Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson says he wants to launch a series of TED spinoff events to engage the public and showcase Vancouver’s innovation economy.

He is working to imbue a “Vancouver flavour” into the 2014 and 2015 TED conferences, whether “on our streets” or by creating opportunities “for our businesses to access the incredible leadership that shows up,” Robertson said told the Vancouver Board of Trade Wednesday.

He is also looking for opportunities to “make sure around the city, people can experience TED simulcasts.”

While the mayor was short on specifics, TED spinoff events were among a series of measures that he said will help Vancouver focus on what he sees as a critical need to shift to becoming a “city of innovation.”

“In the rush to talk about hard hats, we can’t forget to talk about hard drives,” he said.

Local technology company growth is now limited by a lack of local talent, he said, and urgent action is needed to better match post-secondary education seats with technology company needs.

Vancouver’s critical shortage isn’t in skilled trades but in software engineers and computer science graduates, Robertson said.

The Vancouver Economic Commission, now led by CEO Ian Mackay, is working on a new innovation capital fund that will seek to match private funds and attract more capital to boost Vancouver’s most promising start-ups, he said.

“I want to ensure that our start-ups have access to local capital and make sure that Vancouver ideas turn into Vancouver companies, not Vancouver expats,” he said. The commission is expected to introduce the fund in coming months.

Robertson emphasized the need to shift Vancouver’s focus to renewable energy.

“The resource economy is part of this city’s DNA, but we need to show real leadership in how we approach that economy,” he said. “There’s nothing smart about shipping jobs overseas with every barrel of oil.”

He said oil and gas companies in the U.S., Europe and Asia are diversifying into renewable energy far more than Canadian companies, and investors are shifting their capital accordingly.

Three years ago, worldwide private capital investments in renewable energy reached $187 billion, or $30 billion more than investments in electricity using fossil fuels.

“But in Canada, we’re missing the market signals,” Robertson said. “Renewable energy isn’t just a future, but the future — and perhaps the defining market opportunity of this generation.”

Robertson reiterated the need for improved transit along the busy Broadway corridor and spoke of other City of Vancouver measures to move the city toward better supporting innovation.

These include a new low-carbon industrial zone in False Creek Flats; new district “energy systems” from downtown to the Cambie corridor to provide stable low-cost renewable energy; a review of zoning and permitting to create more opportunity for local business; a Property Tax Commission examination of the balance between business and residential property taxes; and a request for proposals for a city app to provide smartphone access to City Hall 24/7.

jennylee@vancouversun.com