Currents

Business columnists are all abuzz with hype over the potential shift from US tech companies outsourcing overseas to near-shoring right here in Vancouver.

Somehow, the column seems a little dated. Just a few months after Microsoft’s much-talked-about expansion into our Pacific Rim metropolis, the Canada-US exchange rate has moved up to par.

One leg of the near-shoring rationale has already collapsed. The other - similarity of culture, quality of work and shorter travel times - seemed pretty wobbly to begin with. Surely there are at least as many qualified American professional geeks as Vancouver-based ones.

At this point, our one saving grace - and it’s a big one - is that Vancouver is quite possibly the nicest place in the world to live, and will likely remain so in future. Hopefully, that’s enough to ensure our high tech industry clusters have a chance to thrive.

Microsoft is setting up shop in Vancouver. Who knew the brain drain could work both ways?

Thanks, American immigration bureaucrats. If you don’t want to give green cards and work visas to smart and talented people, we’ll happily take them over here.

Just one more addition to Vancouver’s high-tech cluster. Keep ‘em coming!