President
British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)

Situated on Canada's Pacific Coast in the province of British Columbia, Metro Vancouver contains some of North America’s most beautiful cities, with breathtaking landscapes, cultural vibrancy, and bustling economic activity. Vancouver is also the largest metropolitan centre in Western Canada with a total population of 2.7 million. Comprised of several unique municipalities, Metro Vancouver, also referred to as Greater Vancouver, is truly a unique and rewarding place to live and build a career.

Having garnered a reputation as one of the most liveable cities in the world, Vancouver has seen a surge in its international profile in recent years. The city ranks third on Mercer’s Quality of Living City Ranking 2019 behind Vienna and Zurich, making it the only non-European city in the global Top 10. Natural surroundings offer limitless opportunities for outdoor pursuits such as hiking and mountain biking in the summer and skiing at nearby Whistler Blackcomb in the winter.

Vancouver has a rich and diverse culture that is a combination of the Pacific Northwest outdoor lifestyle, Indigenous heritage, and Asian influence. Its multiculturalism is reflected in character neighbourhoods and a lively food and dining scene.

BCIT’s main campus is located in Burnaby, immediately to the east of the City of Vancouver. It is the third-largest city in British Columbia by population, surpassed only by nearby Surrey and Vancouver. Situated between the city of Vancouver on the west and Port Moody, Coquitlam, and New Westminster on the east, Burnaby is further bounded by Burrard Inlet and the Fraser River on the north and south respectively. Burnaby is at the geographical centre of the Metro Vancouver area.

Incorporated in 1892, Burnaby achieved City status in 1992, one hundred years after incorporation. It is the seat of the Greater Vancouver Regional District's government, the board of which calls itself Metro Vancouver.

The SkyTrain rapid transit system, based in Burnaby, crosses the city from east to west in two places: the Expo Line (completed in 1986) crosses the south along Kingsway and the Millennium Line (completed in 2002) follows Lougheed Highway. The Evergreen extension (completed in 2016) to the Millennium line now connects Burnaby with the cities of Port Moody and Coquitlam. The SkyTrain has encouraged closer connections to those cities in addition to New Westminster, Vancouver, and Surrey, as well as dense urban development at Lougheed Town Centre on the city's eastern border, at Brentwood Town Centre in the centre-west, and most notably at Metrotown in the south.

Major technology firms such as Electronic Arts, Ballard Power Systems and TELUS base their operations in Burnaby, as well as heavy industry including Chevron Corporation and Petro-Canada petroleum refineries. Other companies such as Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Pacific Blue Cross, Stemcell Technologies, and Microserve have significant facilities in Burnaby as well.

The city features high density residential areas, major commercial town centres, rapid transit, high technology research and business parks, film production studios such as The Bridge Studios, TV stations such as Global TV, and comprehensive industrial estates.

School District 41 is responsible for the public schools in Burnaby. It also has a Community and Adult Education Department, and an International Students' Programme. Burnaby is also home to one other post-secondary institute, with the main campus of Simon Fraser University situated atop Burnaby Mountain.

For more information on Vancouver, please visit: www.hellobc.com and www.tourismburnaby.com.