The Province is providing a $500,000 grant to the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) to help build and deepen cross-border partnerships.

In addition, Premier David Eby has appointed Rick Glumac, MLA for Port Moody-Coquitlam, as the Premier’s Liaison for the Pacific Northwest, expanding the focus of the role beyond Washington state. Glumac will also take over as president of PNWER in July 2023 as he explores opportunities to strengthen partnerships with member provinces and states, including Oregon and Washington.

“The relationship that British Columbians have with our American friends and neighbours is very strong, and our partnerships should be equally strong,” said Premier Eby. “As my liaison for the Pacific Northwest and as the incoming president of PNWER, Rick Glumac will be working to expand the work of this organization and enhance the benefits of increased co-operation to British Columbians and Canadians.”

PWNER will be hosting its annual summit in Idaho over the summer and another one in Whistler next year. The focus of these summits will be to share best practices and investment opportunities in agriculture, housing, disaster resilience, electrification and planning for the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

“Whether it’s flood mitigation on the Nooksack River or the incredible potential of high-speed rail connecting Vancouver, Seattle and Portland, British Columbians are directly impacted by how our cross-border partnerships work,” Glumac said. “I am also excited to work on opportunities that, on one side, help B.C. businesses expand their markets into U.S. jurisdictions and, on the other side, help American businesses, like clean tech, invest in our province.”

Glumac recently travelled to Washington state with Premier Eby to meet with Governor Jay Inslee, Washington state Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck and state senators and representatives. Glumac also participated in a roundtable with clean-tech companies to promote investment in B.C. as a leader in the new clean economy.