Vancouver

British

Columbia

• Canada’s 3rd largest city
• Population 2,278,000
• Projected GDP +4% in 2007
• Projected retail sales +5% in 2007

Economy

• Greater Vancouver is one of the fastest growing urban centers in Canada
• Vancouver’s economy was steady in 2006, as real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by an estimated 3.5%
• In 2007, solid gains are expected with total real GDP growth expected at +4%
• Total employment is expected to improve by 2.5% in 2007
• Coming off of an estimated 5.7% gain in 2006, retail sales is expected at +5% in 2007

Tourism

• Vancouver was voted the "Best City in the Americas" for 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Condé Nast Traveler magazine, based on the categories of ambience, friendliness, culture and sites, restaurants, lodging, and shopping.

Lifestyle

• The city is best known for its laid back lifestyle as well as being the most multi-cultural cities in North America
• 36% of the city’s population are made up of visible minorities and the city celebrates this with more then 40 cultural and ethnic events throughout the year
• The city is also a haven for outdoor enthusiasts – Vancouverites lead Canada in physical fitness
• The Greater Vancouver area is made up of 23 unique and diverse municipalities – anchoring the area is the City of Vancouver which is the 3rd largest metropolitan in Canada
• Population of the City of Vancouver at 607,000 in 2007, an increase of 2.2% over the previous year
• Vancouver’s population is expected to increase by 1.3% in 2007