Burnaby impresses with its flourishing town centres, diverse business community, strong economic growth and abundance of natural beauty

Burnaby has often been described as a world-class city, and its prominence in the 21st century is such that many people accept that description at face value.

But it begs the question: what makes a city world class? What makes it a place where people of all backgrounds want to live, where businesses want to operate and tourists want to visit?

Although no two great cities are alike and therefore many ingredients differ, three key elements are unalterable. In no particular order, a world-class city of large geographical size must have distinct and thriving town centres. It must have a dynamic business component, with a mix of internationally renowned companies and homegrown firms. Equally important, government and the private sector must be actively engaged in enhancing not only the physical landscape of the city, but also making the most of its cultural, lifestyle and heritage elements.

Of course, it also helps if a city is located in the midst of visual splendour and has easy and plentiful access to other locales.

Burnaby, which is the third-largest city in B.C. with a population of 238,000 and growing, has all of this in spades—which is why of the 21 municipalities, one treaty First Nation and one electoral area comprising Metro Vancouver it is attracting young families, new and established businesses, and everything in between like a magnet.

Incorporated in 1892, Burnaby has come a long way from the days when its mayor, Derek Corrigan, was a boy in East Vancouver.

“The world ended at the Joyce transit loop, because that’s where the city of Vancouver trolleys ended their trip,” Mayor Corrigan recalls. It [Burnaby] has also evolved light years beyond its reputation in the 1960s as “the suburb of happy homes,” according to promotional material of that era.





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Today, Burnaby is home to instantly familiar corporate players in the technology and entertainment sectors, two highly-respected post-secondary educational institutions, two rapid transit lines, strong industry clusters with enormous growth potential and an array of amenities that, combined with many cultural components, contribute to a welcoming community for a populace that speaks no less than 85 different languages.

“Burnaby has recognized that great cities are borne out of solid plans,” says Mayor Corrigan. “The city has long been known for its abundant parkland, vibrant economy, diversity of neighbourhoods and overall quality of life. To protect and develop those attributes, twenty years ago we worked with citizens to develop an Official Community Plan that has resulted in the Burnaby we all enjoy today—a city that embraces diversity, supports business, protects neighbourhoods and ensures abundant opportunities to live, work, learn and play right here in the city.”

Just slightly smaller in size than Vancouver, Burnaby is one of Metro Vancouver’s most topographically diverse municipalities, bordered to the south by the Fraser River and to the north by the long arm of the Burrard Inlet (with the North Shore mountains providing a spectacular backdrop). The skyline of Vancouver lies west, and the house-dotted hills of Coquitlam lie east. Literally, Burnaby is in the centre of all the action.

Burnaby’s four town centres—Metrotown, Lougheed, Brentwood and Edmonds—are visually distinct, each providing a special ambiance and bustling in the best sense of the word.

The products from companies in these centres are enjoyed around the world, from the games produced by Electronic Arts to the television and movies made in Bridge Studios and other motion picture/post-production studios. Outside the entertainment realm, companies such as Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers are equally important in their own right, the heavy equipment auctioneer having evolved to employ 1,500 people internationally. Ballard Power Systems and Glentel are just two more of the many Burnaby-located firms that are recognizable to the average Canadian.

Small business thrives thanks to helpful civic policies established by the City and entities such as the Burnaby Board of Trade (BBOT), the city’s innovative, triple-bottom-line business association that enables business, non-profits and academia to congregate to learn, network and engage on the issues facing the community and opportunities for growth. As any number of breweries, consultancies, retail stores, restaurants and other enterprises can attest, there is no end of innovative companies that provide unique services, a case in point being PLC Electronic Solutions, a robotics systems manufacturer that is heavily involved in the aerospace industry.

If all this sounds to an outsider like Burnaby is driven merely by the desire to grow its entrepreneurial base, then consider the enormous body of creative talent that has been nurtured within its geographical boundaries. The list includes players it has sent to the NHL (like Cliff Ronning, Karl Alzner and “Burnaby Joe” Sakic), Canadian soccer legend Christine Sinclair and also luminaries to the Hollywood scene (Michael J. Fox and Carrie-Anne Moss) and music (Michael Bublé, currently the world’s most popular jazz crooner).

But all of this activity and achievement wouldn’t have happened if, at the end of the day, Burnaby wasn’t also a great place in which to hang out, have fun and recharge one’s batteries. Over the years it has carefully evolved so that wherever people wander, they’re never far from green space: 25 per cent of its total land mass is preserved as parkland, and a system of biking/walking trails weaves through its 98.6 square kilometres. In fact, so skillfully have city council and staff balanced development with lifestyle considerations (which is undoubtedly the single biggest challenge facing any region in the 21st century) that Maclean’s magazine recognized Burnaby as Canada’s Best-Run City.

You don’t have to go far to find someone willing to wax enthusiastic about Burnaby, but Mayor Corrigan summarizes his city the best by stating, “I’m confident that our many successes in Burnaby and the ongoing exceptional contributions of our citizens, business leaders and non-profits—all supported by our dedicated city staff—will ensure that our future is even more promising than its proud and remarkable past.”