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Vancouver Tech Scene Among the Rockets Propelling the B.C. Economy

Mar 9, 2015

VANCOUVER — When Geoff Haydon left Vancouver in the early 1990s, British Columbia’s tech scene was barely on the map.

“There was a technology presence, but I felt quite isolated,” said the 49-year-old chief executive officer of Vancouver-based Absolute Software Corp. “Now I really feel like we’re at the centre of something that’s very exciting.”

Many in British Columbia have a similar level of enthusiasm about the $239-billion economy.

From technology to timber and tourism, Canada’s third-most populous province is poised to lead its peers in economic growth this year, propelled by low oil prices, a weak Canadian dollar, a diverse mix of trading partners and a recovering U.S. economy.

The Conference Board of Canada, an independent research body, expects B.C. growth to rise to three per cent this year, from 2.8 per cent last year. That rate is estimated to outpace the national average of 1.9 per cent and the next-best provinces, Ontario and Manitoba, at 2.9 per cent.

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