Until a visionary B.C. entrepreneur invents a reliable crystal ball, we will continue to enjoy the year-end ritual of reflecting on the past and looking to the year ahead with optimism.
At BC Tech, where we champion the people, products and dreams of B.C.’s technology companies, this exercise is both fun and audacious.
This year’s BC Tech report card gave B.C. an A on economic performance – the province has taken its place as a clear Canadian leader. But our B- on economic inputs highlights two key weaknesses: a persistent talent shortage that limits growth and an environment that could do much more to support homegrown anchor companies to scale. In the years ahead we must act boldly to invest in our people and scale up the local companies that form the foundation of a thriving technology ecosystem.
BC Tech’s mission is to make B.C. the best place to build and scale a tech company. Sometimes we’re asked why we’re so passionate and determined to deliver on this mission. Expanding employment, revenues and gross domestic product is important – but putting innovation and technology at the heart of the province’s economy and society will benefit British Columbians in ways that go well beyond growth:
Data will set us free from disease, injury and death
•Advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence will unlock connections and patterns in data the human brain can’t detect – pinpointing causes of major diseases and powering faster, more effective medical research to eradicate diseases. Personalized treatments will improve care and speed recovery.
•Driverless cars and improved road data networks will reduce traffic congestion, increase mobility and greatly reduce car accident deaths and injuries.
Diversity and inclusion will be our competitive advantage as we realize the full potential of our people
•Evidence shows increasing diversity delivers better business outcomes. We will open the doors to a career in technology to many more people, including many under-represented groups.
•Improved connectivity will open up more pathways for people across the province to participate in the tech economy.
We will redefine the meaning and value of work
•Automating tasks will free us to focus on the fulfilling roles and functions that human intelligence (cognitive, emotional and social) is best suited to, while using machines for tasks in which human error would pose risks of wasted time, pollution, damage, injury or death.
Citizens will be more engaged, empowered and influential than ever before
•Citizens will have more direct input, planners will make more data-driven decisions and government will become more transparent.
We will set the global standard on data privacy and security
•Privacy norms are changing. Today we willingly share information that was once considered to be intensely private – even the content of our DNA. B.C. society treats these questions with appropriate seriousness, which will enable us to lead the world on how laws and regulations must adapt to protect consumers and citizens.
We will become leaders in clean growth
•Clean is the side effect of smart. Our thriving technology and innovation ecosystem enables smart solutions that deliver clean growth while addressing climate change. Technology has already helped B.C.’s natural resource industries become more sustainable, safe and productive, and much more is ahead.
To realize these benefits, we must unlock more opportunities for British Columbians to participate in the technology economy. B.C. is rich in natural resources; most valuable of all are our people. We need more hands, more minds and more hearts to deliver on our audacious goal: to make the province not just the best place to live but also the best place to work, and the best place to build and scale a tech company. •
Jill Tipping is president and CEO of the BC Tech Association.
