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Breaking news for Greater Victoria businesses

Published weekly, BizNews offers information to help Greater Victoria’s business community make sense of our shifting economic and political landscape. The Chamber’s flagship newsletter is distributed to more than 5,000 subscribers who are highly engaged and active in our region’s business community. Scroll down to read the latest.

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Mental health support vital for safer communities

July 23, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Government Provincial, Safe Communities/by Jim Zeeben

A healthy community is a safer community, and The Chamber continues to call for smart investments that help people achieve wellness required to reach their potential. Connections Place, a community-based organization that helps people diagnosed with mental illness, recently received $500,000. The non-profit offers employment, education and recreation initiatives that foster hope, opportunity and purpose. […]

Serious crime down in Victoria, recent report says

July 23, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Government Local, Government Provincial, Safe Communities/by Jim Zeeben

The latest numbers show serious crimes have decreased in the City of Victoria, according to Statistics Canada’s Crime severity index. “We’ve put a significant amount of effort into crime prevention and disrupting nonviolent crime, and I commend all of our officers, reserves and volunteers for this positive outcome,” VicPD Chief Del Manak told Black Press. […]

Esquimalt launches new business, investment portal

July 23, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Business And Economic Strength, Government Local/by Jim Zeeben

The Township of Esquimalt has launched a new website aimed at attracting investment and helping current businesses. WhyEsquimalt.ca includes information about the economic landscape in the Township. “Storytelling is a powerful tool and this new dedicated website will serve to strengthen Esquimalt’s place brand identity by showcasing a unified narrative around livability, opportunity and quality […]

Chamber network continues to call for red tape reduction

July 23, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Business And Economic Strength, Chamber Awareness, Government Federal, Government Provincial/by Jim Zeeben

The Chamber continues to call for reduced red tape across all levels of government. According to the latest update from the Business Conditions Terminal for Greater Victoria, conditions remain challenging with the number of active businesses at 11,300, a slight increase (0.5%) from a year ago. Businesses are encouraged to help shape Chamber advocacy efforts […]

Region’s unemployment up, but still lowest in Canada

July 17, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Business And Economic Strength, Finding And Keeping Workers/by Jim Zeeben

Greater Victoria employers continue to face pressure from a tight labour market. Our region’s unemployment rate rose slightly to 3.9% in June, up from 3.7% in May. Greater Victoria’s employment rate was 65.2% in June. Those numbers compare to national rates of 6.9% unemployment and 60.9% employment. Our region consistently has among the lowest unemployment […]

Sticky inflation means July interest rate cut unlikely

July 17, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Business And Economic Strength, Inflation And Rising Costs/by Jim Zeeben

The latest inflation figures have dampened the chances that Canadians will get further debt relief this summer. The Consumer Price Index was 1.9% in June, up from 1.7% in May. “Price pressures edged higher as goods inflation picked up again. While the jump was mostly brought on by base effects from gasoline prices, underlying inflation […]

Save Our Streets meets with feds about public safety

July 17, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Government Federal, Safe Communities/by Jim Zeeben

The Chamber is a founding member of the Save Our Streets coalition, which met this week with the entire BC federal Liberal caucus. SOS representatives asked what was being done to curb crime, violence and public disorder disrupting and threatening communities throughout the province. “British Columbians are at a tipping point … and are demanding […]

Tiresome tariff talk compounds flagging confidence

July 17, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Business And Economic Strength, Chamber Awareness/by Jim Zeeben

Summer is traditionally a time to slow down and reenergize, but the trade talk coming out of the Whitehouse feels like spam through a faulty email filter. “Like most copy-and-paste chain-letters, this latest tariff threat from the US promises disaster if its warnings and predictions aren’t taken seriously. But it’s the senselessness of this tradewar […]

Chamber supports airport’s plan to grow business

July 17, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Business And Economic Strength, Hospitality And Tourism Rescue And Recovery/by Jim Zeeben

The Victoria Airport Authority is hoping to speed up its growth as a major economic contributor to our region. In 2023, the airport released a Master Plan for the next 20 years. However, as passenger arrivals and departures surge, the airport says the time is now to invest in its future. Airport Authority President and […]

Construction begins on first downtown hotel in 20 years

July 17, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Government Local, Hospitality And Tourism Rescue And Recovery/by Jim Zeeben

Six years after The Chamber signaled its support for a new hotel in downtown Victoria, work finally began this week. The new eight-storey Hyatt-branded hotel will have 167-rooms. It’s located at Broad and Johnson streets and expected to be completed by 2028. Chard Development began working on the the project before the pandemic and was […]

Saanich to hear amalgamation report July 14

July 14, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Government Local, Streamlined Regional Regulations/by Jim Zeeben

The District of Saanich announced today it will receive a formal presentation and begin next steps on July 14 on the report recommending Saanich and the City of Victoria amalgamate has been published and can be viewed online. Chamber members have long called for this to happen and The Chamber was an early voice for […]

Jo Campbell remembered as legendary philanthropist

July 9, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Chamber Awareness/by Jim Zeeben

One of Greater Victoria’s most legendary philanthropists has died at the age of 85. Jo Campbell was co-founder of Thrifty Foods along with her husband Alex Campbell, who was named Chamber Lifetime Achievement winner in 2009 and inducted into The Chamber Business Hall of Fame in 2022. “Jo and Alex were a team working together to create and grow Thrifty Foods […]