New Westminster – The City of New Westminster’s Innovation Week starts today and runs until March 3, 2017. This event-filled week is a showcase of the City’s increasing role as a regional centre for research, technology and innovation as well as provides opportunities to learn, showcase, and experience innovation in action. Innovation Week aligns with City initiatives such as the IDEA Centre, an economic healthcare cluster, and BridgeNet, a City-owned fibre optic network.
A key component of Innovation Week is the Innovation Forum, a partnership with Public Services and Procurement Canada on February 28, 2017 at Anvil Centre. The Forum will feature speakers and presentations on the path to securing funding, both government and private. The Honourable Judy Foote, Minister for Public Services and Procurement Canada, will bring greetings to attendees from the federal government at noon.
“New Westminster is pleased to welcome The Honourable Judy M. Foote, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, to New Westminster on Tuesday, February 28th at the Innovation Forum,” said Mayor Jonathan Coté. “We are thrilled to partner with the Federal Government to offer a Forum that provides information resources for individuals in the tech industry, research and development and help inspire the potential of knowledge-based workers.”
Another key event is the Leadership Dinner, March 2 at Anvil Centre, in collaboration with the New Westminster Chamber of Commerce. Member of Parliament Dan Ruimy, Chair of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science, and Technology, will provide an overview of the Innovation Agenda on behalf of the Government of Canada.
This dinner features a panel of esteemed regional mayors and a representative from Surrey’s Innovation Boulevard. Moderator Mark Betteridge, former CEO of Discovery Parks, investor in start-up technology, and advisor/mentor for technology start-ups, will facilitate a discussion on how cities can build on their existing successes to collectively advance innovation and tech-related economic development.
Panel members include:
- New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Coté
- Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan
- Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore
- Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart
- Maple Ridge Mayor Nicole Read
- Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay
- Dr. Peter Payne, President and CEO, Health Tech Innovation Foundation: Innovation Boulevard Corp, Surrey
“New Westminster, the former capital of British Columbia, is enjoying a resurgence as its historical urban ambience, more affordable housing and transportation access in the centre of the Metro Region are recognized,” said Mark Betteridge. “With the Province’s commitment to a 258.9 million dollar expansion of Royal Columbian Hospital, the City is actively collaborating with public and private enterprises to optimize the learning and growth opportunities offered by advances in health care and technology via the IDEA Centre.”
Innovation Week features a number of other events that allow businesses, investors and community members alike to engage, such as Hack Our City, a two day open data hackathon with workshops and events for all ages, the New Westminster Business and Tech Meetup, the VANTEC Practice Pitch Circuit, New West PechaKucha Volume 14, the Innovation Forum, and the New Westminster Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Dinner. BRINK at the New Media Gallery kicks things off tonight at 7pm.
Details and schedule for all events are available on the City’s website at www.newwestcity.ca/innovatenw.
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Contact:
Ruby Campbell
Intergovernmental and Community Partnerships Manager
City of New Westminster
604-515-3821 or
For more information on the IDEA Centre an integrated, health, technology, education and knowledge employment cluster in the Sapperton neighbourhood aimed at diversifying New Westminster’s economy by building on an expanded, state-of-the-art Royal Columbian Hospital, visit: www.newwestcity.ca/idea-centre
For more information on BridgeNet, New Westminster’s city-owned, ultra-fast, open-access digital fibre network, visit www.bridgenetnw.ca