June 11, 2008 – Economic Development Minister Colin Hansen chaired the annual meeting of federal, provincial and territorial ministers on the Committee on Internal Trade (CIT) in Vancouver. Established under the Agreement on Internal Trade, CIT members meet annually to review progress on reducing barriers to trade, investment and labour mobility across the nation.
May 22, 2008 – Premier Gordon Campbell is joined by Minister Colin Hansen, Syd and Joanne Belzberg, Sculptor George Pratt and Marjorie Brent, Hon. David Emerson, Minister of International Trade and Foreign Affairs, Sukpahl Singh Sangha and Ramadeep Sangha as they unveil “Emperor’s Sunrise” at the B.C. Canada Pavilion in Beijing.
May 2, 2008 – Colin Hansen, Minister of Economic Development, toured the ACE IT Automotive Technician program at Britannia Secondary School in Vancouver to mark the one year anniversary of the Province's WorkBC Action Plan. Hansen was joined by MLA Dave Hayer and MLA Richard T. Lee, tradespeople, representatives of the construction and hospitality industries and a number of automotive technician trainees, as he announced more than 50 achievements the Province has made in the last year to help combat the skills and labour shortage in B.C.
April 18, 2008 – Minister Colin Hansen speaking during the launch of the $90-million BC Renaissance Capital Fund (BCRCF).
The BCRCF will develop world-class anchor companies and continue to build on the culture of innovation. Attracting more private venture capital to B.C. will help our most promising and innovative companies to grow and create jobs.
March 28, 2008 – Minster Colin Hansen presented Simon Fraser University with a $13.3-million cheque today as part of a $49.5-million investment in the School for ContemporaryArts. The school, built on the historic Woodward's site, is expected to increase economic activity in the area by up to $7.5 million per year.
The new campus is being built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Standards and is expected to open its doors in September 2009.
March 25, 2008 – Minister Colin Hansen and MLA Dave Hayer at the grand opening of the Skilled Immigrant InfoCentre at the Vancouver Public Library. The InfoCentre connects skilled immigrants with professional organizations, employer associations, immigrant services and detailed labour market information. [Watch the video]
March 18, 2008 – Minister Colin Hansen drops the ceremonial puck to launch the 2008 BC Hockey Bantam B Provincial Championship Spirit of 2010 Hockey Tournament at Father Bauer Arena. Across the province, more than 43,000 young hockey players will hit the ice in more than 225 Spirit of 2010 tournaments and help promote physical activity, amateur sport and the Spirit of BC.
March 12–14, 2008 – Minister Colin Hansen, His Royal Highness, Prince Philippe of Belgium and Premier Gordon Campbell open the British Columbia Pavilion at the GLOBE 2008 Trade Fair to highlight the province's climate action initiatives and clean tech products.
Minister Hansen joined more than 2,000 delegates from over 80 countries at the GLOBE 2008 Conference and Trade Fair. He spoke to a number of different audiences about climate action initiatives, economics and the benefits of going green.
March 3, 2008 – Colin Hansen, Minister of Economic Development, was in Toronto's Union Subway Station handing out daffodils to help launch the Province's "Your Dream Job is Here" promotional campaign. Also running in Montreal's Berri-UQAM Station, the campaign will promote B.C.'s economic and lifestyle advantages to more than 400 thousand transit riders in the two cities every day this month. The campaign also drives people to the www.canadaspacificgateway.com website.
February 20, 2008 – Minister Colin Hansen, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Monte Solberg and Minister of Employment and Income Assistance Claude Richmond signed historic labour agreements that will invest over $2 billion in British Columbia over the next six years. The Labour Market Agreement (LMA) and the Labour Market Development Agreement (LMDA) will help British Columbians improve their skills and employability.
[Read more][News release]
February 15, 2008 – Minister Colin Hansen met with the India Market Advisory Group of the Asia Pacific Trade Council to discuss the Province's commitment to establishing an international presence in India to help B.C.
companies do business there. The initiative is part of the Province’s long-term strategy to increase and diversify its economic and cultural ties with the Asia-Pacific.
February 11, 2008 – Minister Colin Hansen signed a memorandum of understanding today at the Province of British Columbia's 2010 Business Summit with Lord Digby Jones, United Kingdom Minister of State for Trade and Investment.
The memorandum of understanding will help the Province of B.C. and the United Kingdom government develop economic legacies associated with hosting an Olympic and Paralympic Games.
February 7, 2008 – As we move from the year of the Pig to the year of the Rat and begin another 12 year cycle, we celebrate a time of renewal; a time for connecting with our families and a time to look towards a future full of prosperity and success.
For British Columbia, our future is the Asia Pacific.
Our greatest asset is our people, people like you and me – our friends, neighbours and colleagues who have personal ties to the Asia Pacific. We need to take advantage of this tremendous asset to position B.C. as the pre-eminent economic and cultural crossroads between Asia and North America.
We are ushering in the year of the Rat with confidence, and it is my hope that together we will use our strengths to continue to create a legacy of economic growth and prosperity for your family and generations to come.
Sincerely, Colin Hansen, Minister of Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Asia-Pacific Initiative.
January 28, 2008 – Minister Colin Hansen faced off against former Canuck alumni and restaurant owner Kirk McLean, in a black box Culinary face off to launch PROPEL, a new division of go2 human resources association, in the B.C. Foodservice Expo at B.C. Place Stadium.
Pictured: Kirk McLean, Rachel Webster, Max Wang and Minister Colin Hansen.
January 15, 2008 – Colin Hansen, Minister of Economic development, took part in a news conference with the Federal government, announcing the Expansion of the Federal Expedited Labour Market Opinion Program.
January 15, 2008 – Colin Hansen, Minister of Economic Development, Manley McLachlan, president of the B.C. Construction Association and Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, share a laugh during the announcement of the Federal Expedited Labour Market Opinion program expansion.
The Government of Canada is expanding the number of occupations covered by the pilot project originally announced in September from 12 to 33. The project allows eligible employers to receive their Labour Market Opinions within five days, rather than waiting up to five months for a response.
January 15, 2008 – Colin Hansen, Minister of Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Olympics joins Premier Gordon Campbell, VANOC CEO John Furlong, Canadian speed skater Jeff Kitura, Richmond mayor Malcolm Brodie and other dignitaries to mark a construction milestone for the final section of the Richmond Oval's massive 6.5-acre roof.
