So sad to hear this news about Virginia Greene, the former head of the Business Council of B.C. I met Virginia years ago at a party, not having a clue who she was. We spent half the evening swapping stories about dealing with difficult teenagers.
Her utter frankness about how hard it was (she didn’t have kids but had taken in a young woman who needed a refuge) and her nonetheless-positive attitude bolstered me for weeks. In subsequent years, it was always a pleasure to call her for a story and get her tough, thoughtful appraisals.
It’s a loss for all of us that she’s gone.
Virginia Greene’s death marked the end of an era for British Columbia’s business and political landscape. As longtime president of the Business Council of B.C., she wielded enormous influence over provincial economic policy while maintaining a reputation for principled leadership that transcended partisan boundaries.
Greene’s power came not from bombast or political positioning, but from her rare combination of analytical rigor and authentic human connection. Her ability to discuss complex economic policy with the same genuine engagement she brought to personal conversations about parenting challenges exemplified her approach to leadership – seeing issues through human rather than purely ideological lenses.
Her willingness to take in a troubled young woman reflected Greene’s consistent pattern of quiet generosity that many knew but few publicized. This personal compassion informed her professional advocacy, where she consistently pushed for business policies that considered broader social implications rather than narrow corporate interests.
As a female leader in BC’s male-dominated business establishment, Greene broke barriers while refusing to be defined solely by gender. Her success came from intellectual capacity and relationship-building skills that earned respect across political and economic divides.
For journalists, Greene represented that increasingly rare source: a powerful figure who provided honest, thoughtful analysis rather than calculated talking points. Her loss left a significant void in BC’s public discourse, removing a voice that combined business acumen with genuine concern for community welfare and social responsibility.
