Greater Vancouver Economic Scorecard 2016
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Greater Vancouver Economic Scorecard 2016 Presented to: The Conference Board of Canada, 2016 Prepared by the Centre for Municipal Studies Greater Vancouver Economic Scorecard About The Conference Board of Canada The Conference Board of Canada is the foremost independent, objective, evidence-based, not-for-profit applied research organization in Canada. We are experts in publishing, disseminating research, economic analysis and forecasting, helping people network, running conferences, developing individual leadership skills, and building organizational capacity. We are independent from, but affiliated with, The Conference Board, Inc. of New York, which serves nearly 2,000 companies in 60 nations and has offices in Brussels and Hong Kong. About the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Since its inception in 1887, the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade has been recognized as Pacific Canada’s leading business association, engaging members to positively impact public policy at all levels of government and to succeed and prosper in the global economy. With a Membership whose employees comprise one third of B.C.’s workforce, we are the largest business association between Victoria and Toronto. We leverage this collective strength, facilitating networking opportunities, and providing professional development through four unique Signature Programs. In addition, we operate one of the largest events businesses in the country, providing a platform for national and international business and thought leaders to further enlighten B.C.’s business leaders. Acknowledgements This study was made possible through funding provided by the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. However, the findings and conclusions of this report are entirely those of The Conference Board of Canada. Any errors and omissions in fact or interpretation remain the sole responsibility of The Conference Board of Canada. 2016 Scorecard Committee Larry Berg O.B.C., Retired CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority (Co-Chair) Sue Paish Q.C., President and CEO, LifeLabs Medical Laboratory Services (Co-Chair) Jonathan Whitworth, CEO, Seaspan (Co-Chair) Janet Austin, CEO, YWCA Metro Vancouver; Immediate Past Chair, Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Kim Baird O.C., Owner, Kim Baird Strategic Consulting Arvinder Bubber, President, A.S. Bubber and Associates Wayne Duzita, AVP, Western Region, AEROTERM Jock Finlayson, EVP, Business Council of British Columbia Michael Geller, President, Geller Group Kathy Kinloch, President, British Columbia Institute of Technology Tim Manning, Regional Vice President, RBC Royal Bank; Chair 2015-16 Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Lori Mathison, Managing Partner, Dentons; Policy Council Chair, Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Robin Silvester, President and CEO, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority; Senior Vice-Chair, Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Yuen Pau Woo President, HQ Vancouver © The Conference Board of Canada, 2016 Greater Vancouver Economic Scorecard Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................ i Greater Vancouver’s Traded Clusters ....................................................................................................... ii Schoolhouse Scoring for Benchmarking ................................................................................................... v The Big Picture: Singapore Ranks First .................................................................................................... vi Economy: Vancouver Places in the Middle of the Pack ........................................................................... vi Social: Vancouver’s Liveability Shines Through ....................................................................................... ix Greater Vancouver’s Outlook Bright, but Challenges Remain .................................................................. x 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1 2. Defining Greater Vancouver and Its Comparators................................................................................ 3 3. Historical Overview: Greater Vancouver’s Economy Has Been Solid and Steady ................................ 7 3.1 Greater Vancouver’s Economy Has Outpaced B.C.’s and Canada’s.............................................. 7 3.2 Professional Services Among Key Local Growth Drivers ............................................................... 9 3.3 Services Sector Responsible for Vast Majority of Job Gains ....................................................... 11 4. Greater Vancouver’s Traded Clusters ................................................................................................. 15 4.1 Transportation ............................................................................................................................ 16 4.1.1 Vancouver International Airport ......................................................................................... 17 4.1.2 Port of Vancouver ............................................................................................................... 19 4.2 Tourism ....................................................................................................................................... 22 4.2.1 Overnight Visitors Have Substantial Economic Impact ....................................................... 22 4.2.2 Greater Vancouver Is Canada’s Top Cruise Port ................................................................. 24 4.2.3 Conventions Add to Tourism Numbers ............................................................................... 25 4.2.4 The Whistler Effect .............................................................................................................. 25 4.3 Information and Cultural Industries ............................................................................................ 27 4.4 High-Tech Industry ...................................................................................................................... 31 4.5 Finance and Insurance ................................................................................................................ 34 5. Greater Vancouver Scorecard: Schoolhouse Scoring for Benchmarking ............................................ 36 6. The Big Picture: Singapore Ranks First ................................................................................................ 37 7. Economy .............................................................................................................................................. 39 7.1 Who’s Best? ................................................................................................................................ 41 7.2 Focus on Greater Vancouver’s Economy .................................................................................... 58 © The Conference Board of Canada, 2016 Greater Vancouver Economic Scorecard 8. Social ................................................................................................................................................... 62 8.1 Who’s Best? ................................................................................................................................ 64 8.2 Focus on Greater Vancouver’s Social Performance .................................................................... 73 Greater Vancouver’s Poor Housing Affordability ................................................................................... 76 9. Greater Vancouver’s Economic Outlook ............................................................................................. 78 9.1 Poised for Success ....................................................................................................................... 78 Region’s Long-Term Outlook Buoyed by Trans-Pacific Partnership ................................................... 80 9.2 Challenges Remain ...................................................................................................................... 82 British Columbia’s Mixed Innovation Performance ............................................................................ 83 9.3 Regional Approach Needed to Address Challenges .................................................................... 87 10. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 90 Appendix 1: Greater Vancouver’s Largest Companies ............................................................................... 92 Appendix 2: Benchmarking Methodology .................................................................................................. 95 Metropolitan Area Selection Process ..................................................................................................... 95 Indicator Selection Process ..................................................................................................................... 95 Ranking Method ...................................................................................................................................... 96 Category Rankings and Overall Score ..................................................................................................... 98 Appendix 3: Cluster Analysis Methodology ...............................................................................................