WELCOME TO THE VANCOUVER CHAPTER
The Vancouver Chapter is just for you! Get the news, updates, and advice you need to stay on top of the sustainable laboratory market.
The SLCan board of directors and committees will share all information relevant Vancouver Chapter updates here, such as operations, social media, marketing, events and more.
The Vancouver Chapter was SLCan's fourth regional Chapter, founded on June 16, 2023.
PLAN TO ATTEND OUR NEXT EVENT
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VANCOUVER CHAPTER BOARD
Kevin Shea
Founding President
Kevin Shelast
Vice President
National Liaison
Corey Hiebert
Treasurer
Barbara Nobman
Secretary
Som Bose
Director
Lisa Chien
Director
Past Events
2026
September 23: Fall Mixer
Connect with your Vancouver-based colleagues, friends, and other professionals.
May 7: Panel Discussion – Building an Anchor Company in BC
British Columbia’s life sciences sector is in a critical phase of growth. With roots in early innovators like QLT and growing global recognition through firms such as AbCellera, BC is poised to evolve into a leading innovation hub. Yet the challenge of establishing sustainable, globally competitive anchor companies remains complex - shaped by talent, infrastructure, capital, and policy considerations. This panel discussion will examine what defines an anchor company, why such firms are essential to regional economic resilience, and what conditions are required for them to scale and remain in BC.
Sustainable Labs Canada - Vancouver Chapter is excited to bring together leaders from across BC’s life sciences community to examine what defines an anchor company, why it matters, and how BC can nurture and retain them.
Panelists will explore the sector’s evolution and discuss key factors including talent attraction and retention, access to capital, the interplay of academic and industry partnerships, the competitive pull of U.S. markets, and the infrastructure and policy support needed for growth. They will also explore how BC can leverage its scientific excellence, quality of life, and growing cohort of scale-ups to support the next generation of Canadian anchor companies and solidify the province’s long-term position in the global life sciences ecosystem. The session will conclude with forward-looking perspectives on how the province can build lasting economic resilience through the next generation of Canadian anchor companies and a Q&A session.
March 10: Tour of adMare’s new Innovation Centre – A Sneak Peek
As Canada’s life sciences company creation engine, adMare understands that having access to move-in ready lab space, when needed, is a critical element for success. By providing fully equipped labs, shared equipment, services, and collaboration opportunities, adMare Innovation Centres help companies focus on innovation, rather than infrastructure.
This highly specialized 32,000 SF facility combines wet lab and office space, to support leading edge and early-stage Life Science and research companies in Vancouver. Designed by adMare and Chernoff Thomson and built by Canadian Turner Construction, the adMare Innovation Centre is designed to cater to a wide range of Life Science research size requirements, various lab designs, and office requirements. Turner is proud to sponsor this SLCan Vancouver Chapter event and support innovation in the life science community, bringing extensive experience in delivering high-quality research and laboratory environments that enable scientific advancement.
adMare and CBRE will offer general tours of the new Innovation Centre starting at 4:30 and SLCan is hosting a technical tour starting at 5:30pm. We will tour the entire space and have the mechanical and electrical engineers on hand to support the walk, alongside with representatives from adMare, Chernoff Thompson Architects, and Turner to answer any questions you may have.
Come take a “sneak peek” at what will soon be home to the future of Life Science in Vancouver.
2025
November 26: AbCellera 110 – A Site Tour
oin us for a tour of AbCellera’s newly completed building. The 212,000 sqft is roughly split as 70% for state-of-the-art flexible laboratory usage, and 30% for office and support spaces. During design and early construction, it is estimated to be one of the largest purpose-built lab spaces in Western Canada.
The facility is currently a Core and Shell, ready to be built out to support the growing Life Science community in Vancouver! The facility offers purpose designed floor to floor heights, specialized mechanical and electrical systems designed for future tenants, and a building owner that understands working from start-up to a world leader in Biotech. We will tour the entire space and have the mechanical and electrical engineers on hand to support the walk, alongside with representatives from AbCellera and Chernoff Thompson Architects to answer any questions you may have. Francl Architecture was in partnership with CTA for this project.
Come take a look at what will soon be home to the future of Life Science in Vancouver.
July 29: Summer Mixer
Our summer networking event!
April 10: UBC School of Biomedical Engineering
Christopher O’Neill and Robin Macdonald from Floorspace Commercial will guide us through the fundamental considerations of leasing for Life Science companies needing a laboratory facility. The discussion will cover the crucial elements that can make or break a successful agreement, including important timelines, costs, and key recommendations to streamline the process.
Christopher, O’Neill and Robin Macdonald, who will lead this discussion, are real estate advisors Floorspaces Commercial’s leasing division. With their dedication to finding commercial real estate solutions for business challenges, they at Floorspace are the go-to expert for Life Science & Cleantech companies looking to take their business to the next level.
After the presentation, please join us for a site tour of UBC’s brand-new SBME building.
Designed by award-winning and world-renowned Patkau Architects, in collaboration with Architecture 49, WSP and AES, and Rick Hansen Gold certified for accessibility, SBME is a flagship entity at UBC, providing a space for research that will transform our knowledge of biomedical engineering and impact society for years to come.
The vision of the SBME is focused on building health from biology through a robust pipeline of efforts across scales, from engineering molecular structures to implementing novel community-based healthcare solutions. The new SBME building provides a nexus for infrastructure and equipment consolidation and the coordinated delivery of education, research, and innovation programs. Across over 155,000SF it accommodates classrooms, teaching and research laboratories, a 250-seat lecture theatre, office space, meeting space, and informal learning community spaces.
2024
December 5: AbCellera 150 – A Site Tour
Join us for a tour of AbCellera’s newly completed research labs and new headquarters in Vancouver. We will tour the facility’s world class labs, state of the art offices and amenity spaces and for those that love to see under the hood, we’ll tour the rooftop and mechanical/electrical spaces to show the engine that’s driving the machine.
August 21: Summer Heat Mixer
The summer time mixer and networking event is an opportunity to connect with friends, colleagues and other professionals in the laboratory community and industry.
May 15: Knowledge & Networking Event
Christopher O’Neil from Floorspace will guide us through the fundamental considerations for leasing small to medium-sized Life Science companies. The discussion will cover the crucial elements that can make or break a successful agreement and will be supported by other subject matter experts who will share their insights on Architectural and Engineering considerations related to laboratory fit-out. These considerations differ from early-stage translational space in Post-Secondary Institutions. The discussion will also include a local developer from Alliance Partners Development who will provide their perspective on leasing new or existing spaces and optimizing them to meet the tenant’s specific requirements, facility conditions, and regulatory processes. Don’t miss out on this informative event!
Christopher O’Neil, who will lead this simulation, is an associate vice president of Floorspace’s office and industrial leasing division. With his dedication to finding commercial real estate solutions for business challenges, Christopher is the go-to expert for technology and life science companies looking to take their business to the next level.