According to an article in the Vancouver Sun today, Kitsilano-born Lululemon Athletica is warning it may be forced to move its 1,200-employee head office outside the country because of problems with the federal government’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
Lululemon wants the same kind of exemption the federal government grants to universities, the film industry and Microsoft.
The exemption would allow Lululemon to avoid going through a time-consuming labour market impact assessment (LMIA) process before recruiting a senior manager or design expert from around the world.
Lululemon’s global headquarters is located at 1818 Cornwall Avenue, a building they purchased five year ago.
At the time, then CEO Christine Day said “Kits has always been our home and we are thrilled that it once again will be,” and founder Chip Wilson added, “Man, it feels good to be back! This is where it all started for us with our first store on West 4th. This is where we belong and this is where we plan to stay.”
Wilson continues to love his Kits roots with a waterfront mansion down the road where Cornwall Avenue becomes Point Grey Road. His 30,000-square-foot palatial home is valued at $65 million and is BC’s most expensive property.
Last modified: January 2, 2017
