With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1477631
8 BCBUSINESS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 Venture a Guess I t's safe to say that 2022 has had its chal- lenges for the B.C. business community and beyond. After the post-pandemic boom that made up a good chunk of 2021, we seem to be in a state of uncertainty. Layoffs have hit B.C.'s tech community with some force, slicing staff at some of our most recognizable names, like Hootsuite, Article, Unbounce and Thinkific. Even with a very slight downtick, there's still no real end to the housing crisis in sight, while mortgage rates saw a historic rise. And, with B.C.'s municipal elections taking place soon, there's no telling which direction our cities and towns could be headed. Not to simplify the situation at all, but it is nice, in times like these, to have a bit of stability to fall back on. To that end, we're once again proud to partner with EY Entrepreneur of the Year and its Pacific Region program. Starting on page 51, you'll meet some of the most innovative and influential entrepreneurs in the province. In this year's volume, we've got nine winners—including wealth man- agement maestro John Nicola, cyber- security leader Anna Sainsbury and health-care leaders at companies like Acuitas Therapeutics and Precision NanoSystems—and a special citation. We're confident you'll be inspired by— or, at the very least, interested in—the stories they have to tell. Another lot with more than a few stories to tell is the local venture capi- tal community. Long-time contributor Michael McCullough takes the pulse of the investment scene in "Money to Burn" (p.28). This year has predict- ably not matched last year's historic output in terms of cash raised, but what does the future look like? Is another 2021 on the immediate hori- zon, or are we headed for a few years of middling returns? Unfortunately, we don't have a crystal ball. As such, it makes it harder for us to predict whether, say, B.C. will make good on its promise to become carbon neutral by 2050. Luckily, veteran journalist Richard Littlemore talked to experts in the field for "Is Zero Possible?" (p.36). 2050 is a long way away, but in order to reach the province's lofty goal, the steps need to be taken now. The clock, as they say, is most definitely ticking. Elsewhere in this issue, you'll read about an Olympian stickhandling his way into Vancou- ver's tech scene, the hotel shortage gripping the Lower Mainland and how the gambling indus- try is taking over our televisions. We're not exactly sure where the rest of 2022 and beyond is headed, but we hope you'll jour- ney through it with us. And hey, if you do have a crystal ball (or just some educated guesses), send them our way. Nathan Caddell, Editor-in-Chief bcb@canadawide.com / @BCBusiness ( editor's desk ) I N NOV E M B E R / DE C E M B E R We talk to some of B.C.'s top business minds about the changing nature of leadership C ON T R I B U T OR S Richard Littlemore asks whether Canada can keep up with its net- zero goals in "Is Zero Possible?" (p.36). The Vancouver-based writer, who earned a master's in environmental communication and education from Royal Roads University, claims that his thesis on managing hopelessness in the face of climate change was "more fun than it sounds." He found the answer to his own question surprising: "Spoiler alert: zero IS possible. But you'll have to read the piece to find out whether it's likely." Growing up in Lacombe, Byron Eggenschwiler always enjoyed comics, animation and album covers. For "Is Zero Possible?" (p.36), the Calgary- based illustrator found the lack of progress in achieving zero emissions frightening. "I liked the idea of the 'zero' being a physical object," he says. "The trap-like imagery of Indiana Jones and older video games felt like a good fit for the challenges ahead." PORTRAIT: ALAINA MICHELLE