Consulate General of Switzerland in Vancouver

Consulate General of Switzerland in Vancouver Grüezi, Bonjour, Buongiorno, Bun di! Welcome to the official page of the Consulate General of Switzerland in Vancouver! Welcome to our page!

Let us share with you events, stories and information about Switzerland and Canada. We believe that our two countries have lots in common. Like us and share your story and photos to show your Swissness! The Consul General of Switzerland

To mark International Day of Democracy, let's take a closer look at how direct democracy works in Switzerland. 🤝🇨🇭Here, ...
09/15/2026

To mark International Day of Democracy, let's take a closer look at how direct democracy works in Switzerland. 🤝🇨🇭

Here, citizens have the power to influence political decisions through popular initiatives, referendums, and regular votes.

Learn more about the political system in Switzerland: https://www.aboutswitzerland.eda.admin.ch/en/political-system

The Swiss Army Knife: how international collaboration shaped a Swiss classic 🇨🇭💡The origins of the Swiss Army Knife are ...
09/09/2026

The Swiss Army Knife: how international collaboration shaped a Swiss classic 🇨🇭💡

The origins of the Swiss Army Knife are more international than its name suggests! In 1880, the Swiss Armed Forces ordered a folding knife for soldiers that could be used for eating and dismantling their service r***e. The first 15,000 were produced in Germany.

A few years later, Swiss manufacturer Karl Elsener developed his own version, introducing an officer’s knife with a second blade and a corkscrew made in France.

The Swiss Army Knife has since travelled far beyond Switzerland: it has been part of astronauts’ survival kits since 1992, appeared in films and television series, and entered the collections of museums including MoMA The Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Design Museum in London.

From German production to French craftsmanship and Swiss design, this story is a reminder that collaboration across borders brings together different strengths to create lasting innovation.

👉 If you own a Swiss Army Knife, which tool do you use most?
🔗 Learn more: https://bit.ly/4qBQ6pd

📷 © Christian Ammann; Victorinox

In August, an international polar expedition bringing together researchers from Canada, France, Greenland, and Switzerla...
09/07/2026

In August, an international polar expedition bringing together researchers from Canada, France, Greenland, and Switzerland departed from Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada. 🚢🤝

The result of collaboration of more than 50 scientists from over 20 institutions, the CASCADES Expedition is exploring a critical climate challenge: the accelerating melt of Greenland’s glaciers and its far-eaching impacts on the Atlantic Ocean and climate systems worldwide.

The expedition is coordinated by the Institut nordique du Québec, the Swiss Polar Institute and the Institut polaire français Paul-Émile Victor, in collaboration with Greenlandic institutions and the Transforming Climate Action program.

Sustainability and climate change are among the four focus areas of the Swiss-Canadian Joint Statement on Science and Technology (2023-2028). The expedition is a great example of this commitment in action, bringing together scientific expertise across borders.

👉 Follow the expedition live at: cascades-expedition.science
👉 Follow the Embassy of Switzerland in Canada / Ambassade de Suisse au Canada for updates on the expedition!

📷 © Amundsen Science

Education without borders: a Swiss-Canadian-South Korean university collaboration returns to Vancouver! 🇨🇭🇨🇦🇰🇷Last week,...
09/04/2026

Education without borders: a Swiss-Canadian-South Korean university collaboration returns to Vancouver! 🇨🇭🇨🇦🇰🇷

Last week, Consul General Thomas Schneider welcomed participants of the 2026 Blockchain Summer Institute to the Swiss Residence in Vancouver.

Spearheaded by HSLU Hochschule Luzern (Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts), the University of British Columbia, and 세종대학교 Sejong University, and bringing together students and experts from the three universities as well as faculty members from The University of Tokyo / UTokyo and Ghana Communication Technology University - GCTU, this year's edition embodies the spirit of innovation, openness and international cooperation.

This year, students dove into the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to see how blockchain's potential can tackle real-world goals, from climate action and inclusive economic development to universal access to health. These global challenges call for fresh thinking and new approaches - exactly what the Blockchain Summer Institute is designed to encourage. We look forward to seeing the ideas that emerge and to the connections and collaborations that will continue after the 2026 program has concluded.

Congratulations on the 10-year anniversary of this collaboration!

📷 Monika Korbut Photography

09/02/2026

Meet TAMI: smart glasses that warn you about obstacles before you walk into them. 🔎🇨🇭

LighthouseTech is a Swiss startup on a mission to create a more inclusive world where people who are blind or have low vision can move confidently, make their own choices, and live life to the fullest.

Designed in Switzerland, TAMI enhances safe mobility and reduces the fear of injury, improving users’ confidence and wellbeing.

Artificial intelligence can save lives. At least mouse lives. 🐭🇨🇭Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science...
08/31/2026

Artificial intelligence can save lives. At least mouse lives. 🐭🇨🇭

Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology researchers have developed an AI-supported computer model of a mouse body that uses machine learning to predict how different nanomaterials are distributed in the mouse organism. This is particularly relevant for the development of therapies against brain tumours.

In line with the Safe and Sustainable by Design principle, the model will not only serve as a decision-making aid in drug development, but also reduce animal testing. The next step is to transfer the principle to human research.

👉 Learn more: https://bit.ly/4qPXVYv

📷 © Empa

Exploring urban planning and design: Calgary meets Zurich 🇨🇦🇨🇭👩‍🎓Earlier this year, twenty students from the School of A...
08/28/2026

Exploring urban planning and design: Calgary meets Zurich 🇨🇦🇨🇭👩‍🎓

Earlier this year, twenty students from the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, University of Calgary, travelled to Zurich to explore how one of the world's most livable cities approaches urban planning and design.

From creating high-quality public spaces to environmental sustainability, heritage management, sustainable and affordable housing, the students explored the many factors that shape a city, and the decisions and priorities behind them.

Together with students from Universität Zürich, they discussed the housing crisis in a workshop, attended lectures at ETH Zürich, met with the Stadt Zürich's architecture and planning office and the Zurich Transport Authority, visited Swiss companies, and experienced the city through its buildings and neighbourhoods.

Calgary and Zurich may differ in geography but many of the questions the students were asking were similar, particularly on how to create livable, sustainable and affordable communities. We are glad there was an opportunity to bring students from both countries together and create space for this exchange.

08/26/2026

For International Dog Day, we are welcoming a very special visitor to the Consulate General of Switzerland in Vancouver 🐶🇨🇭 And while our four-legged guest is here for a passport appointment, let's learn a few facts about dogs in Switzerland!

🐾 In Switzerland, dogs must be microchipped and registered in the national AMICUS database. This helps identify and trace them in various situations, from a change of ownership to a lost dog.

🐾 Depending on the canton or commune, owning a dog can also mean paying an annual dog tax. In Geneva, for example, the tax is calculated using information registered in AMICUS.

🐾 Switzerland no longer has a general federal requirement for all dog owners to complete a training course. However, cantons can still set their own rules, particularly for certain categories of dogs.

🐾 The Saint Bernard and Bernese Mountain Dog may be the best-known Swiss breeds, but they are not alone. According to the Swiss Cynological Society, nine FCI-recognised dog breeds originate in Switzerland.

🐾 And then there's ROBIDOG! Invented in Switzerland in 1981, this iconic green dog waste disposal system has become a familiar sight in towns, parks and along walking paths.

Researchers at ETH Zürich centralize climate and Earth observation data to power the research of tomorrow 🛰️📡🇨🇭ETH Züric...
08/24/2026

Researchers at ETH Zürich centralize climate and Earth observation data to power the research of tomorrow 🛰️📡🇨🇭

ETH Zürich has copied around 100 petabytes of publicly available NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration data (roughly the equivalent 20 million feature-length films) to the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre ( ) in Lugano. The growing collection includes information about greenhouse gases, clouds, precipitation, ice sheets, and much more.

By using this data to train AI models, researchers from Switzerland hope to improve weather forecasts and detect the early warning signs of natural hazards such as floods, storms and landslides.

Why does it matter? Traditional weather models need huge computing power, while AI models can forecast faster and more efficiently, even in places without access to supercomputers. This means earlier warnings, more time for communities and emergency services to prepare, and better protection of people and infrastructure.

👉 Read more here: https://ow.ly/iusA50Zqb44

📷 NASA

A little Switzerland in Western Canada 🇨🇭🇨🇦Did you know that Vancouver has Beach?The beach takes its name from Locarno...
08/21/2026

A little Switzerland in Western Canada 🇨🇭🇨🇦

Did you know that Vancouver has Beach?

The beach takes its name from Locarno, Switzerland. In 1925, the town hosted negotiations for the Locarno Pact, seven international treaties aimed at strengthening peace and stability in Europe following the First World War.

The choice of Locarno was closely linked to Switzerland’s neutral role and reflected confidence in its foreign policy geared to fostering mediation, dialogue and stability. This tradition continues today, with Switzerland offering its good offices in international mediation processes. Building bridges remains a central pillar of Switzerland’s peacebuilding efforts worldwide.

The connection is perhaps even more striking when looking at the landscape. On the shores of Lake Maggiore, Locarno has a sandy beach surrounded by mountains - a setting that could almost be mistaken for British Columbia, Canada.

Have you come across other places in Canada that remind you of Switzerland?

👉 Read more about the Locarno Treaties: https://bit.ly/45EGrEK

📷 My Ascona-Locarno / Ascona-Locarno Tourism - Alessio Pizzicannella

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