BCBusiness

B ritish Columbia's economy is more diversiied than ever, and that's a good thing. As the indefatigable Peter Mitham, who compiles our annual ranking of the top 100 B.C. companies by revenue, notes on page 71, sectors such as technolo•y and retail helped our province outperform the rest of the country in 2016. OK, but have things really changed over the years? Yes and no. For comparison's sake, I dug up the Top 100 list from 1992, the ˆrst year we published a ranking that combined public and private companies with provincial Crown cor- porations. The No. 1 name, grocery distribu- tor Kelly Douglas & Co., is now a subsidiary of Ontario-based Loblaw Cos. Ltd. But hold- ing second place was the Jim Pattison Group, which occupies the same spot on the new list. At No. 5: BC Telephone, since merged with Telus Corp., which takes ˆrst place this year. Resource giants and government entities dominated the top 20 in 1992—and still do. Forestry stalwarts MacMillan Bloedel and Fletcher Challenge/Crown Group (Nos. 3 and 4) are no more, but miner Teck Resources Ltd. claims third in our current ranking. BC Hydro and Power Authority and Insurance Corp. of British Columbia ˆnished sixth and eighth, respectively, 25 years ago, two spots below their status today. The most dramatic change to the top 20? The rise of retail and enter- tainment. Witness London Drugs owner H.Y. Louie Co. Ltd. (No. 7), movie producer Lions Gate Entertain- ment Corp. (No. 14) and yogawear star Lululemon Athletica Inc. (No. 19), all signs of B.C.'s breadth and depth. The Top 100 is a mainstay, but this also marks our ˆrst collaboration with Discourse Media. Led by editor-in- chief and CEO Erin Millar, Discourse produces something in short supply: investigative features. When Millar and I sat down together early this year, we saw an opportunity to share her company's ˆne work with readers. To that end, I had the plea- sure of working with Discourse managing edi- tor Lindsay Sample and reporter Trevor Jang. The result is Jang's "Breaking Tradition" (p.52), which shows how negotiations with resource companies can a¥ect B.C. aborigi- nal communities. Although Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd. and other ener•y players have signed deals with First Nations bands, some members feel left out—to the point that they're blockading projects and suing their own leaders. Economic uncertainty aside, why would any corporate citizen want to leave such a legacy of discord? Fortunately, there's a better way: engage the community by giving everyone a voice in the ˆnal decision. Erin, Lindsay and Trevor, thank you for bringing us the story. 14 BCBUSINESS JULY/AUGUST 2017 PORTRAIT: ADAM BLASBERG Nick Rockel, Editor-in-Chief bcb@canadawide.com / @BCBusiness editor's desk Wanna trade? Our annual small business package features a toolkit to get you export-ready IN SEPTEMBER New Directions C O N T R I B U T O R S Having worked for the council of his own Moricetown Band in Smithers during negotiations with a pipeline company, Trevor Jang ("Breaking Tradition," p.52) now writes about the process as a journalist. He's a full-time reporter for Discourse Media, a Vancouver-based independent digital media company dedicated to in-depth storytelling on complex issues. Jang reports on resource development projects, focusing on the indigenous perspective. Photographer Darren Hull ("Vintage Harry," p.120) has been based in Kelowna since 2001. He shoots for clients that include lifestyle magazines (Montecristo, Boulevard), UBC, Lululemon Athletica Inc., Telus Corp., Walt Disney Co. and Yelp. It was "an absolute pleasure" working with Harry McWatters and Christa-Lee McWatters Bond, Hull says. "Harry's role in shaping the Okanagan wine region is legendary."

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