Go West

Western Canada is a land of many benefits for those doing business on its soil—from abundant natural resources and an increasingly diverse population to booming technology and service industries and low corporate costs. All of these factors attract a wide range of business interests, including produce shippers, brokers, and import/export specialists.

Sprawling across 2.9 million square kilometers and totaling close to 29 percent of Canada’s land mass, over 11 million people call Western Canada home. The majority of the population lives in urban areas, dominated by large cities in the four westernmost provinces, which include Vancouver and Victoria in British Columbia; Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta; Saskatoon and Regina in Saskatchewan; and Winnipeg in Manitoba.

While British Columbia is part of the Pacific Northwest, and Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are Prairie Provinces, their designation as ‘the West’ denotes more than physical and cultural differences from Canada’s other provinces. The Prairies are home to a third of the country’s farms and growers, and the region is a significant contributor to Canada’s overall economy, accounting for more than a third of the True North’s gross domestic product.

Toss in its proximity to the Pacific Ocean and major ports, and Canada’s West is perfectly situated for trade with partners both near (the United States and Mexico) and far (European and Asia-Pacific countries), accounting for 42 percent of the nation’s overall exported goods in 2014. Come along as we check in with the westerly provinces to see how grower-shippers, distributors, and brokers are faring in early 2016.

STATE OF TRADE
Benefits
Doug Grant, chief operating officer of David Oppenheimer & Associates GP (known as ‘Oppy’) in Coquitlam, BC says that although the cost of living can be higher in British Columbia and Alberta than the other western provinces, doing business in Canada does have its perks: “corporate tax rates are relatively low compared with the United States,” he notes.

Mike Furi, in procurement for Calgary, AB-based The Produce People Ltd., and in-coming chairman of the Canadian Produce Market-ing Association, believes size and flexibility are key components in Western Canada’s perishables market. “We have the ability to take in excess inventory without hurting the market.

“When there’s a truck that needs to move in a hurry, and nothing is wrong with the quality, we’re able to move it. As a regional player,” he explains, “we have a better opportunity to get closer to the suppliers on local deals, and a very good working relationship with growers in Western Canada.”