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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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Weather getting colder but real estate sales warming

December 5, 2024/in BizNews This Week, Housing/by Jim Zeeben

As fall moves into winter, housing sales traditionally slow down as fewer people want to make a major move in cold weather. However, a warming economy and lower borrowing costs has the real estate sector feeling festive. “I’ve found that buyers and sellers are feeling optimistic right now,” Victoria Real Estate Board Chair Laurie Lidstone […]

Saanich releases 2024 Housing Needs Report

November 27, 2024/in BizNews This Week, Government Local, Housing/by Jim Zeeben

Housing supply is a fundamental priority for Greater Victoria. A new report released by the District of Saanich offers a deep analysis of the municipality’s current stock and where future demand is expected. Of particular interest to The Chamber, based on our member survey, are housing solutions for people at risk of homelessness and workforce […]

City program adds sparkle to Downtown experience

November 27, 2024/in BizNews This Week, Government Local, Safe Communities/by Jim Zeeben

When’s the last time you went downtown for fun? If it’s been awhile, you might be surprised that it’s cleaner, safer and more vibrant than expected. The City of Victoria has invested in downtown for the holidays, including: additional street cleaning in high-traffic areas targeted cleaning in preparation for peak shopping hours and weekends proactive […]

Region’s ‘living wage’ jumps 5.4% from one year ago

November 27, 2024/in BizNews This Week, Fair Rules, Finding And Keeping Workers, Housing/by Jim Zeeben

Even with inflation tamed, there is a noticeable increase in the cost of living in Greater Victoria. The shift is evident in the latest report from the Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria. The report says the living wage in our region is $26.78 — 5.4% more than last year. The Greater Victoria living […]

Trump takes to social media to threaten huge tariffs

November 27, 2024/in BizNews This Week, Business And Economic Strength, Chamber Awareness, Fair Rules, Global Uncertainty, Government Federal, Government Provincial/by Jim Zeeben

There’s the economy, and then there’s the attention economy. The incoming US President has seized the spotlight with his comments on his Truth Social platform calling for a 25% tariff on products from Canada. The damage such a move would do to the Canadian and US economies makes this pronouncement shocking, which is likely what […]

BC Ferries faces challenges head on with creativity and innovation

November 27, 2024/in BizNews This Week, Government Provincial, Transportation Options/by Jim Zeeben

The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce hosted the final event in its 2024 Business Leaders Series, with a breakfast with BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez on Tuesday, Nov. 26, at the Union Club of BC in Victoria. More than 100 business and community leaders attended the breakfast, which featured a presentation by Jimenez followed by […]

BC delegation to LA seeks film and TV productions

November 20, 2024/in BizNews This Week, Business And Economic Strength, Chamber Awareness/by Jim Zeeben

The Chamber applauds today’s announcement that the province is sending a delegation to the heart of Hollywood to encourage more productions in BC. Film production in Greater Victoria has many benefits. Movies and TV series promote the beauty of our region. Companies employ skilled workers on set and purchase from local suppliers. For example, the […]

Bomb cyclone provides reminder to be prepared

November 20, 2024/in BizNews This Week, Climate Change Solutions, Global Uncertainty/by Jim Zeeben

The bomb cyclone that swept through the region this week served as a good reminder to prepare for potential emergencies before winter. Coincidentally, so did the National Public Alerting System‘s test today (Nov. 20), which buzzed phones at 1:55 p.m. You can prepare by making sure you have a plan for your business and your […]

Helping make sense of inflation/interest forecasts

November 20, 2024/in BizNews This Week, Inflation And Rising Costs/by Jim Zeeben

Over the past two years, a new pastime emerged called “what will the Bank of Canada do next?” When inflation began surging in 2021, the era of low interest rates suddenly ended. Now, with inflation back to the 2% target and interest rates falling, understanding where the economy is going is still not a simple […]

Greater Victoria MLAs named to new provincial cabinet

November 20, 2024/in BizNews This Week, Chamber Awareness, Government Provincial/by Jim Zeeben

BC’s recently elected Premier David Eby named his new cabinet this week, with several local MLAs taking charge of key ministries. Lana Popham (Saanich South) — who had been serving as Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sports — is now Minister of Agriculture and Food. Grace Lore (Victoria-Beacon Hill) continues as Minister of Children […]

Keeping an eye on AI to help business adopt it safely

November 13, 2024/in BizNews This Week, Chamber Awareness, Finding And Keeping Workers, Global Uncertainty, New And Established Businesses/by Jim Zeeben

The adoption of artificial intelligence into our daily routine has been profound. Maybe you use ChatGPT to build out tedious frameworks for standard documents or use Canva to create spectacular illustrated designs for marketing. The ease of integrating AI into our workflows makes it impossible to ignore. However, what price are we paying for these […]

Feds step in to end labour disputes at Canadian ports

November 13, 2024/in BizNews This Week, Fair Rules, Food Security, Global Uncertainty, Government Federal, Inflation And Rising Costs, Transportation Options/by Jim Zeeben

The Chamber was part of advocacy efforts that succeeded in ending the recent labour disputes that had shut down vital ports across Canada. The Chamber was a signatory to a letter that went directly to federal Minister of Labour and Seniors Steven MacKinnon. That effort helped push the Canada Industrial Relations Board to announce on […]