Some of Atlantic Canada’s startup community are wondering why Brandon Kolybaba, a hard-working and talented tech entrepreneur, is packing up and leaving.

According to Kolybaba, he is heading to British Columbia because the high cost of living and his own unpopularity in Atlantic Canada are making it hard for him to work and thrive here.

Kolybaba has co-founded and grown a fistful of businesses since he came to Atlantic Canada from Calgary in 2007.

These include: Dynamic Hosting; Norex; Sheepdog; and Cloud A. He is an investor in Cloud Brewery, a cloud computing company.

“I’ve started businesses here,” Kolybaba said. “I’ve created jobs and revenue. I’ve brought in revenue from outside the province. I’ve been successful.”

But it’s time to move on. He and his biologist wife, Sarah, are just waiting for their Prospect home to sell.

“The last few years have been very challenging,” he said. “We haven’t had any support. I’m proud that we had success at Cloud A despite the lack of support.

“Neither the government nor local community will work with me. If a couple of powerful people in a small town don’t like you, it’s hazardous.”

Kolybaba was raised in Vancouver. He studied economics, business and information systems at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, and was hired by Shell Canada as a business and data specialist when he graduated in 2002.

He stayed because he liked rural Nova Scotia.

“I liked the cultural values. Northern Nova Scotians are salt-of-the-earth people, but it’s not the same in Halifax.

“And Halifax is so expensive. The taxes on my home in Prospect are $5,000 this year. We have no services, no water, no transit.

“People accept these high bills, and because they accept, things don’t get better. If you speak up and name problems, people see you as negative and hateful and this all impacts on your ability to start and grow a business.”

Kolybaba is expecting the three other members of his team to also move to B.C. He is looking forward to life in the Vancouver area, where he has family.

“Most of our clients are in Toronto and Vancouver. Alberta is a big market for us, too. Cloud A has doubled revenue in the last six months, but it feels like a defeat for me to leave.

“I would say to other entrepreneurs — not everyone fits into boxes. If you don’t like someone, you might still be able to forge a good business relationship with them.”

When he gets back to the West Coast, Kolybaba hopes to find time to teach scuba diving. He is a specialty instructor and his skills include deep diving, wreck diving and night diving.

He is also keen to find a volunteer position with a non-profit.

“I will truly miss many of the good people I’ve met while living in the Maritimes. I hope the region is prosperous. ‘So long, and thanks for all the fish.’”