>In Vancouver we benefit from having Redmond just a few hours down the road. We get MS people up here gratis on average a couple of times per year.

Microsoft Seattle has been extremely generous to us over the years.

>I don't even know if there's a Vancouver office; I imagine there is but it has never to my knowledge helped out with facilities, door prizes, etc.

Microsoft Vancouver has never returned any of my calls.

>Any such we have had have come straight from Redmond (Evan, correct me if I'm wrong).

Correct.