A building boom for the 2010 Winter Olympics may squeeze British Columbia, which already has one of Canada's tightest labor markets. The energy boom has pushed the unemployment rate down to 5.1 percent, making it difficult to find good workers. Apparently they're paying cashiers C$19 an hour in Northern B.C.
Long-term growth requires broadening the economy beyond natural resources and developing a more educated workforce. Meanwhile the tight market in B.C. may mean business opportunities throughout Cascadia in the run-up to 2010.