News Influencing Decision Makers in BC
Katherine Carlson
Katherine Carlson has stepped into the role of executive officer for the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of Northern BC, succeeding Terri McConnachie. Previously, she served as the executive director of the Central BC Railway & Forestry Museum.
Jesse Unke has joined MNP as a Partner on the BC Advisory team.
Steven Lowry has been appointed as the new CEO of Broadsight, a communications software startup headquartered in Vancouver.
Alison Nankivell was named CEO and president of Export Development Canada, ending her leadership of the MaRS Discovery District.
Laura-Lee Lofgren, General Manager of Harrison Beach Hotel, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the British Columbia Hotel Association.
Carole Taylor, a veteran journalist and politician, will discuss the advantages and obstacles of establishing a province-wide continuum of care alongside three top addiction experts at the Save Our Streets Communities Driving Change Forum on January 23. Dr. Pouya Azar, Head of Complex Pain Coastal Health Service at Vancouver Coastal Health, will join Taylor on the panel discussing a continuum of care for addictions and mental illnesses. Also participating are Dr. Nickie Mathew, an addiction and forensic psychiatrist, and Marshall Smith, Vice President of Rubicon Strategy and former Chief of Staff to the Premier of Alberta.
Adam Charania
Adam Charania was officially named the University of British Columbia’s Vice President of Human Resources on December 6, 2024.
The Athens Creek Retirement Lodge in Penticton has been acquired by PARC Retirement Living, a BC-based organization.
MNP has announced a partnership with Surrey-based Nurmohamed & Associates Inc., set to take effect on February 1, 2025.
Aspect Biosystems, a Vancouver-based company, has secured $165 million CAD Series B round to advance its objectives of introducing 3D-printed tissue therapies into clinical practice.
The four-year agreement, which includes increased pay and better benefits as well as employment protections for members working in CN terminals and headquarters across Canada, was approved by UNIFOR‘s three-thousand members at Canadian National.
A 30-year power purchase deal has been inked between BC Hydro, the Stellat’en First Nation, and Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. for the purchase of electricity from the Nithi Mountain wind farm.
Bench Accounting, a bookkeeping firm based in Vancouver, has announced its unexpected closure, which could lead to the layoff of hundreds of employees.
Jennifer Glougie
Jennifer Glougie was reappointed as head of the BC Labour Relations Board and the Employment Standards Tribunal by Attorney General Niki Sharma after a recruitment process based on merit.
A new partnership has been formed by Curve Hospitality with the Jubilee Hospitality Association Canada (JHAC). The partnership will centre on interior design and furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) procurement services. Case goods, seating, lighting, and all FF&E will be provided by Curve Hospitality Canada exclusively to JHAC hoteliers across Canada.
Canada Line’s Capstan Station, which provides SkyTrain service to the expanding Capstan Village neighbourhood, opened on December 20 in collaboration with the City of Richmond.
Charitable contributions made in 2024 will now be eligible for a tax deduction until February 28, 2025, according to an announcement by the Canadian government. Many national and local charities have reported a substantial decline in donations during the four-week long Canada Post strike, prompting this decision.
The BC Hydro Peace Agriculture Compensation Fund is now accepting applications for its first intake of 2025.
HCMA, a Canadian studio, has finished the təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre in New Westminster. This facility is notable for being the first zero-carbon certified building in Canada.
British Columbia Hotel Association welcomes its newest allied members, Centura Tile, Contract Furniture Solutions, Best Buy Business, Vancouver Community College (VCC), Luxinn Supply Corp., TM Distribution, MSI Surfaces, and VVS Global.
The ULI BC‘s annual Emerging Trends in Real Estate is scheduled on January 22nd at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, with presenting sponsor, ITC Construction Group.
According to Insolvency Insider, Iplayco Corporation Ltd., Iplayco Canada Inc., and International Play Company Inc., British Columbia-based companies in the business of designing, producing and selling indoor play areas and amusement facilities, filed an NOI on December 9 listing approximately $26.1 million in liabilities. Iplayco’s revenue had been trending steadily upward since its inception in 1999, reaching a peak in 2019 of over $17 million. In 2020, the company put in place a plan to downsize its facilities in Canada and Europe and to transition additional manufacturing and distribution to the Philippines, taking advantage of major labour and overhead savings. However, this transition plan had associated costs in the millions of dollars. In addition, new sales dried up for the first three quarters of 2020 as a result of Covid anxieties from Iplayco’s client base, and much of the company’s cash reserves were consumed to complete existing orders. The pandemic created a significant drop in requests for the company’s products until 2022, when interest from clients increased. Unfortunately, during this time, Iplayco began to experience dramatic increases in materials and shipping costs and interest rates, resulting in some projects being put on hold and turnaround timelines increasing to over one year in some cases. In late November 2024, RBC, the company’s secured creditor, issued a demand for the over $6 million owing to it, necessitating the filing of the NOI. Crowe MacKay is the proposal trustee. Counsel is Owen Bird for Iplayco.
Farmers are invited to apply for financial support via the Buy BC Partnership program. This initiative aims to assist producers, processors, and associations in enhancing food security and boosting sales, with a total funding pool of $2 million available.
Geotechnical investigations are being carried out by the Fraser River Tunnel Project (FRTP) crew along and around the river, as well as along Highway 99 in Delta and Richmond, and close to the new tunnel’s entrances. This $4.15 billion tunnel replacement project will use the findings to guide decisions about the new highway and tunnel’s final design, building techniques, estimated time and space needs, and more.
Shopify has paid $375,000 USD ($536,000 CAD) to Toronto-based Emerge Commerce for the domains shop.ca and shop.us. Now, the domains will reroute to Shopify’s massive online store, similar to Amazon.
Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies (COAST) in Victoria, Founders Factory, and Blue Action have launched Blue Action Canada, a Canadian chapter of the oceantech-focused Blue Action Accelerator. Eight British Columbia blue economy startups in offshore energy, ocean monitoring and data collecting, aquaculture, and coastal resilience will be supported by the accelerator’s pilot cohort.
Porter Airlines Inc. this week announced daily service between Kelowna and Toronto beginning June 23, 2025.
HerStory Initiative Society is now a registered nonprofit in British Columbia.
ULI British Columbia is pleased to announce the new and returning members who joined in December: EKISTICS, Concert Properties, Brook Development Management, MLA Canada, Edge Consultants, Dentons, Mountain Valley Express (MVX), ZGF Architects, Entre Nous Femmes Housing Society, HighView Partners, Zero Emissions Innovation Centre, Cheam First Nation.
The CHA and CHA Hydrogen BC have teamed up with Fraser Basin Council and the Government of British Columbia to establish a central hub dedicated to exploring all aspects of BC’s hydrogen journey, including its opportunities, innovations, and impact.
$5 Tuesday movie tickets and $5 popcorn are back at Cineplex from January 14 to February 11.
Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) and Fission Uranium Corp. (TSX: FCU) announced the completion of Paladin’s acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding shares of Fission by way of a court-approved plan of arrangement under the Canada Business Corporations Act pursuant to the terms of the arrangement agreement among Fission, Paladin, and 1000927136 Ontario Inc. dated June 24, 2024, as amended on July 25, 2024 and August 29, 2024.
Comark Holdings Inc., Bootlegger Clothing Inc., cleo fashions Inc., and Ricki’s Fashions Inc. announced that they have commenced proceedings under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (“CCAA”) pursuant to an initial order from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List). The Company is a specialty fashion retailer serving customers through its Ricki’s, cleo and Bootlegger banners. Pursuant to the Initial Order, the Court has appointed Alvarez & Marsal Canada Inc. as the Monitor to oversee the CCAA proceedings. The company plans to close all Ricki’s and cleo retail store locations and currently has 221 stores in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
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