B.C premier announces support for bid to have NATO bank HQ in Vancouver

British Columbia Premier David Eby announced the province’s support of a private-sector company’s bid to have a NATO bank headquarters in Vancouver on Monday.

The Defence, Security, and Resilience Bank aims to finance projects relating to those issues in the country, and would create about 3,500 new jobs, Eby says.

Greater Vancouver Board of Trade CEO Bridgitte Anderson says the bank is not just a financial institution, but a vital security instrument.

“Locating the bank in Vancouver would provide the institution with a strategic advantage, given that we serve as a tri-continental bridge, connecting the Indo-Pacific, Europe, and the Arctic Channel,” she said.

Vancouver isn’t the only Canadian city with a bid to host the headquarters; Toronto and Montreal are putting forward proposals as well. Vancouver’s bid is being led by the Pacific Security Bank Bid Committee, which includes local business leaders.

Eby says B.C. is the “economic engine” of the new Canadian economy, and the province is ready to host a global institution of this scale.

In addition, Eby says the province also intends to make a “generational investment” in trades training in the upcoming provincial budget, which will be tabled Feb. 17.

More to come.

Editor’s note: a previous version of the story stated Eby had announced the province’s bid to have a NATO bank HQ in Vancouver. In fact, the announcement related to the province’s support for a private-sector company’s bid.