Series S148 - Economic Development Office general files

Council established the Industrial Development Office on October 25, 1977 to advise Council on economic matters and to act as industry liaison to promote economic growth. It was soon renamed the Economic Development Office. A manager was appointed in April 1978, at which time the Office also became the secretariat of the Vancouver Economic Advisory Commission.

The July 1978 goals of the Economic Development Office were: to assist City Council and departments with economic development matters; to assist the business community and attract new business; and to encourage governments, companies, and agencies to optimize Vancouver's economic assets.

Primary activities 1978-1995 included advisory and organizational services to City Council and others for the numerous economic missions of the 1980s (including sister city relations with Yokohama, Los Angeles, and Guangzhou, in particular), assisting with reciprocal delegations touring Vancouver, providing Vancouver economic information dissemination to interested local, national, and international parties (including prospective immigrants from Hong Kong during the 1980s), and providing economic development expertise to local organizations as well as businesses. In April 1994 the Economic Development Office became one of the City's programs to face elimination as part of the "budget management program". The Office subsequently closed on October 31, 1995.