BCBusiness Report Card: Who would you like to clothesline off a bike?

Is there anything more Canadian than a good samaritan hockey player stopping a robbery? Probably not. Add in the fact that he stopped a bike-riding assailant, and we're pretty sure you won't find anything more Vancouver, either. With any luck, our other items similarly encapsulate our province. Won't be easy. Here's what made...

Credit: Ottawa Senators on Twitter

Ottawa Senators defenceman Mark Borowiecki made headlines in Vancouver this week

We assess how different people/things and, of course, businesses fared this week

Is there anything more Canadian than a good Samaritan hockey player stopping a robbery? Probably not.

Add in the fact that he stopped a bike-riding assailant, and we’re pretty sure you won’t find anything more Vancouver, either.

With any luck, our other items similarly encapsulate our province. Won’t be easy.

Here’s what made the grade (and what didn’t) this week.

Clotheslining someone off a bike

Grade: A

Massive week for this wrestling move.

And it raises the question: which B.C.-based personality would you most like to clothesline off a bike?

We have a few ideas, but our lawyer has strongly advised against providing such information, much to our chagrin. We’ll let your imagination run wild, though.

Apollo Exchange

Grade: A–

The Vancouver-based business took home the (we think?) coveted Digital Innovator of the Year prize at the 2019 Insurance Business Canada Awards.

We covered Apollo and co-founder Jeff McCann earlier this year, and it’s incredibly satisfying to see an innovative B.C. business trounce the rest of the country. Keep it up, Jeff!

Spocket

Grade: A–

Speaking of which, it was a big week for another Vancouver-based firm, as Spocket founder and CEO Saba Mohebpour was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

The company gives budding entrepreneurs access to thousands of products from suppliers in Europe and the U.S. to launch their own online stores with. And Mohebpour himself has an intriguing story: after being banned from attending university in Iran because of his family’s religion, he was blocked from attending a 2018 tech event in Seattle because of his citizenship.

Of course, he still hasn’t made the most influential and noteworthy 30 Under 30 list out there.

Being late to the party

Grade: C+

UBC declared a climate emergency this week, which would have been notable if they weren’t (by our estimation) the 3,427,408th organization in the country to have made such a move.

UBC president Santa Ono has shown a progressive bent and an ability to constantly get ahead of issues, so the dragging on this is a tad surprising.

The Supreme Court of Canada

Grade: C–

Not that it’s the fault of the institution or anything. But the announcement of some B.C. municipalities joining with the federal government against the province of Saskatchewan’s suit just reminded us how hilarious the latter really is.

To recap: the province is suing the country for imposing a carbon tax on it.

This is actually an appeal because the province originally lost a lawsuit in June at the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal. And it thinks the results are going to be more favourable federally? What?

Apparently, the province thinks that its own carbon plan, called (and this is not a joke) Prairie Resilience, is equipped to do the job.

Oh, and in this quest to save taxpayer dollars, Saskatchewan is spending an estimated $400,000 to $500,000 to hire a private law firm.

So yeah, the Supreme Court gets a bad grade because it has to be associated with this lunacy.

SkyTrain

Grade: D

Oh, you thought all the talk about a transit strike was over?

THINK AGAIN.

Main and Hastings

Grade: F

And in news that should surprise no one, Vancouver’s Main and Hastings was dubbed the province’s most dangerous intersection for pedestrians.

That will make sense to anyone who has ever walked, biked or driven through it. The city is aware of the problem and is taking measures that will hopefully improve it, but it’s hard to see a quick fix.