Western Canada – Where Talent and Technology Meet

Western Canada, which is comprised of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, is an ideal place to do business. It has provided fertile growth opportunities for hundreds of innovative industries, and there’s plenty of room for more, thanks to:

Easy access to markets and suppliers
Competitive business costs
A wealth of natural resources
Superb infrastructure
A quality workforce

This growing list of assets offers distinct advantages to company’s eager to lead the way in their field and is complemented by a superb quality of life in clean, safe communities with easy access to a broad range of recreational activities.

Centre of Global Excellence for Agri-Food Research and Products

Western Canadians use innovative science and technology to develop and produce a wide variety of award-winning agri-food products.

Capitalizing on its expansive agricultural resources, the region has developed a diverse, cost-competitive and research-driven agri-food industry. Western Canada’s broad range of raw agricultural materials is complemented by a world-renowned food inspection system, a strong, cost-effective research capacity and a collaborative environment that encompasses governments, universities, health institutions and industry.

Home to the World’s Fourth Largest Aerospace Industry

With annual revenues in excess of $3 billion, Canada’s aerospace industry currently produces more than five per cent of the world’s aviation output.

British Columbia leads Western Canada’s aerospace sector, generating $1.1 billion in annual revenues. An estimated 17,000 people are directly employed in the industry, the majority contributing engineering, technical or management expertise.

Canada-wide, the industry exports nearly 80 per cent of its output to global markets.

Rapidly Expanding Biotechnology Centre

Canada is globally ranked second only to the United States for biotechnology. Currently, some 190 biotech Western Canada-based companies generate $656 million annually and employ more than 3,000 individuals.

This important new industry prospers in Western Canada thanks to a strong base of scientific expertise, powerful partnerships between universities and industry, and vital financial and venture capital programs.

Actively Pursuing Medical Device Research Opportunities
In Western Canada, more than 200 companies employing an estimated 4,000 people are developing, manufacturing, and selling medical devices. Enterprising partnerships between leading academic institutions and innovative private sector firms create a dynamic and healthy research environment that fuels continued growth and attract international venture capitalists.

In terms of the number of U.S. patents granted between 1997 and 2002, Vancouver’s University of British Columbia is Canada’s first-ranked academic institution and third-ranked organization overall. Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg also support flourishing, research-based device industries.

A Thriving Information and Communications Technology Sector

Generating $20.3 billion in annual revenues and employing approximately 100,000 people, Western Canada’s information and communications technology sector is vast – and growing. The region is fast becoming a centre of excellence in the information and communications technologies (ICT) industry, with Vancouver, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Calgary all housing dynamic and emerging industry clusters comprised of key global leaders and numerous mid-size enterprises.