B.C.’s newly appointed minister of jobs, economic development, and innovation, Diana Gibson, says that she has tech top-of-mind for her new economic agenda.

“I think it's important to know that the tech sector doesn't stand outside of our economy as a separate piece, but is a real partner in a lot of what we do across our economy,” Gibson told the Vancouver Tech Journal. “Innovation is critical to us moving forward in terms of bringing investment in and creating companies and products [...] Certainly innovation in the tech sector is what I consider one of the critical pillars of what we do."

The minister was officially sworn into her new role on November 18, and brings extensive experience as an award-winning community builder and entrepreneur. Previously, she worked as the executive director of the Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria, a non-profit that collaborates with members, businesses, and governments to address social issues and promote equity, sustainability, and economic progress. 

Gibson also co-founded The Firelight Group, the largest Indigenous-owned consulting firm in Canada. It started, she told the Vancouver Tech Journal, as a working group to mobilize technology to support communities with research, economic development, and governance. Notably, the outfit created a mapping workshop in 2014 that offered tools to lay out locations for hunting, gathering, trapping, and fishing. Held in-person and virtually, these sessions brought together over 500 participants who passed on what they learned to their communities.

“[The mapping workshop] did open-source work with Google that was then shared with and trained Indigenous [communities] globally, and has really accelerated the work that they could do,” Gibson shared. “So, I understand the value and importance of technology in not just new sectors but also existing sectors across all areas of our work, like our traditional resource economy.”

When asked about her top agenda items, Gibson emphasized building on the “strong vision” set by her predecessor, Brenda Bailey, who now serves as the province’s minister of finance. The areas that Bailey focused on during her tenure included tackling the shortage of tech talent, increasing diversity in the sector, and advancing agtech and biotech innovation — particularly to support medical advancements and improve food security.

“I think [the jobs, economic development, and innovation ministry has] been really punching above its weight in terms of delivering for the province,” she said. “The priority is to continue to support all of the different departments and the work that's being done by our partners out in the community and in business, to continue to innovate, thrive, and strengthen the areas where B.C. shows advantages, and to harness and leverage new opportunities."

Since her election, Gibson has been engaging with local leaders to learn more about the province’s advantages and where the biggest pathways lie. Recently, she met with Mitacs, a non-profit fostering collaboration between academia, industry, and government to drive innovation; Stemcell, Canada’s largest biotechnology company; and Digital, an organization advancing the development and adoption of local technologies.

“I want to meet with a lot more to understand where some of those priorities are, how we can work with the tech sector to really leverage, like I said, our strengths and harness opportunities together. Certainly, Web Summit is one of the big opportunities coming in terms of bringing all those pieces together [...] We're really looking forward to that and engaging with our partners around how we can maximize the opportunities in and out of Web Summit.”

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