Vancouver Notables on Their Beloved Hometown

What they love about it, how the city has changed and where it is heading

We asked three of Vancouver’s hometown heroes—Hedy Fry, Canada’s longest serving female member of parliament, local business mogul Nolan Watson and chef Vikram Vij— what they love best about their city. They also recounted what has changed most about Vancouver in the last five years, and where they think the city is heading.

Photo credit: House of Commons Canada

Photo credit: House of Commons Canada

Dr. Hedy Fry, 76, the longest-serving female member of Canada’s parliament, was elected to represent Vancouver Centre in 1993 and is a member of the Liberal Party. She was born in Trinidad and Tobago and studied at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland, before moving to Vancouver in 1970 to work as a physician at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver’s West End.

What She Loves:

Dr. Fry said she loves how green the city is. Aside from the city’s gorgeous natural setting, framed by mountains and the Strait of Georgia, she noted the tree-lined streets citywide, even downtown. “The tranquility of our neighborhoods in Vancouver make it a really desirable place to live,” she said. Dr. Fry also pointed to infrastructure like the Seawall, a 14-mile waterfront path for pedestrians and cyclists, that makes the city extremely walkable.

Her district, which includes Vancouver’s downtown, has the highest number of restaurants per capita in Canada. Dr. Fry said that the diversity and freshness of the cuisine there makes Vancouver “an extraordinarily foodie city to eat in.”

Insider Tips:

One of Dr. Fry’s favorite areas is Granville Island, a peninsula in the city with an industrial past that has been converted into a shopping and culture district. It is home to a boutique hotel, breweries and a large public market. “It’s a very local place to go,” she said.

Vancouver has also become “a cultural hub,” according to Dr. Fry. BC Ballet, she says, has established itself as one of the top ballet companies in North America through its contemporary and experimental performances. She also recommended Bard on the Beach, an annual Shakespeare festival held in Vanier Park every summer.

How Vancouver Has Changed… and Where It’s Going:

In the last several years, Vancouver has become more diverse, Dr. Fry said. That diversity is in part due to major companies like Microsoft and Sony setting up corporate offices in the city.

“People are coming in from all over the country, and all over the world, to work in Vancouver,” she said. She also noted that Vancouver has become more environmentally friendly, with many residents starting to bike or walk to work rather than drive.

Dr. Fry expects these trends to continue, with even more people from across the globe making Vancouver their home and people relying less on cars for transportation as the city expands its green infrastructure.

Photo credit: Aaron Aubrey

Photo credit: Aaron Aubrey

Vikram Vij, 53, lived in Delhi and Bombay until age 20, when he moved to Austria to attend culinary school. He is now one of Canada’s most celebrated chefs, and the owner of three Vancouver restaurants, Vij’s, Rangoli, and My Shanti, along with a line of packaged foods, Vij’s at Home.

Mr. Vij is the author of four books, three cookbooks with Meeru Dhalwala. He has appeared on several Canadian television shows, and was the first Indo-Canadian Dragon on the hit show Dragon’s Den.

What He Loves:

Mr. Vij said his favorite things about Vancouver include its walkability and diversity. “My ultimate favorite thing is to just walk down the streets, and just visit multicultural neighborhoods. I go to the Punjabi market or Chinatown and just watch people. Vancouver is such an easy, walkable city. You don’t have to drive everywhere. You can easily walk to lots of places.”

Culinary culture is obviously top of mind for the celebrated chef. “We are a culinary destination,” Mr. Vij said. “We have an ocean that produces sustainable seafood; the Okanagan region producing beautiful, delicious wines; and Fraser Valley producing great produce. Mix that with the ethnic population of the Chinese, Indians, Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis, Syrians, and everybody else, and you get not a melting pot but a beautifully woven tapestry.”

Insider Tips:

Mr. Vij points to White Rock as a great place to spend some time. “The White Rock area is beautiful. It’s overlooking the water. It’s very close to the U.S. border. White Rock has an upcoming population of young urban professionals.”

And, again, the food.! “One of the things people are most surprised about is what huge Asian, Indian, Sri Lankan, and Trinidadian/Tobagonian communities there are here. In Toronto, people expect that because it’s the New York of Canada. But people don’t expect that out of Vancouver. They forget that Vancouver is very close to Hong Kong, India, Singapore, and Vietnam, so, there is a huge immigrant population that produces great flavors in the restaurant scene of Vancouver. You’ll have the best Chinese food, Indian food, Vietnamese food that you’ve ever had.”

How Vancouver Has Changed… and Where It’s Going:

The next five years are going to be crucial, Mr. Vij said, and the landscape is going to change. “Vancouver has priced itself pretty high up there and a lot of movement is happening to the outskirts, toward Richmond, Tsawwassen, South Surrey, White Rock, and all these places. As anything happens in life, when the center gets a little too expensive, the outskirts become more affordable, especially to immigrants. So, with the pro immigrant policy of our country, Vancouver is going to spread out, and every place will have its own center of shops and restaurants. It will be like a Los Angeles, a sprawling metropolis.”

Photo credit: Roger Mahler

Photo credit: Roger Mahler

Nolan Watson, 38, is an entrepreneur, humanitarian, TEDx speaker and philanthropist, known for finance innovation in the mining industry. He has lived in the Greater Vancouver area for his whole life. Since co-founding Sandstorm Gold Royalties in 2008, he has led the gold royalty company from a small startup to a diversified royalty company with a billion-dollar market capitalization and a portfolio of more than 180 royalties.

Watson began working in mine finance at Silver Wheaton Corp., where he was named the Chief Financial Officer in 2006 and, at age 26, was the youngest CFO of a New York Stock Exchange-listed company.

In 2014, he was recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He is also the president of Nations Cry, a charity focused on education-based development in West Africa.

What He Loves:

Describing it as a “great city with world-class scenery,” Mr. Watson added that he appreciates the fact that he “can get from my office to my lakefront townhouse in Whistler in just over an hour.”

Insider Tips:

The food is amazing, and a bargain compared to other big cities, Mr. Watson said.

“For less than $15, you can buy better sushi than you would get in New York for $100.”

And, if you have the time during a trip to Vancouver, he suggested a trip to Whistler—any time of year. “It’s best known for the skiing in the winter, but also has great mountain biking in the summer.”

How Vancouver Has Changed … and Where It’s Going:

While Vancouver has become an increasingly expensive place to live in the past few years, “the good thing is that it isn’t getting more expensive to travel to as a tourist,” he said. “Vancouver is a great place to visit because there are different activities to enjoy is every season.”

Developments are likely to continue sprouting up, he said, but they’re likely to be more beautiful. “The city has always had natural beauty but we’re starting to see more development and creativity with the building architecture,” Mr. Watson said. “I expect this to continue to develop over the next five years.”

Unless otherwise noted, all photos & video care of Tourism Vancouver