BC Business
From real estate to COVID advice to corporate takeovers, here's what our readers consumed this year.
In a year like no other, you’ll find some familiar titles on our list of the most-read stories of 2020. Some annual series, like 30 Under 30 and B.C.‘s Most Loved Brands, seem to turn up again and again, no matter what.
But you’ll also find a plethora of pieces long and short that wouldn’t and couldn’t have been written in any other year.
Here are the online stories our readers clicked on the most in 2020.
10. Property Watch: COVID-19 has clobbered real estate prices in B.C., but will it push prices lower?
Did you know that BCers love talking and reading about real estate? contributor Steve Saretsky’s first column about COVID pointedly asked what the pandemic had in store for our province. His advice to “stay safe, and stay liquid” remains pertinent.
9. 5 tips for handling commercial leases and contracts during COVID-19 and beyond
Yep, we’re two-for-two in pieces about the intersection of COVID and real estate. Our editor-in-chief, Nick Rockel, talked to two Vancouver lawyers for this practical story on the options for commercial landlords and tenants.
8. A COVID-19 isolation playlist, from our quarantine to yours
Maybe we should write about music more? This piece encouraged our editors to get creative with playlist recommendations to battle isolation.
7. In a crisis, veteran B.C. tech investor Rich Osborn spies opportunity
Savvy financial folks have of course been looking for ways that COVID might present opportunities, and contributor and Vancouver Tech Journal founder William Johnson explored on that with this profile of local investor Osborn.
6. Saje advice? The story of the corporate takeover at one of B.C.’s best-known wellness brands
Over the summer, associate editor Nathan Caddell broke the news of the February corporate takeover at Saje. Hard to say whether the pun in the title brought in readers or turned them away.
5. What you need to know about federal and provincial support for B.C. businesses and workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
Our editors put together (and continued to update) this handy list for businesses and workers alike.
4. B.C.’s Most Loved Brands 2020
It’s no shocker to see this annual mainstay on the list again. It was, however, a bit of a surprise to see who ranked No.1.
3. Opinion: How to manage COVID-19 in the workplace
Again, practical advice about the pandemic was a recurring theme. This article detailed the legal implications of COVID-19 and how to deal with them at the office.
2. 2020 30 Under 30 Winners
Our 30 Under 30 issue looked a lot different this year. What didn’t change is its popularity. As we get ready to usher in a new group in 2021, we face a tough challenge in putting together a collection of individuals as resilient as our 2020 batch.
1. Ski Lesson: Vail Resorts’ Whistler Blackcomb takeover is starting to pay off
One of the first articles posted on our site in 2020 proved a tough act to follow. But contributor Steven Threndyle has always been plugged into recreational sports in this province, and his deep dive into Vail Resorts’ ownership of Whistler Blackcomb was at once intriguing and informative. Now we’re wondering if Steven’s got a sequel in the works.