V O L U M E 4 9 N U M B E R 3
MAY 2021 BCBUSINESS 5
"Had I known then what I know now,
I don't think I'd have had the courage to
do it. Because there was so much oppo-
sition, and it was really hard, and it took
years to change people's minds"
–p.17
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contents
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The Informer
9 AGRICULTURE
B.C.'s Young Agrarians helps introduce
new farmers to the field
10 GO FIGURE
Soda pop is no longer PST-exempt,
but the local soft drink industry keeps
bubbling over
11 FIVE QUESTIONS
New CEO Christine Bergeron brings an
entrepreneurial mindset to Vancity, the
country's biggest community credit union
13 SHIFT HAPPENS
Bosses have to thread the needle carefully
when it comes to employees getting their
COVID shot
Quality Time
35 WEEKEND WARRIOR
Vancouver investor Praveen Varshney
played tennis in his youth, but now he
prefers the inclusiveness served up by
another racquet sport—pickleball
37 ON TREND
Locally crafted polymer clay earrings are
drumming up support
39 INVENTORY
At these B.C. refilleries, no one leaves
empty-handed
40 IT'S A GOOD THING
The province's Indigenous tourism
industry has fallen on tough times during
COVID. But it's also prepared, thanks to a
history of resilience
Chatter
6 EDITOR'S DESK
Leading by example
Women of the Year
Our second annual awards highlight the extraordi-
nary contributions that female business leaders make
to this province, in fields as diverse as technology, media and social
impact by Nathan Caddell and Nick Rockel
17
COVER: NIK WEST
Jennifer Johnstone,
CEO of the Central
City Foundation,
heads a community-
led organization
The pandemic has
helped Paige Cey's
podcast to flourish
BCLC's Yabome
Gilpin-Jackson
preaches inclusion