Following is a letter to Burnaby residents from Mayor Mike Hurley
At this time of year, many families across the City are thinking about their personal finances - catching up after the holidays, reviewing household budgets, and planning for the year ahead. It’s usually a moment to pause, and think carefully about both stability but also the future.
This week the City of Burnaby is going through the same process, with our new Task Force on Economic Growth and Resilience convening for the first time later today, marking an important step as we strengthen Burnaby’s economic foundation and ensure sustainable growth for years to come.
We’re bringing together 15 local business and community leaders to spend six months assessing the local economy before providing City Council with actionable recommendations that enhance long-term resilience, foster innovation, support business success, and inform updates to the Economic Development Strategy.
So as the Task Force begins its work, this snapshot of Burnaby’s economy at the start of 2026 sets out the context they are working from…
We are one of the province’s fastest-growing cities
Burnaby is one of the fastest-growing cities in British Columbia. Between 2020 and 2024, our population increased by 15.6 per cent - that’s more than 40,000 new residents. That growth rate exceeds the provincial average of 10.1 per cent and is nearly double that of Vancouver over the same period. Among large Lower Mainland municipalities, only Surrey grew faster.
Projections show Burnaby continuing to grow steadily, outpacing most nearby communities through the end of the decade, with some of the strongest year-over-year increases expected in 2027 and 2028.
This growth brings opportunity. A larger population means a bigger workforce, a stronger customer base for local businesses, and increased interest from investors. But it also brings pressure - on employment space, transportation, infrastructure, and public services. Ensuring our economy grows alongside our population is essential if we want to maintain the quality of life Burnaby is known for.
We are preparing locally for a shifting global economy
Burnaby’s growth is unfolding amid significant global and national economic change. Businesses are navigating supply-chain disruptions, rising costs, trade uncertainty, evolving tariffs and rapid technological advances. Artificial intelligence, automation, and data infrastructure are reshaping how work is done across nearly every sector.
These shifts are already influencing key industries in Burnaby. Advanced manufacturing tied to semiconductors and electronic components is well positioned for growth, driven by medical technologies and AI-enabled devices. Digital industries are expanding alongside streaming platforms, cloud computing, and data-intensive services.
At the same time, global competition and low-cost imports are placing pressure on margins in manufacturing and technology-driven sectors.
While global forces are beyond the control of any municipality, local preparedness is not. Economic resilience means supporting businesses so they can adapt, invest in innovation, and retain talent. This broader context is a key reason the Task Force is beginning its work now.
Our local economy is diverse and strong
Burnaby enters this period from a position of strength. Our economy is both diverse and specialized, with a high concentration of knowledge-based and advanced industries compared to the provincial average.
Between 2021 and 2025, Burnaby added more than 16,000 jobs, with professional, scientific and technical services emerging as the city’s largest employment sector, followed closely by retail trade and construction, with education and public administration providing significant anchor employment. Burnaby also remains a major employment centre within the Lower Mainland, acting as a net recipient of labour with more workers commuting into the city than out, underscoring its role as a regional hub for jobs across professional services, construction, health care, and education.
This diversity helps insulate the local economy from downturns in any one area while creating opportunities for cross-sector innovation. It also means Burnaby is well positioned to adapt as industries evolve - provided we plan carefully and remove barriers that limit business growth.
Two major economic engines stand out
Two sectors in particular stand out as major economic engines for Burnaby - they are life sciences and digital media and entertainment.
Life sciences employ approximately 16,700 people in Burnaby, accounting for about 10 per cent of all jobs in the city. Burnaby represents roughly 13 per cent of all life sciences employment in Greater Vancouver and eight per cent province-wide.
Why Task Forces work and the plan for Burnaby’s Economic Growth and Resilience
The sector includes manufacturing, research, and health-related services, with especially strong concentrations in semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing, medical equipment and supplies, and navigational and control instruments.
Advances in microprocessors and artificial intelligence are expected to continue driving growth in these areas, particularly as demand for medical technologies increases with an aging population.
Digital media and entertainment employ about 9,500 people locally, or roughly six per cent of Burnaby’s workforce. Nearly one-third of those jobs are in motion picture and video production, supported by the ongoing expansion of streaming platforms. Software publishing, data processing, web hosting, and computing infrastructure also play a significant role, with employment concentrations well above the provincial average.
Across both sectors, technology is the common thread - enabling productivity, innovation, and new opportunities across the economy.
Our growth aligns and includes everyone
Burnaby’s strongest industries align closely with regional and provincial priorities in areas such as biotechnology, health, digital media, and advanced technology. Combined with Burnaby’s central location in the Lower Mainland and strong transit connectivity, this alignment strengthens our ability to attract investment and talent while working collaboratively with partners across Metro Vancouver and British Columbia.
At the same time, long-term economic resilience depends on inclusion.
Burnaby is one of the most diverse cities in Canada. Visible minorities make up more than two-thirds of the population, immigrants account for over half of all residents, and Burnaby sits on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and Kwikwetlem First Nations.
Despite Burnaby’s strengths, persistent economic inequities remain. Indigenous peoples across British Columbia continue to face significant income and employment gaps. Many newcomers experience barriers to having their skills fully recognized, and racialized communities report ongoing challenges related to employment, housing, and access to services.
At the same time, these communities contribute enormously to Burnaby’s economy through entrepreneurship, cultural vitality, and labour-force participation. As the Task Force begins its work, applying an inclusive lens will be essential to ensuring economic growth translates into real benefits across the entire city.
Podcast Episode 3: Japanese-Canadian Leadership and Legacy in Burnaby – with Henry Wakabayashi and Ken Shinozaki
