Vancouver Island Technology Park

[youtube:Ajm-iCLFLJY][youtube:JS3-ayUyv0s]

CFAX 1070′s own Murray Langdon sat down with Dale Gann – acting president of the Vancouver Island Technology Park & president of AURP Canada to discuss the upcoming release of the 2009 Canadian Federal Budget. Dale Gann was live in Ottawa on behalf of the twenty-six technology parks across Canada as Minister Flaherty unveiled Canada’s stimulus package.

Victoria, British Columbia, January 29, 2009 – Vancouver, British Columbia will host delegates from the world’s leading scientific research and technology centres when the [...]

Though details are sketchy and the ink still damp on the federal budget, industries that could benefit from the billions in new spending announced yesterday by federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty were in agreement that any infusion of cash at this point had to be seen as positive.

The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce was also giving Flaherty’s stimulus package a thumbs-up.

“Our challenge now will be to identify those projects that can be brought forward through a municipal partnership and still represent a long-term economic benefit to the entire region,” said chamber CEO Bruce Carter, noting expansions to the airport runway, the Ogden Point Cruise Ship terminal and the Vancouver Island Technology Park should be on the radar.

Dale Gann, President of the Association of University Research Parks in Canada, today said: “We applaud the attention given infrastructure in the budget, believing that the intent is to define infrastructure in the broadest sense of the word. We refer to knowledge-based infrastructure as an investment with proven return.”

“While roads need repair and bridges need to be built, this represents an important, but one-time transfusion,” Gann said. “But, the return on investment for the infrastructure AURP Canada supports is significant and is ongoing. In fact, it is estimated the annual economic impact of Canadian research parks is over $3 billion with approximately 18% in the form of direct new and sustainable taxation to government.”

Dale Gann, President of the Association of University Research Parks in Canada, today said: “We applaud the attention given infrastructure in the budget, believing that the intent is to define infrastructure in the broadest sense of the word. We refer to knowledge-based infrastructure as an investment with proven return.”

“While roads need repair and bridges need to be built, this represents an important, but one-time transfusion,” Gann said. “But, the return on investment for the infrastructure AURP Canada supports is significant and is ongoing. In fact, it is estimated the annual economic impact of Canadian research parks is over $3 billion with approximately 18% in the form of direct new and sustainable taxation to government.”

He said that AURP stands ready to join with all levels of government in creating opportunities for policy-makers, industry and academic leaders to engage with each other in the common purpose of creating jobs and improving the quality of life through the stimulation of economic development.

GenoLogics today announced that The Centre for Applied Genomics at The Hospital for Sick Children is deploying its lab and data management [...]

So far British Columbia has not been hit as hard by the economic downturn than other areas in the world, but illiquid credit markets, dropping real estate values, diminishing construction activity, a battered forestry sector and the drastic drop in commodity prices promise difficult times ahead.

Thanks to the fiscal discipline and resulting surpluses both federally and provincially, governments of both levels have the flexibility and means to invest counter-cyclically and have declared their intention to do so through infrastructure investments and other measures.

Infrastructure investments in times of economic downturns make sense: they mitigate the negative effects of the downturn, allow governments to take advantage of competitive pricing and afford the long term benefit of a modernized, better infrastructure. These investments can also position the economy to come out of the downturn stronger, more productive and more competitive.

Avocet 3D has just been awarded a large contract to visualize the interior and exterior of a yacht designed by Gregory C. [...]

Avocet 3D has just been awarded a large contract to visualize the interior and exterior of a yacht designed by Gregory C. [...]

Avocet 3D Images has just received the go ahead to proceed on visualization of the proposed UVic Ocean Technology Park to be based [...]