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New Westminster’s Economic Development Office provides information and services to help businesses invest and grow in our city. We promote economic development by attracting new investment and business, supporting and assisting existing businesses, and enhancing New Westminster’s business climate. Find the latest business indicators, publications and policies for New Westminster in this section.

Our current Economic Development Indicators are available in an infographic here.  

Thinking of starting a business here? Here is a guide to help you in the process.

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Business Intelligence

Find local information to help your business make smarter, faster, better decisions.

  • Retail Strategy

     

    In 2023 a city-wide retail strategy was approved. The strategy identifies key opportunities to enhance the retail experience in commercial areas of the city, and outlines recommendations around how the City, and community partners, can work together to leverage various tools in support of a strong retail commercial environment.

    Read the Retail Strategy

     

    RETAIL STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION WORKSHOP - June 18, 2025 (WAITLIST)

    Join us to discuss potential zoning changes and ideas for beautification and activation initiatives as the City implements actions identified in the Retail Strategy. This will also be an opportunity to connect with City staff, business owners, and other business community members in support of a thriving retail environment and a strong, connected community.  

    Event Details:

    • Date: Wednesday, June 18 2025
    • Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM (Doors open at 5:45 PM)
    • Location: Anvil Centre (777 Columbia St, New Westminster, BC V3M 1B6)
    • Post-Event Networking: Stay with us until 9:00pm to connect with fellow business community members.
       

    Refreshments (non-alcoholic drinks) and snacks will be provided.

    Discussion Themes:

    • Potential zoning changes that would support active uses at street level (e.g. identifying uses may not support active streetscapes and removing them as permitted uses from the zoning, identifying core areas of commercial areas where these changes could apply)
    • Beautification, activation and local business promotion tactics
    • Building design considerations to encourage community supporting retail (e.g. size of units, building considerations to make business operations easier, etc.)

     

    Input from this workshop will be used by City staff to help inform potential regulatory changes and initiatives, anticipated to brought forward to Council in fall/winter 2025.

    We've had a strong response for this workshop and currently have a waitlist. Please  us with the following information to be placed on the waitlist: 

    • Your name
    • Business or organization (if applicable)
    • Any accessibility accommodations that would support your participation (i.e. translation, sign language interpretation, low-stimulation space, dietary restrictions, etc.).

     

    We will contact you by Friday, June 13, 2025 to let you know if a spot becomes available.   

  • Business Education Nights

    Business Education Nights are a new series of virtual seminars that touch on topics that are seldom offered - how to work within the community you are in, and what resources exist.  They are scheduled for every second month and will be recorded. Materials or resources mentioned will be shared after each event. 

    Vulnerable People and Homelessness

    Join NWPD Vulnerable Persons Liaison Officer Camille Oliveira, Bylaw Office / Tenant Support Coordinator Bal Varn, and Economic Development Coordinator Jen Arbo to discuss information and strategies to compassionately address impacts of vulnerable and homeless folks on your business. 

    Opioid Crisis and Drug Overdose - How to use Nalaxone

    This session, recorded April 2022, features four guest speakers who offer insight and education on the opioid crisi and how businesses can support drug users. Use these links to skip to the information most important to you: 

    • 00:00 Introduction and Background Information
    • 03:42 What Does the Purpose Society Offer? with Sydney Andrews and Travis Walker from the Lower Mainland Purpose Society
    • 24:17 Current Situation in New Westminster with Assistant Deputy Chief Brad Davie, New Westminster Fire & Rescue Services
    • 27:37 - Brad Davie also provides information about preparing your worksite for an overdose emergency, including a nalaxone demonstration
    • 52:55 - Tailgate Toolkit with Colby Young from the Vancouver Island Construction Association - discussing stigma of substance use, especially in the construction and trades industry.
    • 1:25:27 - Regional Resources for Harm Reduction with Tyler Weatherup from Fraser Health - Tyler also talks a lot about shame, and its impacts and has some constructive tips on what to do if you're a business owner and an employee seeks your support. 

  • Helpful Resources for Businesses

    GOOD TO KNOW: 

    • Sign up for our monthly newsletter, which includes information and resources specific for business and the local economy.

    Business Info Sheets

    We are pleased to offer a new series of info sheets on topics such as safety and best practices. Check back for more sheets as they are developed. 

    Sidewalk and On-Street Patio Guidelines

    In March 2022, Council passed a new Sidewalk and On-Street Patio Bylaw. Businesses interested in installing a patio under this new bylaw on City property should email for more information. New Patio Guidelines have been released to help. 

    BUSINESS CONTINUITY TOOLKIT

  • Government Programs & Funding

    Federal (On-going)

     

    National Research Council (NRC) Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP): This program provides software and wireless small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with technical assistance, financing and business advice. NRC-IRAP also links SMEs to original equipment manufacturers, which can help pull innovative companies up the technology ladder.

    Scientific Research and Experimental Development Incentive Program: Canadian companies can apply for tax credits of 35% up to the first $3 million of expenses, and 20% on any excess amount related to experimental development, applied research, basic scientific research and certain types of technical support work. Eligible expenses include wages, materials, machinery, equipment, and some overhead costs and contracts.

    Provincial

    Advantage BC: incentives to corporations and key staff conducting international activities from BC

    Innovate BC: A Provincial crown agency that connects entrepreneurs to funding, resources, and support. Innovate BC supports all size companies, across all sectors, all over the province. 

    Trade & Invest British Columbia: International Trade & Investment representatives, market intelligence, BC business networks and export assistance are available at the Asia Pacific Business Centre.

    BC Stats: The central statistical agency of the Province of British Columbia, BC Stats has the provincial government’s largest concentration of statistical products, services and expertise – a function that began in 1897.

    British Columbia Women’s Enterprise Centre: BC’s leading resource for women entrepreneurs, offering skills development, business loans, free business guidance, business resources, mentoring, networking and events.

    Regulatory Reform Initiative: Launched in 2001, this initiative has resulted in reducing regulatory requirements in BC by over 42% with a commitment to maintain a future zero net increase.

    British Columbia Tax Credits: BC provides provincial tax credits, exemptions and deductions to encourage business investment and innovation. Provincial tax incentives and exemptions exist for research and development (R&D), international business activity, and machinery and equipment investments.

    BC Tax Credit for Venture Capital: The provincial Venture Capital Programs encourage investments in clean tech, community ventures and new media businesses by providing British Columbia investors with a 30 per cent refundable tax credit.

    BC Training Tax Credit Program: The program provides tax credits for employers and apprentices who are engaged in eligible apprenticeship programs administered through the Industry Training Authority. New training tax credits are slated to be made available for employers that employ apprentices in the British Columbia shipbuilding and ship repair industry.

    International Skilled Workers: The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) offers accelerated immigration for qualified skilled workers, experienced entrepreneurs and associated family members who want to settle in BC and become permanent residents of Canada.

    Small business

    Business and trade development are top priorities for all levels of Canadian government. The following section provides links to currently available government initiatives, resources and programs that support businesses and healthy economies.

  • Local Organizations to Connect With

    New Westminster Chamber of Commerce

    T: 604-521-7781
    E: 
    newwestchamber.com

    Downtown Business Improvement Association

    Angelene Prakash
    Executive Director
    T 604-524-4996
    E 
    downtownnewwest.ca

    SAPPERTON BUSINESS COLLECTIVE

    Curtis Van Marck
    Treasurer
    E 

    Uptown Business Association

    Erin Jeffery & Donna Bisaro
    Co-Chairs
    E
    myuptown.ca

    West End Business Association

    Wes Everaars
    President
    E  
     

    Tourism New West

    Gerardo Corro
    Executive Director
    E:
    T: 604-526-1905
    www.tourismnewwest.com

    Arts NEW WEST

    Laura Grady
    Executive Director
    E:
    T: 604-525-3244
    www.acnw.ca

    Don't see your area listed? 

    The City of New Westminster has many diverse and unique commercial areas. Some have well established business associations or business improvement associations, but some aren't as well established or don't exist at all. and we can try to connect you. 

  • Business Continuity Planning

    CITY OF NEW WESTMINSTER BUSINESS CONTINUITY TOOLKIT

     

    COVID-19 SPECIFIC TOOLS:

    GENERAL BUSINESS CONTINUITY:

  • Workforce Training

    New Westminster is home to a number of private and public post secondary institutions, including: 

     

    OTHER POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS IN METRO VANCOUVER

  • Economic Development Key Reports

    New Westminster Economic Development is currently updating it's Economic Development Plan, building upon the 2008 “Livable City Strategy” –  a roadmap for tapping economic opportunities that will enhance economic growth and attract and retain industry, commerce and investment while maintaining the ‘Royal City’s exceptional quality of life.

    Key research and resources that guide the Economic Development Office's work include:

    Envision 2032: The Integrated Community Sustainability Planning (ICSP) will become the City’s sustainability document that informs and guides City activities in the future, including plans, policies, projects and practices, using a sustainability lens.

    Official Community Plan: This document is a statement of New Westminster’s long-term vision for the future. It describes the kind of community into which our municipality wishes to evolve. Business and job creation objectives and policies are front and centre in New Westminster’s long-term development plans.

    Neighbourhood Plans: A guide to growth and development within individual neighbourhoods.

    Industrial Land Strategy: In New Westminster there are 608 acres of land in 363 separate legal parcels currently zoned for industrial use. Most of this land is located along the Fraser River or near transportation infrastructure (e.g. regional roads, rail lines).

    Metro Vancouver 2040: A shared commitment by Metro Vancouver and member municipalities to work together to achieve regional goals. The integration of land use and transportation strategies is a central component of the strategy and key to how the region grows and changes in the future.

     

  • Creating the Circular Economy in New West

    What is the Circular Economy?
    The circular economy is changing the way we see waste. Businesses have traditionally taken in raw materials and produced products and waste. By finding value in business wastes, the material circles back into the economy. Creating a circular economy has economic value and environmental benefits.

     

    A successful, business-focused circular economy model called the National Industrial Symbiosis Program (NISP) started in the United Kingdom. NISP uses facilitated workshops and free follow-up support to match the inputs and outputs of local businesses. NISP Canada is being piloted here on the Lower Mainland.

     

    Circular Economy Workshops for Local Businesses

    Two of the six pilot Business-to-Business Circular Economy workshops have taken place in the City of New Westminster at the Anvil Centre. Twenty-six organizations attended in June 2018 and 23 organizations attended in October 2018.

    Each workshop kicked off with an update in the City of New Westminster’s Intelligent City initiative and clean energy efforts, as well as circular economy success stories from Metro Vancouver and around the world.

    The NISP practitioners then guided the participants to identify excess resources or materials in their operations that they had or wanted that were also considered ‘waste’. These identified resources could be anything from scrap materials to underutilized equipment to waste heat to industrial organics and more. Then, the other businesses had an opportunity to express their interest in using that resource. Creative matches were encouraged from different industry types, allowing diverse enterprises to have unexpected matches.

    Together, these two workshops resulted in 313 distinct resources being identified by participants and 404 potential resource matches between local and regional businesses.

    Learn more about each workshop with the NISP Canada one-page summary reports:


    Next Steps

    The NISP practitioners with support from City are following up with the participating businesses to discover the resource matches that make the most immediate business sense and help them become a reality. Plus, these businesses and resources are being connected to the companies and resources from all the previous NISP Canada workshops. By growing this network, additional matches and new business opportunities are identified and can be pursued.

  • Open Data

    Open data refers to the release of municipal data, with an open licence, which is free of charge for anyone to use and reuse for any purpose.

    Open data is provided in accessible formats, meaning that it is machine readable and is structured in a logical way. For numerical tabular files (spreadsheets), some common open formats include XLS or CSV. For text files, common formats include TXT.

    Our datasets are sourced directly from the City of New Westminster Departments and can be tabular (tables of data) or spatial (based on mapping files).

    For answers to some other questions around open data, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

  • Economic Development Office
    T 604-527-4536
    E