BCBusiness

10 BCBusiness dECEMBER/JAnuARy 2018 PORTRAiT: AdAM BlAsBERG L ike British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. president and CEO Mark Collins (p.19), I grew up in Newfoundland and Labrador. Hold the New‚ie jokes, please: our easternmost province is a remarkable place that most Canadians don't bother visiting, to their loss. (See for yourself in our travel story on page 66.) It's also long had the country's highest unemployment. When I was a teenager in St. John's during the 1980s—living a comfortable middle-class life—the jobless rate hovered around the high teens and low 20s. After the collapse of the cod 'shery in 1992, unemployment stood at 20 per cent for three years—and the uno"cial number might have been double that. New- foundland still has its troubles: as of last Sep- tember, about 13 per cent of residents were out of work, according to Statistics Canada. Although unemployment is an imperfect measure of prosperity, we have much to be grateful for in British Columbia, where Sep- tember's rate was a mere 5.2 per cent. Yes, we still have the country's worst child poverty, and sky-high real estate prices are helping drive the growing economic inequality we share with most of the world. But this province is a place of opportunity, as shown by the fourth annual Best Cities for Work in B.C. ranking (p.29). Launched in 2014 by my prede- cessor, Matt O'Grady, this survey draws on data provided by research partner Environics Analytics. It's our attempt to present a snapshot of cit- ies throughout the province where incomes are healthiest and job pros- pects are brightest. Every year com- munities rise and fall in the ranking, but I'd caution them against dwelling on that. For one thing, most of the cit- ies compare so favourably with each other that small shifts in the income and other metrics we use can push them up and down. As you'll see starting on page 32, this year it was my pleasure to visit two of the names on the list: Dawson Creek and Campbell River. Thank you to mayors Dale Bumstead and Andy Adams for their generous hospitality. And thanks to long-time BCBusiness con- tributor Steve Burgess for his gripping account of Vancouver bike shop owner Paul Dragan's brush with death (p.42). In 2014, Dragan was gunned down by a former employee who bore a grudge. Burgess, a gifted journalist whose career spans magazines, newspapers, TV and radio, found the right balance between drama and utility. Capturing the shooting and its sur- rounding events with the skill of a seasoned true-crime writer, he also asks what lessons this violent episode holds for other business owners. Our gratitude to Dragan for talking to us, and here's to his continued good health. Nick Rockel, Editor-in-Chief bcb@canadawide.com / @bCbusiness editor's desk Thinking about starting a charity or non-profit? We show you how and explain the difference IN FEBRUARY It's All Good C O N T R I B U T O R S Charlene Rooke is a Vancouver- based writer who mainly obsesses about wine, food and cocktails. A former travel magazine editor, she went to Newfoundland for the first time for her story about Fogo Island ("Rock Star," p.66). "It reminded me of some of the rugged spots on the northwest coast of Ireland," Rooke observes. Of the nearly 40 hours of return-trip travel between Vancouver and Fogo Island, she says: "Worth it." Dawson Creek resident katie Tanner started taking photographs when her daughter was born five years ago, but began shooting full-time last January. Her specialty is newborns and children, but she does frame other subjects, such as the mayor of Dawson Creek ("Best Cities for Work," p.29). "It was really fun," Tanner recalls. "He took me around to a couple locations. We talked about the oil and gas [industry] and checked out a few things."

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