Debt Relief Help in Burnaby, BC

About Burnaby

WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT BURNABY?

Burnaby is a major city in British Columbia. It’s part of Metro Vancouver and is adjoined to the City of Vancouver on the west, New Westminster at the southeast and Coquitlam on the east. With a population of 232,755 according to the 2016 census, Burnaby is the third-largest city in B.C., behind only Vancouver and Surrey. Burnaby was incorporated way back in 1892, achieving city status 100 years later in 1992. It is a key location for municipal government decision-making. The seat of Metro Vancouver’s regional government is situated there. It has its own mayor and eight city councillors who look after its municipal affairs.
Burnaby has excellent rapid transit access. It’s served by two Skytrain lines: the Expo and Millennium Line. It has 11 Skytrain stations. The Skytrain’s second-busiest station Metrotown is located in Burnaby.
Are you curious where Burnaby got its name from? Burnaby is actually named after a real person. It’s named after Robert Burnaby, a businessman, explorer and legislator in the 19th century.
Similar to Vancouver, Burnaby is a very multicultural city. A large portion of its population is made up of visible minorities, including Chinese, Indian, Korean and Southeast Asians. In fact, less than half of the population speaks English or French as its first language. It’s only fitting then that three of its sister cities are in Asia: Zhongshan, Guangdong, China; Kushiro, Japan; and Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, Korea.
Burnaby has become a popular place for international students for its superior public schools and post-secondary institutions. Simon Fraser University and BCIT are both located there.

BURNABY’S HISTORY

Burnaby may be a busy city today with massive skyscrapers, but it wasn’t always that way. There was very little there when William Holmes arrived in the 1850s. William Holmes is the first recorded European settler to discover the area.
When Burnaby was incorporated, the townsfolk chose to name it after legislator, speaker, Freemason and explorer Robert Burnaby. Robert Burnaby played a pivotal role in the creation of the town of Burnaby. He was the private secretary to Colonel Richard Moody, who was the first land commissioner for the Colony of B.C. in the mid-19th century. It was at this time that Robert Burnaby had surveyed a lake at the centre of town. Moody named it Burnaby Lake in honour of Robert Burnaby.
Where is now modern-day Central Park, a naval reserve that was set up there back in the day? The trees in the surrounding forest were used to build British warships. Until the 20th century, Burnaby remained a sleepy rural community. The townsfolks mostly worked on fruit and berry farms.
Burnaby has always had its fortunes closely tied to cities close by. Its growth has been influenced by Vancouver and New Westminster over the years.
1891 was an important year for Burnaby. It’s in that year that the construction of the new interurban tram line was completed. The tram line connected Burnaby with neighbouring Vancouver and New Westminster. This led to various businesses opening up shop around the new line.
Burnaby was once a logging town, but that all changed at the turn of the century. Starting in the 20th century, Burnaby shifted towards being a working-class city. Burnaby was hard hit by the Great Depression but managed to come back stronger than before.
Burnaby originally served as a rural agricultural area to supply nearby markets. It later evolved to become an important transportation corridor linking Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the Interior, which it remains to this day.
As Vancouver became a world-class city, Burnaby evolved to become a first-tier bedroom suburban community. Over the years, however, Burnaby has been shifting from suburban to urban, as the city becomes more urbanized.

WHAT’S BURNABY FAMOUS FOR?

If you’re into the outdoors, you’ll want to visit the Capilano Suspension Bridge. As its name suggests, the Capilano Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the Capilano River. The bridge spans 140 metres and is 70 metres above the river. Each year it attracts over one million visitors.
Another place outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy is Central Park. Named after Central Park in New York City, Burnaby’s version features 90 hectares of green space. It’s also home to a temperate rainforest ecosystem, children’s playground, walking trails, mini-golf course and tennis courts. Due to its nice scenery, it’s a popular place for film crews to shoot.
If you’re a fan of food, you’ll want to check out the Burnaby Farmer’s Market. Taking place between May and October each year, enjoy fresh local produce, live music, entertainment and fun for all ages.
There are several famous Canadians who came out of Burnaby. Those include Michael J. Fox, Michael Bublé and former B.C. premier Christy Clark.

WHAT ARE THE LARGE ECONOMIC DRIVERS?

Burnaby has a robust economy. IT is one of its largest economic drivers. Major IT companies like Electronic Arts, Creo and Telus are located there. Manufacturers like Nokia can also be found in Burnaby, as can health care firms. Other major employers found in Burnaby include Best Buy, Pacific Blue Cross and Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers.
Burnaby also has a thriving oil and gas industry. You can find a number of oil refineries at Burrard Inlet, including Chevron Corporation and Petro-Canada.
Burnaby is also home to B.C.’s largest mall and Canada’s second-largest mall (behind only West Edmonton Mall). With over 450 shops, services and restaurants and transit connections to Vancouver, Metropolis Mall is a significant employer for the area.

RECENT CHANGES THAT MAY HAVE CHANGED THE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK

Ever since the 1990s, the economy of Burnaby has shifted away from light manufacturing and heavy industry to high technology. The shift is primarily a result of high land values and traffic congestion. Other large economic drivers include education, the film industry, retail, utilities and warehouse and distribution. In fact, a number of film production studios have set up shop within city limits.
Agriculture was once an important industry but has nearly been eliminated in recent years to make way for residential and industrial developments.