BC Industry and Government Mingle at Bioenergy and Bioproducts Reception in Victoria

LifeSciences BC was pleased to co-host with the BC Innovation Council a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Reception in Victoria on December 11th, 2008.

This was a wonderful opportunity for representatives from industry and government, including The Honourable Ida Chong, Minister of Technology, Trade and Economic Development, and the LifeSciences BC BioProducts and Bioenergy Advisory Committee, Board of Directors and members, to come together and connect for this year-end networking opportunity. Richard Hallman of the BC Innovation Council welcomed the gathering, and Mossadiq Umedaly, Chair of the Board of BC Hydro and new LSBC Silver Sponsor officially welcomed Minister Chong, while noting BC Hydro’s commitment to finding new bioenergy sources for BC.

During her remarks, Minister Chong further commented on the importance of bioenergy initiatives to the province, and noted that for BC, “the future is green.” The provincial government is committed to the Climate Action Plan and 33% Greenhouse Gas reduction by 2020. In this light, the Minister noted some great successes in 2008, including the highly successful Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotech and BioEnergy international conference held in Vancouver in September; and the province’s $60M Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) fund to accelerate the development of new energy technologies that have the potential to solve real, every day energy and environmental issues, and create socio-economic benefits for all British Columbians. She added that the future energy needs of Asia Pacific countries such as India and Korea present a golden opportunity for BC – an opportunity that can only be realized through continued networking amongst industry and the research community who together drive innovation in our province.

Ian Thomson, LSBC Board member and President of Canadian Bioenergy Corp. was also on-hand to officially thank the Minister and publicly recognize the leadership role the BC government has played in supporting the development of the bioproducts and bioenergy sector.

With the reception being so successful and well-received by all in attendance, many of whom were able to make valuable new contacts and/or reconnect with colleagues, LifeSciences BC looks forward to making this an annual event.