Builders and capital
Make BC the place companies start, scale and stay headquartered.
Why it matters
BC is home to more than 12,000 tech companies, and tech has grown at three times the rate of the rest of the economy over five years. Yet Vancouver ranks second in Canada for startups. Second in Canada is not how you become the capital of a continent.
BC companies too often sell or move before they become the anchor employers the province needs. Government can change that by changing its tax rules and by becoming a customer.
What we would do
- Bring in a BC patent box and extend flow-through shares to deep tech, as BC Tech Association recommends.
- Make Value-for-BC a formal evaluation criterion in government procurement.
- Make the Province a first customer: a set share of new technology spending goes to BC companies.
- Point InBC growth capital at later-stage rounds, so scaling up does not mean selling out.
- Create a founders’ fast lane: one digital door to every provincial registration, licence and grant.
Questions you might have
What is a patent box?
It is a tax measure that lowers the rate on income earned from patents and similar intellectual property. The aim is to give companies a reason to keep that work, and its profits, in BC. BC Tech Association has recommended one for specific tech subsectors.
What does Value-for-BC procurement mean?
When the Province buys technology, its value to BC would count as a formal part of the evaluation, not only the price. That can give local companies an early customer, which often helps them win their next one.