30
29th CINP World
Congress 2014
General information
About Vancouver
Located on the west coast of the North American mainland,
Vancouver is located between the Pacific Ocean and the
Rocky Mountains. The City of Vancouver occupies 2,930
square kilometres on and around the Fraser River delta and
has a population of 603,000, estimated in the 2011 census.
As well as hosting the successful 2010 Olympic and Para-
lympic winter games Vancouver has also become an in-
creasingly important player in forest product and mining,
software development, biotechnology, aerospace, video
game development, animation and film production.
The natural surroundings of Vancouver and British Colum-
bia offer a wide range of outdoor activities such as sailing,
climbing, skiing and whale watching. The city is also home
to several large beaches and over 3210 acres of park. For
indoor pursuits, Vancouver offers the congress delegates
the opportunity to engage with the sciences and arts at
one of its many art galleries, theatres and at Science
World, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to engaging
and inspiring British Columbians in the fields of science
and technology. Among its many initiatives Vancouver City
Council manage a series of programmes, awards and cel-
ebrations that seek to recognise the city’s cultural diversi-
ty. Future projects include the goal of becoming the
World’s greenest city in 2020. Many initiatives such as car-
bon neutral buildings, new bike lanes and leading edge
recycling programmes are already underway.
Airport Information
Vancouver International Airport (IATA: YVR, ICAO: CYVR)
is located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia,
Canada, about 12 km from downtown Vancouver. Vancou-
ver International Airport is well regarded as one of the
most accessible airports in the world. In 2004, Vancouver
International Airport was awarded the Rick Hansen Acces-
sibility Award, which recognizes facilities and communi-
ties that improve the quality of life for people with mobility
limitations.
Transport between the Airport and the City
Local Transportation
The Vancouver Convention Center is in the Downtown City
Center of Vancouver. It can be reached by several public
transportation possibilities:
TransLink provides city transit for tourists and residents
seven days a week via buses through its transit system,
SkyTrain. With the opening of the Canada Line, travel be-
tween the Waterfront Station and Vancouver International
Airport has been significantly reduced to 26 minutes per
one-way trip. This allows for a more convenient trip for
international travellers to and from downtown Vancouver.
Metro / Public Transportation
Under the auspices of the South Coast British Columbia
Transportation Authority the Metro Vancouver operates a
regional rapid mass transit network, known as TransLink.
It is responsible for all aspects of municipal transportation.
TransLink is introducing an electronic Compass Card to re-
place existing monthly and daily passes, tickets and cash.
A bus service operates throughout most of the region un-
der a private subsidiary known as Coast Mountain Bus
Company. All buses are wheelchair-accessible. Vancouver
is actively maintaining and upgrading its trolleybus fleet.
Vancouver also offers a SeaBus Service. It is a passenger-
only ferry connecting downtown Vancouver and the City of
North Vancouver across Burrard Inlet. There are three fer-
ries in the fleet.
Taxi
Vancouver taxi cabs are allowed to operate within the Van-
couver area, including Vancouver International Airport.
Taxis can be called, hailed on the street or found at one of
more than 50 official taxi ranks located around the city. The
ranks can be found near the common tourist spots such as
the Art Gallery, the Aquarium or the Science World TELUS.
Bank and ATM
Banks are open weekdays between 9:30am and 4:00pm.
Many banks are closed on Saturday and Sunday, though
some have limited services on a Saturday morning. Most
shops and restaurants in Vancouver accept the common
credit cards like Visacard, American Express and Mastercard.
Climate
Vancouver has a moderate oceanic climate with summer
months that are typically dry, often resulting in moderate
drought conditions in July and August. From June to Au-
gust daytime temperatures linger just above 20° Celsius /
70° Fahrenheit. Evenings, especially in the surrounding
mountains, are a bit cooler.
Currency
The currency in Canada is the Canadian Dollar. Exchange
Rate: 1 EUR – 1,4042 Canadian Dollar (as of August 2013)
Electricity
The electrical supply is 110 Volts and 60 Hertz. Canada
uses the two-flat pin system.
Time Zone
Canada is divided into six time zones: Newfoundland, At-
lantic, Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific. Vancouver
is located in the Pacific time Zone: UTC−08:00 (PST).
