Donald Trump is not at this year’s Cascadia Innovation Corridor conference in Portland, Oregon, but his shadow is.
The annual conference brings together business and government leaders from B.C., Washington and Oregon to discuss topics of mutual interest for the Cascadia economic zone.
As usual, a high-speed rail proposal that would connect Vancouver, Seattle and Portland is on the agenda this year, as is housing, trade, immigration and economic cooperation.
And casting a shadow over it all is an array of Donald Trump policies that may have implications for the kind of economic cooperation that the Cascadia Innovation Corridor tries to foster.
“It’s a water-cooler topic for sure in a lot of individual conversations, just waiting to see what the Trump administration is going to do on all of those fronts, whether it’s immigration, trade tariffs, or clean energy,” said Bridgitte Anderson, CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade (GVBOT) – just one of the B.C. business organizations attending the annual summit.
Seattle and Washington have strong trade ties, particularly in high tech. They also share some similar challenges.
“This Cascadia corridor is home to nearly 17 million people,” Anderson said. “Our combined GDP is $600 billion. So we are always trying to find ways to increase collaboration and to ensure that there are more opportunities, whether we’re talking about trade, or tourism and learning from one another for some of the challenges that we have, like housing, which is the main focus of this conference this year.
“Conferences like this are incredibly important for the relationship building and the opportunities of more collaboration throughout the Cascadia corridor. And it couldn’t be more important, given the changes in the administration in the U.S., and anticipated changes in policy like 10 per cent tariffs across the board, etcetera.”
A recent report coinciding with the conference estimates 3 million new homes are needed in the Cascadia region over the next two decades.
“Whether you live in British Columbia, Washington or Oregon, you’re seeing it very clearly that we have the same kinds of challenges and then solutions we can all use to address these challenges,” Anderson said. “The focus over the last day or so has been about how we can learn from one another for the common challenges around permitting and zoning."
As always, a proposed high-speed train connecting Vancouver, Seattle and Portland is also on the agenda this year.
The Cascadia Ultra-High-Speed Ground Transportation Project has been estimated to cost $27 billion and $42 billion. At speeds to 250 kilometres per hour, it would shuttle people between Vancouver and Seattle in one hour.
“This is a region – certainly one that we see as a mega-region – where there would be great opportunity for high-speed rail,” Anderson said. “People could live a little farther from their job, and have more access to affordable housing. It could mean more job growth, it is better for the environment. It is also fantastic for tourism. Think if we had high-speed rail when Web Summit is coming to Vancouver for the next three years, or FIFA in 2026, when we’ve got games up and down the corridor.”
The Joe Biden administration has earmarked funding for a feasibility study for the project.
“It is interesting to note that the United States is investing in high-speed rail under the Biden administration,” Anderson said. “It’s unclear whether this will be a priority for the new administration.”
