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B.C. goes in search of the 㽶Ƶֱemerging economy㽶Ƶֱ

BCIT president Kathy Kinloch heads new task force
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B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver, Port Moody-Coquitlam MLA Rick Glumac, Jobs Minister Bruce Ralston, BCIT president Kathy Kinloch and Minesense CEO Jeff More announce emerging economy task force in Vancouver, July 10, 2018. (Twitter)

B.C. can never compete in 㽶Ƶֱdigging dirt out of the ground㽶Ƶֱ with countries that don㽶Ƶֱt protect workers or their environment, so it has to use innovation to be globally competitive, says B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver.

Weaver joined B.C. Jobs Minister Bruce Ralston at a Vancouver high-tech company Tuesday to praise the establishment of a 14-member 㽶Ƶֱ,㽶Ƶֱ headed by BCIT president Kathy Kinloch.

The task force was part of the B.C. Green Party㽶Ƶֱs platform in the 2017 election, and became a commitment in the minority government agreement with the B.C. NDP.

Weaver and Ralston said Minesense, a company specializing in sensor-based ore sorting to make mines more efficient and productive, symbolized the technological leaps need for B.C.㽶Ƶֱs industry.

㽶ƵֱThat means we not only export the dirt, we also export the knowledge, the technology and the value-added products associated with resource extraction,㽶Ƶֱ Weaver said.

The task force includes B.C. Innovation Commissioner, a more permanent addition to the province㽶Ƶֱs push to aid new technology businesses. The federal government also has multiple innovation programs, including the recently announced 㽶Ƶֱsupercluster㽶Ƶֱ group to focus on high technology investment in B.C.

Also named to the B.C. task force are: Jock Finlayson, executive vice president of the Business Council of B.C.; Ragwa Gopal, CEO of Accelerate Okanagan, Iglika Ivanova, senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and Corrine Stavness, an executive with Canfor.