By Spencer Sterritt

Booming IT sector and island opportunities focus of economic conference

Jan 25, 2017 | 7:46 AM

NANAIMO — Nanaimo’s economic future will be front and centre Wednesday.

Bruce Leslie, the executive director of western Canada for the Conference Board of Canada, said it was a “no-brainer” to return to Nanaimo after their enthusiastic reception the first time they arrived in 2016. 

Much of the event will cover trade and Pacific Rim issues and possibilities, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and possible changes to the province’s softwood lumber industry. 

Leslie said Nanaimo and Vancouver Island have unique economies which make it ripe for development and innovation. 

“It’s isolated enough from the Lower Mainland to have its own drivers and some of its own attributes,” he said. “We can discuss with the group and give them an idea of where we think things are going.”

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He pinpointed Nanaimo’s burgeoning tech sector as a pleasant surprise which will likely become a major driver for the area, especially since the tech industry has fragmented away from major companies such as Microsoft and Amazon.

“I think it’ll often grow in a community and you won’t really notice it until it appears and then you realize the impact. I think that’s happening in Victoria for sure and I think it’s now starting to bubble up in Nanaimo as well.”

The relatively cheap cost of living in Nanaimo, compared to Vancouver and Victoria, with a high quality of living and having a major university close by makes the area enticing for developers and investment. 

The Western Business Outlook series stop in Nanaimo is only one of three in the province. 

“We find that going into smaller communities, they often don’t get the chief economists from the banks so I think it’s a good opportunity for those in the decision making position to learn something,” he said.  

The event is at the Coast Bastion Hotel. It costs $249 to register.

-with files from Dominic Abassi