BC Business
We assess how different people/things and, of course, businesses fared this week.
We don’t mean to belittle all the people whose lives were rudely interrupted by the presence of snow this week. But actually, we kinda do.
You see, we once again gave our fellow countrymen reason to belittle us, as we called to the heavens about dealing with 10 inches of snow. God forbid, they said, that we dealt with an actual snowstorm.
Of course, the real problem is that some of our cities aren’t equipped to handle snow. To Vancouverites, a blizzard is something you get at Dairy Queen, snowstorms occur in the bathroom of the Roxy and “a blanket of white” is found at all-candidates meetings on the west side.
Here’s what else made the grade (and what didn’t) this week.
Snow
Grade: A+
It remains undefeated in the Lower Mainland and even went after some of the big names this year, forcing the Lions Gate Bridge to close and BC Ferries to halt service.
What B.C. institutions will it claim next year? Watch out, Douglas Coupland and Jimmy Pattison. Speaking of which
Jimmy Pattison’s trophy case
Grade: A
Granted, we’re just guessing, but this thing has got to be massive, right? Not even snow could stop the 91-year-old from cashing in again this week, as he was named the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business’s 2020 Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year.
Could renting out his trophy room(s) solve Vancouver’s housing crisis? It certainly couldn’t hurt.
Lululemon
Grade: A
It seems like most times we hear about the B.C. company, it’s something not-so-great. Now the assertion that it could be the next Nike? Not bad.
And sure, Nike’s got some problems, but there’s no doubt the execs at Lulu would take that billing.
We’re still waiting for the Chip Wilson tweet announcing that, actually, this is his doing.
BC Ferries
Grade: B+
After a nightmarish couple days thanks to the snow, the province’s favourite punching bag announced some good news this week: the arrival of its first hybrid electric ferries.
The two new vessels, which have been on their way from Romania (that’s a haul, literally), will be able to carry up to 300 passengers and 47 vehicles. They’re equipped with batteries that will one day be able to accommodate fully electric operation.
Anything to distract from recent videos of people piling up in terminals demanding refunds, we suppose.
The BC NDP
Grade: C
Tough one for the government this week.
John Horgan’s crew suffered what Attorney General David Eby called a “disappointing decision” when the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously dismissed B.C.’s appeal of a previous lower court decision quashing provincial legislation designed to block the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
But honestly, this kind of feels “disappointing” in the way it was disappointing when, in Grade 6, Sarah Douglas said she considered me a really good friend and didn’t want to risk that by dating. We all knew it was coming, fam.