincial government is allocating $8 million to 17 initiatives that aim to address marine debris and plastic pollution along the province’s shores.
The aging Bradley Centre, which first opened at Chilliwack General Hospital in 1973, will be replaced by a new five-story facility built by Fraser Health in 2026. The project’s estimated $274 million capital costs will be split between the province and Fraser Valley Regional Hospital District.
For the next ten years, Canada’s $10.4 billion commitment to buy up to 16 P-8A aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) will support over 3,000 employment and contribute roughly $358 million to the country’s GDP annually.
The BC Pharmacy Association‘s monthly Scope of Practice Round-up informs all B.C. pharmacists of significant scope modifications. Pharmacists can order medication management laboratory tests as referring practitioners in the Laboratory Services Regulation under the Laboratory Services Act starting Aug. 30, 2024. The shift would give pharmacists new clinical tools for medication management.
Canada has recently extended the licenses for 51 land-based aquaculture facilities in British Columbia for a nine-year term, which is the maximum allowed under the Fisheries Act. The renewals will ensure that the licenses remain valid until June 18, 2033. Major Atlantic salmon producers, including Mowi, Cermaq Canada, and Grieg Seafood BC Ltd., have obtained licenses that primarily apply to their facilities.
Alvarez & Marsal was appointed Monitor of BC Tree Fruits Cooperative et al., a cooperative that has been serving fruit cultivators in the Okanagan Valley since 1936.
The City of Kamloops and the BC Wildfire Service have teamed up with Thompson Rivers University, University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), and UBC Okanagan to create a better early warning system for extreme weather and wildfire training materials. The project will receive $292,500 in funding from Mitacs’ Accelerate program, and it will help communities across the province and beyond.
The BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund (BCMJF) contribution of up to $7 million (CAD) helped Mercer Mass Timber (MMT), a subsidiary of Mercer International, to invest in the future of their Okanagan Falls facilities, which MMT acquired one year ago. BCMJF funding will enable the procurement of new innovative manufacturing equipment and factory upgrades to modernize facilities, increase production efficiency, and manufacture more mass-timber items.
The government announced that the deadline for Securing Small Business Rebate applications for crime and vandalism incidents that happened in 2023 has been extended until January 31, 2025.
Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans Canada, and the Canadian Coast Guard, announced plans to create a Pacific salmon hatchery in Prince George, British Columbia, to conserve and regenerate Chinook and sockeye salmon. The proposed hatchery would be developed with PSSI funds and operated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in partnership with Lheidli T’enneh First Nation and Canfor Pulp Ltd. Building on federally owned land on the north bank of the Nechako River near the Fraser River is planned to begin this fall.
Public Safety Canada has allocated $3.5 million over three years to B.C. to support municipal police departments in their efforts to combat online child sexual exploitation. This funding is part of the Federal Contribution Program to Combat Serious and Organized Crime, which will be allocated towards staffing, equipment, and training to enhance investigation capabilities in partnership with the RCMP’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit.
The B.C. On-Farm Technology Adoption Program offers up to $2 million from the Canadian and British Columbia governments this year. The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership funds the program through Innovate BC‘s Integrated Marketplace effort. The $3.5 billion partnership between federal, provincial, and territorial governments aims to boost Canada’s agriculture, agrifood, and agro-based goods sector’s competitiveness, innovation, and resilience over five years. These funding applications are open until Oct. 6, 2024.
On August 13, a group of healthcare enterprises called FGC Health LP et al. were placed into receivership. These companies own and run pharmacies and healthcare facilities throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario. On request, CWB Maxium Financial—who is due more than $45 million—had this action conducted. Among other things, the companies defaulted on payments, made unauthorised payments to management and connected parties, and failed to comply with reporting, debt service coverage, and leverage ratio requirements, among other aspects of their loan arrangement with Maxium. The parties then went ahead and signed a forbearance agreement, which regrettably was also broken. The receiver has been designated as PwC. Several parties with an interest in this subject have obtained legal counsel. Maxium is represented by Fasken, while BLG has been hired by the corporations. Bennett Jones is the receiver’s attorney; other secured creditors are represented by Blue Rock Law, MLT Aikins, Miller Thomson, Morelli Chertkow, and PMR Law.
Send your business announcements, news, celebrations or new hires HERE
