Coquitlam_

COQUITLAM, BRITISH COLUMBIA The made-to-order transit con- nection is the Evergreen Exten- sion–a massive transit expansion that brought SkyTrain rapid transit into Coquitlam, linking it to Van- couver and other surrounding cities.The benefit of this extensive undertaking is already evident, as it has already exceeded the rider estimate since opening last December.“It’s had a huge impact already,” says Hind.“We expect this to be even bigger moving forward.” The line was not built simply to assist the existing commuters, but also strategically developed to attract young professionals, entrepreneurs, and small busi- nesses into this new exciting hub. “This gives us a great opportunity to open up our community not only to a labor force,” says David Munro,Manager of Economic Development,“but also to other businesses like tech, finance, and professional services.” What makes this growth so unique and important for future generations is that the community and government came together with a vision for growth: create an exciting city center, develop a hub for innovation and entrepreneur- AT A GLANCE COQUITLAM, BRITISH COLUMBIA WHAT: A city of 140,000 WHERE: Southern British Columbia, east of Vancouver WEBSITE: www.coquitlam.ca ship, promote a hot housing market, and then connect the dots at lightning speed- all while creating new jobs for residents. “This is a prime example–whether it’s city, provincial, or federal government (or a combination of all three)” continues Munro,“of public investment leading to private investment, and putting that investment into infrastructure that makes it attractive to businesses.We have a significant amount of home- based businesses, located primarily in lower density areas. By creating co-working spaces and a tech accelerator,we’re giving small businesses the opportunity to easily grow their business to the point where they’ll need office space.” Businesses are already shouting their success from the roof- tops due to the calculated planning and investment and fo- cused economic development programs by City Hall’s team.