BCBusiness

12 BCBUSINESS NOVEMBER 2017 PORTRAIT: ADAM BLASBERG A uthoritarianism is on the rise in democracies around the world. From the U.S. to Turkey to Japan, presidents and prime ministers are governing more like strongmen than public servants chosen at the ballot box. Canada might appear to be an exception, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shows autocratic tendencies, too. As of this writing, he and Finance Minister Bill Morneau had refused to bend to widespread criticism of their govern- ment's proposed tax changes, which could have serious consequences for the nation's small-business owners. Meanwhile, businesses large and small are moving in the opposite direction, if our cover story is any sign. For "Views From the Top" (p.40), we asked six entrepreneurial executives from a cross-section of companies—a Crown corporation, a ‰nancial institution, a real estate developer, a software maker and a creator of bags and apparel—how they lead. Each of these men and women has their own style and approach, but all aim to be inclu- sive rather than dictatorial—and to help others develop leadership skills. "You don't have to be that wolf-pack leader all the time," Jamie Cormack, co-founder of Herschel Supply Co., told me. "You can let someone else take a real role and step up, and you can step back and watch that person lead." This may be our annual leader- ship issue, but it also devotes plenty of real estate to commercial and indus- trial property. On page 64, you'll ‰nd Michael McCullough's thought- provoking look at how technolo'y companies are changing Vancouver and other North American cities by snapping up o"ce space in the down- town core. McCullough, who recently joined Canada Wide Media Ltd. as our editorial director, shows that tech's hunger for such prime real estate is no fad. But as new and established players ditch the suburbs for downtown—a trend driven by millennial workers' fondness for city life—they may dilute the urban diversity they seek. In "Industrial Disaster" (p.56), contributor Kerry Gold tackles a grave problem: Metro Vancouver's growing shortage of industrial land. Although the deŸicit might be most acute in Vancouver proper, where construc- tion cranes looming over my backyard near 25th and Cambie seem to con‰rm a hunch that every square foot of property is a condo development in waiting, other municipalities are also feeling the squeeze. More housing is crucial, but we also need places to make stu£— and they can't all be software studios. Maybe the new provincial government could show some leadership here. Nick Rockel, Editor-in-Chief bcb@canadawide.com / @BCBusiness editor's desk Our fourth annual ranking of the Best Cities for Work in B.C. IN DECEMBER/JANUARY Leading Questions C O N T R I B U T O R S When Michael McCullough, editorial director of BCBusiness and publisher of Canada Wide Media, started writing about B.C.'s upstart technology industry as a BCBusiness assistant editor in the early 1990s, it involved a lot of driving to suburban business parks in Richmond and Burnaby. Now, in "Tech Will Eat Downtown" (p.64), he explores how technology has become the largest consumer of office space in downtown Vancouver. For "Industrial Disaster" (p.56), Vancouver photographer Lindsay Siu shot Peter Spotzl and Ben Taddei at an industrial workspace and a construction site. They were "open, engaging and very welcoming," she says. "Finding the perfect spot at each location was probably the trickiest part." After studying under photographers Jeff Wall and Roy Arden for a BA in art history and studio arts at UBC, Siu took Langara College's photography program.

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