Overview
- Provincial leaders unveiled a 10-year agenda through 2035 that targets $200 billion in private-sector capital across marine, aerospace, life sciences, AI and quantum, critical minerals, energy, agriculture, and trade infrastructure.
- Officials set a goal to secure 35% of federal defence-vessel contracts by 2035, citing partnerships with firms such as Seaspan and positioning for submarine maintenance and potential corvette production work.
- Near-term actions include more than $10 million from the B.C. Manufacturing Jobs Fund for companies including Mangrove Lithium and COTA Aviation, plus $33 million for UBC’s Immuno-Engineering and Biomanufacturing Hub.
- The strategy promises faster permitting and a larger talent pipeline, with trades-training funding to double by 2028/29 and a K‑12 advisory group exploring AI skills, while B.C. also prepares a 400‑MW data-centre bidding process.
- The rollout follows Ottawa moving two B.C. projects to the federal Major Projects Office and comes as business groups flag large provincial deficits and unsettled Indigenous land-title rulings as risks to investment certainty.