Since taking office, promoting local businesses and strengthening Vancouver’s economy has been one of my top priorities as Mayor. This was particularly important with the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games providing Vancouver with the opportunity to showcase our city to the globe.
Working closely with the Vancouver Economic Development Commission, City Hall put together a strategic plan to capitalize on the massive business opportunity the Olympics gave us. We used the Games to aggressively promote local businesses and target prospective investors by branding Vancouver as the “Green Capital” – a City where going green isn’t just good for the environment, but good for business.
Whether it was participating in the Metro Vancouver Commerce program, which used the Games to host international businesses looking at investing in the region, or traveling to cities like New York to meet with companies interested in making Vancouver a hub to conduct business, I have taken a personal interest in increasing the competitiveness of our city.
Already I am pleased to report that our efforts are paying off. 
In the 60 day update following the Olympic and Paralympic Games, over $60 million of new investment has flowed into the region, creating new jobs, international connections and exciting partnerships that will invigorate our local economy.
We have welcomed major global players like Pixar, the company responsible for multi-billion dollar movie franchises such as Toy Story and Finding Nemo, who have decided to open their new Canadian headquarters in the heart of Gastown. Canon Canada also just opened a new BC headquarters downtown, due to the fact that their workforce has doubled in the past year.
We have also attracted Plug and Play, a Silicon Valley leader in venture capital that will assist our top talent and technologies to find the funding to become marketable commodities.
A moderate and professional approach at City Hall is making a huge difference in building Vancouver’s reputation as a destination for international business, and in the coming 18 months, I am confident that this trend of investment and job creation will continue. It should come as no surprise that the Conference Board of Canada predicts Vancouver will have the fastest growing economy of any Canadian city in 2010.