Advocacy Priorities

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Standing Up for
a Stronger Victoria

The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce is the unapologetic voice of business. We speak up for our members and for the future of our region. A safe, affordable, and thriving Victoria depends on bold leadership and immediate action.

Our message is clear: we can’t afford to wait. The challenges facing our city demand leadership, accountability, and immediate action.

Our advocacy is focused on three urgent priorities:

• Safe Streets Now: Stop social disorder and restore safety downtown.

• A Home for Working Families: Build attainable housing for the people who power our economy.

• Needs First, Then Wants: Demand fiscal responsibility from all levels of government.

Join the Voice of Business

SAFE STREETS NOW

Immediate Action Needed to Stop Social Disorder

Every morning, local business owners unlock their doors to find vandalism, needles, or people in distress on their doorsteps. Staff are harassed. Customers stay away. The heart of our capital city, once known as a safe, walkable, and welcoming destination, is being lost to social disorder.

This is not perception. It’s reality.
And it’s the result of government inaction.

To restore safety and confidence downtown, governments must:
• Enforce bylaws and address entrenched street disorder.
• Expand addiction treatment and mental health capacity today, not years from now.
• Ensure a consistent, visible police presence and accountability for repeat offenders.

Enough excuses. Victoria’s businesses and residents deserve safe streets now.

A HOME FOR WORKING FAMILIES

Employers Need Skilled People, Our Region Must Attract and Keep Them

Greater Victoria’s economy runs on skilled workers, entrepreneurs, and families who make our communities strong. But the lack of attainable housing is driving them away.

To keep our region vibrant and competitive, governments must:

• Prioritize workforce housing that supports middle-income earners.
• Streamline development approvals and reduce red tape.
• Build complete, connected communities near jobs, schools, and transit.

When working families can call Victoria home, our businesses and our city thrive.

NEEDS FIRST, THEN WANTS

Governments Must Dial Back Spending and Support Business Survival

Local employers are facing death by a thousand cuts — new taxes, higher fees, and regulations that erode their ability to survive. Businesses cannot continue to shoulder the cost of government overspending and inefficiency.

We’re calling on all levels of government to:

• Focus spending on essential priorities: safety, housing, and healthcare.
• Pause non-essential projects until the basics are fixed.
• Reduce taxes and fees on small and medium-sized businesses that drive our local economy.

Fiscal discipline today builds a foundation for prosperity tomorrow.

Join the Voice for a Better Future

Victoria’s business community believes in this city, in its potential, its people, and its promise. But belief alone isn’t enough. We need action.

Together, we can build a Victoria that is safe, affordable, and open for business

Please share your voice and any concerns by contacting The Chamber
250-360-3471 or communications@victoriachamber.ca

Join the Voice of Business