BC Gov News

Netherlands

• The B.C. trade mission met with the Netherlands’ Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality to sign an agreement about agritech to better protect food security, advance co-operation and explore cross-cultural opportunities.
• The B.C. delegates participated in an event held for the B.C.-Dutch business community by the Netherlands-Canada Chamber of Commerce, where the focus was on promoting B.C.’s economic strengths, particularly focusing on clean-energy and clean-technology sectors.
• The B.C. delegates met with several Dutch businesses to promote B.C. as a competitive location for growth that is aligned with the StrongerBC Economic Plan.
• To further build connections from the signing of the agritech agreement with the Netherlands, the trade mission visited Wageningen University, which is a global leader in agricultural technology research and design, and toured FoodValley, an agritech ecosystem incubator.

United Kingdom (U.K.)

• The trade mission met with Ralph Goodale, High Commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, to discuss priorities and opportunities for Canada-U.K. trade.
• The trade mission participated in a roundtable hosted by the Canada-UK Chamber of Commerce on environmental, social and governance (ESG) in energy, resources and technology development in the Canada-U.K. business community. The mission also met with business leaders to talk about strategies to transition toward more sustainable solutions.
• The B.C. delegates met with Penny Mordaunt, U.K. Minister of State (Minister of Trade Policy), to discuss the status of the Canada-U.K. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, the opportunities it provides for B.C. and how to further promote sustainable resources and priorities in trade.
• The delegates participated in a discussion with industry leaders of the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products on the promotion and adoption of mass timber structures in the U.K. and pivoting to more sustainable building materials.

Ireland

• The B.C. delegates discussed economic priorities with Nancy Smyth, Canadian ambassador to Ireland, on Canada-Ireland trade and investment opportunities. As well, a meeting took place with Simon Harris, Ireland’s Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, to discuss potential collaboration on training about biomanufacturing.
• The B.C. delegation met with Bord Bia, an Irish state agency, on the promotion of Irish food and horticulture, sustainable food production and an overview of the Origin Green initiative.
• The trade mission met with the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training and discussed innovative training and research for the development of biomanufacturing and collaboration between industry, government and academia to support B.C.’s growing life sciences sector.
• The B.C. delegates met with Irish mass timber construction community to showcase B.C.’s new Mass Timber Action Plan and discuss more sustainable building practices, such as the use of mass timber in Ireland. The roundtable was part of the Rothoschool Seminar, where the B.C. delegation met with Irish industry leaders.

Germany

• The B.C. trade mission sat down with Stephan Holthoff-Pförtner, Minister of Federal, European and International Affairs of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (N.R.W.), to advance actions on the declaration of intent between B.C. and N.R.W. in the areas of clean technology, forestry and the bioeconomy. The B.C. delegation shared B.C.’s Hydrogen Strategy and discussed how both jurisdictions are exploring ways to transition toward renewable energy for a greener future.
• The B.C. delegates visited Walas Phoenix West, a leading example of sustainable urban development in the town of Dortmund, where a former steel- and coal-based industrial community is transforming into a technology and innovation hub.

Finland

• On behalf of the Province, Ravi Kahlon, B.C.’s Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, signed a letter of intent with Finland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of the Environment on mass timber and agreed to continued co-operation on research, development and the commercialization of the forest bioeconomy.
• The B.C. delegates met with Jason Tolland, Canadian ambassador to Finland, to discuss B.C.-Finland trade opportunities.
• The B.C. delegates participated in a roundtable discussion with industry and government leaders, exploring innovation in the forestry sector. The discussion focused on creating an ecosystem that fosters clean and inclusive growth, which are key pillars of the StrongerBC Economic Plan.
• There was a roundtable discussion on the marine cluster hosted by the Finnish Marine Industries Association. The focus was on partnerships with B.C. companies and decarbonizing power in the marine industry, which is a key priority for the B.C. and Finnish shipbuilding industries.