American Chamber of Commerce in Canada West

Oilpatch woes boost Calgary’s downtown office vacancy rates to record levels. Five reasons why industry could find Calgary as a lucrative destination: 1 - Compared to Toronto and Vancouver downtown office space is half the cost.... 2 - Alberta’s tax rate decrease last year to 23% for large companies is much lower than 26.5% in Ontario and 27% in BC. 3 - A family working for a Calgary company can own a wonderful home in Calgary for under $500K within 20 minutes of downtown compared to $1-2 million for a house in Toronto or Vancouver within 20 minutes of downtown. 4 Skilled workforce available. 5 - Families have access to the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, BC and Montana all within 4 hours where recreational properties can be acquired for less than $400K.

Calgary based Symend just raised an additional US $43 million. The plan is to hire hundreds of more people to keep up with the rapid growth of their AI and fintech business.

Cargojet raises C$350 Million to pursue U.S and International Growth Strategy Cargojet is one of the largest cargo shipping airline companies in Canada, and focuses on shipping cargo shipments across Canada. It is now looking to expand to the U.S.

Electric car sales grew by 43% and conventional car sales decreased by 14% in 2020. This is a landmark shift in car sales as for the first time we see a transition in customer preferences. The sale is championed by Tesla and Volkswagen (dominating the European market). VW’s EV car boosted Germany’s EV sales by 254%. The scale and speed of EV adoption in Europe is unprecedented in history. Lithium is now a critical metal for Europe. In September 2020, the EU added lithium to ...its Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) list, warning of the need for a continuous flow of lithium supply for zero-emission mobility. Europe is investing billions, including $3.9 billion (3.2 billion euros) approved for the EU’s first battery subsidies with seven countries to catch up to Asian competitors. Additional $3.5 billion (2.9 billion euros) in its second battery-related European Battery Innovation project approved by the European Commission in 2021. And $9.2 billion (7.6 billion euros) in EU structural funds to support innovative battery projects under the Smart Specialization Platform. How can Canada position itself to be a global leader in the EV market and a leading supplier of high quality lithium for EV batteries? Comment below!

Superb growth in Canadian cannabis sales for 2020 as it tallies $2.6 billion up 120 % from 2019. Canada sells over $298M of legal cannabis in December 2020. This is the biggest monthly jump in national sales since legalization. For Alberta Sales of legal cannabis in Alberta for December 2020 has increased 18%. ... Manitoba - For the December 2020, Manitoba sold cannabis worth $11.1 million. An increase of 14% from the previous month. International - This works great as Mexico is steadily working towards the Marijuana Legalization Bill. Although medical cannabis was legalized in 2017, but not allowed to be sold domestically until 2021, Former President of Mexico Vincent Fox expects that marijuana sale will be legalized in Mexico by year end. This will open up great opportunities for Canadian cannabis companies considering Mexico’s population of 129 million people (4 times the size of Canadian market).

FREE WEBINAR A New President, A New Congress, and COVID-19 Canada / US Immigration MEET THE SPEAKER R. Oliver Branch JD ... US Immigration Lawyer, Immigration Practice Lead Moodys Tax With more than a decade of substantial experience playing key roles in some of the world’s leading immigration law firms and international global mobility consulting groups, Oliver is uniquely qualified to provide US legal advice in all areas of US immigration law and related global mobility services. He has extensive experience in assisting organizations, from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies across varying industries, in developing and maintaining successful global immigration and global mobility programs. Register for the Webinar Here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/a-new-president-a-new-congress-

Have you registered for our FREE WEBINAR? We are hosting experts from Moodys Tax and Zemp Law Group to discuss the new administration in the USA! Click the link to register!

Platform Calgary starts the Alberta Yield program to foster innovation-driven agriculture technology or Agri Food Venture. This 8-week program will help establish your product or service, grow your business, increase your networks and access investment. The program is offered in partnership with Bioenterprise Corporation Canada & TEC Edmonton.

FREE WEBINAR A New President, A New Congress, and COVID-19 Canada / US Immigration MEET THE MODERATOR Kevin Kirkpatrick... Moodys Tax Kevin is called as a lawyer in both the United States and Canada. He practices in the area of cross-border tax planning including work with wills, trusts, and estates; immigration; U.S. citizenship renunciations and permanent residency terminations; tax compliance and voluntary disclosures; purchase and sale of U.S. real estate; and businesses expanding into the U.S. market. Register for the Webinar Here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/a-new-president-a-new-congress-

Yukon announces new Mineral Development Strategy Mining industry loves having greater clarity in regulations. Yukon’s new Mineral Development Strategy is welcome news for industry as it centers on metals used in the green economy, having better engagement with First Nations, streamlining regulatory process to avoid duplication and making Yukon attractive for mineral investments.

Canada hosts the largest percentage of gold resources by country four times more than the second largest country. Canada hosts 66 million ounces of gold, and as commodity analysts expect the price of gold to reach $2300 this year. This presents a marvelous opportunity for prospecting and exploring mineral prospects in Canada. And it is expected that the higher gold price will show greater consolidation in the mining space.