~ Opportunity abounds for investors, entrepreneurs, and growth-oriented businesses ~
Standing tall between the mountains and the rivers, just north of the Canada-USA border, and only minutes from the Pacific Ocean, you’ll find Maple Ridge, British Columbia. And, from Maple Ridge, you’re within easy driving distance (or a train ride) of two host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – Vancouver and Seattle.
The City of Maple Ridge boasts a diversified local economy anchored by advanced manufacturing, professional services, technology, construction, and the creative industries. In fact, you’ve probably already seen Maple Ridge on a TV or movie screen near you; we’re British Columbia’s fourth busiest centre for on-location shooting of movies, TV shows, movies-of-the-week, and commercials. Businesses in all sectors are attracted by our lower business costs, affordable real estate, skilled local workforce, and the high quality of life available to residents.
Home to 90,990 residents and more than 5,000 businesses of all types, sizes, and sectors, Maple Ridge is at the junction of city and country, the forests and sea, and today and tomorrow. The larger Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley regions are home to more than three million people, with another eight million just across the border in the Cascadia region, including Seattle and Portland.
Maple Ridge has one of the fastest growing and youngest populations in the region (10.6% population increase from 2016 to 2021), and just over two-thirds of residents are in their prime working years (age 15-64). Median after-tax household income of C$92,000 is higher than that in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montréal. With top-quality K-12 schools and access to more than a dozen public universities and colleges, Maple Ridge’s residents are highly skilled and willing to learn.
One of the jewels in Maple Ridge’s crown is the University of British Columbia’s Malcolm Knapp Research Forest, a 5157-hectare working forest established in 1949 that is home to research, demonstration, and education in the field of forestry and allied sciences. To date, more than 1000 research projects have been conducted, with 100 active projects underway at any given time. Beyond the research function, the Forest also hosts recreational trails, retreat lodging and facilities, and serves to protect fish, water, soil, biodiversity, community values, and traditional Indigenous uses. (www.mkrf.forestry.ubc.ca)
CITY ON THE MOVE
Maple Ridge and area are connected to the world through easy access to a regional airport for easy business jet access (CYPK), two international airports (Vancouver and Abbotsford), three transcontinental railways, Canada’s largest and most diversified seaport, modern highways with more than 15 million people within one day’s drive, and gigabit broadband internet service reaching almost every commercial, industrial, and residential property.
Transit times for cargo from Maple Ridge to the rest of the world are shorter than other West Coast regions thanks to geography and extensive sea and air connections. From the Port of Vancouver, markets across the Indo-Pacific region can be reached more quickly and cost effectively compared to US ports. Through Vancouver International Airport, flights depart each day to more than 100 destinations across North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania.
From Maple Ridge, your business can connect to anywhere — including 1.5 billion consumers in 51 countries with which Canada has trade agreements — from one of the most picturesque corners of the globe, where you golf and downhill ski in the same afternoon.
CONNECTED TO THE REGION
Beyond the air, sea, road, and rail connections to global markets, Maple Ridge is also well connected with the rest of the Metro Vancouver region and the Fraser Valley through transportation connections ensuring the safe and efficient movement of people and goods alike.
With regular RapidBus service connecting Maple Ridge to the SkyTrain rapid transit system, riders can be in Downtown Vancouver in about an hour, and to Vancouver International Airport in about 90 minutes on a single integrated transit fare.
In the coming years, Maple Ridge’s regional connectivity will be dramatically enhanced with the implementation of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service across the Golden Ears Bridge over the Fraser River. The new BRT service will connect the city to a new southeast terminus station for the SkyTrain.
BRT service will change forever the way that people across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley region connect with other communities and associated opportunities for employment, shopping, and recreation. With BRT also comes tremendous opportunities to transform commercial and residential areas along the transit corridor to unlock the potential for innovative commercial, retail, and residential developments.
MAKE IT HERE
The City of Maple Ridge invites companies and investors from around the world to be a part of the region’s thriving globally connected economy. The City is actively targeting several growth sectors, including Retail & Service, Hotel Accommodation, Incubators & Accelerators, Advanced Manufacturing, Apparel, Green & Circular Economy, Biosciences, Digital Media & ICT, Ag-tech & Value-added Agriculture, Logistics, and Creative Industries (including Film & TV Production).
By making the bold move to Maple Ridge, you’ll be joining dozens of other companies who’ve already found their way to Make It Here.
In November 2023, E-One Moli Energy (Canada) Ltd., a world-class manufacturer of high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion battery cells under the brand Molicel, announced a C$1.05 billion investment in Maple Ridge. The company is redeveloping their current R&D facility in Maple Ridge into one of the largest battery cell manufacturing plants in North America, with capacity to produce 135 million cells each year. This investment is testament to E-One Moli’s belief in British Columbia and Canada as a centre for manufacturing the products that will power our world into the future. (www.molicel.com)
RST Instruments, a world-leader in the design, manufacturing, and sale of innovative geotechnical, environmental, and structural monitoring systems since 1977, calls Maple Ridge home. In the company’s bustling lab, they’re developing innovative solutions to evolving engineering challenges. Their sensors enable the latest generations of infrastructure projects, including iconic dams, tunnels, and bridges, and the measurements and intelligence generated keep the people in and around these places safe. (rstinstruments.com)
Vista Railing Systems, which started as a wood remanufacturing and woodturning plant in 1974, has kept innovating and reinventing itself through the years to reflect changing markets. In the 2010s, the company made the leap into aluminum railings and hasn’t looked back since. Today, the company manufactures railing kits found in big box home improvement retailers, as well as custom products for high-rise residential and commercial projects across North America. With recent changes to American customs tariffs for offshore aluminum products, Vista is growing its Maple Ridge plant to meet industry demand. With a doubling of its workforce and continuing investments into technology and innovation, the company is set to become one of Maple Ridge’s largest private sector employers. (vistarailings.com)
CLEAN & RENEWABLE
Electricity keeps the economy of British Columbia going, and utility customers in Maple Ridge know just how positive the energy experience can be. More than 98 percent of the electricity generated in the province comes from clean and renewable sources – hydro (from our bountiful water and mountains) and biomass (from selected waste products of our forestry sector). With these sources of power, plus the extensive high-voltage electrical connections to neighbouring provinces and states, the clean energy from BC can be sent across the continent.
In Maple Ridge, electricity customers in all market segments – residential, commercial, and industrial – pay some of the most affordable rates for electrical power in North America. In a survey of 22 electrical utility companies in major metropolitan areas across the continent, rates in British Columbia were ranked in the first quartile. That means your company’s power bill would be lower in Maple Ridge than in 75 percent of other metro areas.
And for the energy your company uses, British Columbia’s utility providers offer means to improve your efficiency and save money through a variety of incentives, technologies, tools, and services including advisors.
MAKE YOUR MOVE
Starting, growing, or moving a business? Connect with us to learn why Maple Ridge should be your top choice. Visit mapleridge.ca, email invest@mapleridge.ca, or call +1 604 467 7320.
