BCBusiness

40 B C B U S I N E S S . C A J U N E 2 0 2 5 W WHEN JANE TALBOT FIRST moved to Canada from the United States, she was a full- time volunteer at the YMCA's downtown Vancouver loca- tion while waiting for her work permit to be approved. She was drawn to companies that make a purpose-driven impact ("I cannot work for an organization that I don't feel passion about," she says), and she quickly moved through the ranks at several promi- nent organizations—first the BC Persons with AIDS Society (now Positive Living BC), then the Heart and Stroke Founda- tion and finally the BC SPCA. "I learned so much," Talbot says. "And chief among those lessons is the fact that you've got to take good care of yourself, and there is a price tag on passion." Experiencing burnout for the first time put everything into perspective for Talbot, who saw that passion for a cause wasn't enough to balance gru- elling 70-plus hour work weeks. When a temporary one-year position opened at Downtown Van (the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Associ- ation, which represents more than 8,000 businesses in the cit y's 90-block downtown core), she jumped. "I thought I could reacquaint myself with my city and I could assist this organization for a year and then JANE TALBOT P R E S I D E N T A N D C E O, D O W N T O W N VA N CHANGE M AKER move on to something else. That was seven years ago, and here I am," she says. In those seven years, Tal- bot moved from director of operations to vice-president to COO when, in 2023—and in the middle of a global pan- demic—she was promoted to her current role as president and CEO. "Some people would say I came in at a horrible time. But I think I came in at a great time; stakeholders were working so collaboratively together," she explains. "The barriers that we all experience collectively in the city during the time seemed to be reduced because there was such an urgent need to support our city [in pandemic recovery]." That support of Downtown Vancouver has only continued to grow under Talbot's leader- ship. In September 2024, the BIA launched its Better Safe Than Sorry campaign that, in advance of the provincial elec- tion, encouraged all candidates to prioritize safety—a move that was significant because shin- ing a spotlight on safety means acknowledging it. Talbot has also spearheaded campaigns that encourage the beautification and celebration of Downtown Vancouver. That includes a fund that gave $2,000 to businesses that wanted to activate their storefront for the Taylor Swift concert series (for anything from themed cock- tails to photo-ready backdrops). Also, the revamped two-day Granville Block Party, which had over 40,000 people attend and ignited a new perspective for the street that had devel- oped a less-than-stellar reputa- tion during the pandemic. The economic impact was massive, bringing in around $900,000 for nearby businesses.–D.W. "I learned so much, and chief among those lessons is the fact that you've got to take good care of yourself, and there is a price tag on passion."

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