FISH AND CHIPS
HERE ’ S A FEW THINGS YOU probably never knew about Victoria , the capital city of British Columbia . It is one of the sunniest places in the country ; the population of Greater Victoria is 367,000 , and Condé Nast named Victoria city as ‘ Canada ’ s Best City to Live in for Women ’. The location on the southern tip of Vancouver Island makes it Western Canada ’ s most southern city , and its Mediterranean climate makes it a popular tourist destination . Victoria is popular with boaters , with its rugged shorelines and beaches and National Geographic recognised Vancouver Island as one of the best cold-water diving destinations on the planet .
Named after Queen Victoria , the city is famous for its landmark historic buildings . Victoria has also been a destination for numerous high-profile international events , including the 47th ICCA Congress . But it is advanced technology where the city dominates : Victoria ' s largest revenue-producing private industry with more than $ 3bn in annual revenues . The city is home to nearly 900 tech companies which employ over 15,000 direct employees . Add in Canada ' s highest household internet usage , three post-secondary institutions , eight federal research labs , and Canada ' s Pacific Navy , and it ’ s evident that Victoria has the elements required for a vibrant technological sector .
Ocean and marine technology are real strong suits and Victoria ' s reputation for innovative research has helped attract many specialist conferences related to the sector .
The seas have a massive impact on the region ’ s strategic appeal . Ocean-oriented activities in British Columbia account for 1 in 12 dollars of GDP . Not surprisingly , the strategy is to grow and protect this sector . In 2019 , Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced an annual investment of CAD $ 1.5m to support the Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System ( CIOOS ), with additional funding from the Marine Environmental Observation ,
Above left : Victoria is popular with boaters because of its rugged shoreline
Right : Finding and analysing ocean data is part of Victoria ' s expertise
Prediction and Response Network ( MEOPAR ). The objective is to make ocean data “ findable , accessible , interoperable and re-usable ”.
The theme of sustainability is also apparent , initiatives between regional universities and the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions involving a team of international researchers is exploring how to turn the ‘ greenhouse gas ’ carbon dioxide into rock by permanently injecting it beneath the Earth ’ s ocean floor . The project team includes scientists , engineers and social scientists from the University of Victoria , the University of British Columbia , among other international partners .
Last year also saw a partnership between Ocean Exploration and Research ( OER ) and Ocean Networks Canada ( ONC ) to implement SeaTubeV2 , a webbased annotation interface for ROV operations on expeditions aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer . The SeaTubeV2 serves as the digital equivalent to the scientist ' s logbook ; It is used by shipboard and shore-side cruise participants to log real-time observations on a wide variety of topics .
Local business schools are
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