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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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March 11 marked COVID national day of Observance
/in BizNews This Week, Chamber Awareness, Global Uncertainty, Safe Communities/by Jim ZeebenIt seems like another lifetime. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared a global pandemic. Our way of life, and, for many, way of doing business, was turned upside down. COVID-19 was an unknown and dangerous disease that would claim 6,600 people in BC and almost 60,000 across Canada despite unprecedented efforts […]
Province recruiting doctors and nurses amid US chaos
/in BizNews This Week, Government Provincial, Safe Communities, Training And Microcredentials/by Jim ZeebenThe provincial government is seeing opportunity in the political divide currently impacting the United States. BC has begun a recruitment campaign targeting doctors and nurses from the US and fast-tracking credential recognition. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC is being consulted on a direct process for doctors who hold certification from the American […]
Bank drops interest rate, citing trade war uncertainty
/in BizNews This Week, Global Uncertainty, Inflation And Rising Costs/by Jim ZeebenThe Bank of Canada made another cut to interest rates today, lowering the overnight rate to 2.75%. “The Canadian economy entered 2025 in a solid position, with inflation close to the 2% target and robust GDP growth,” the Bank said in a media release. “However, heightened trade tensions and tariffs imposed by the United States […]
BC pulls all US alcohol from province’s liquor stores
/in BizNews This Week, Global Uncertainty/by Jim ZeebenSerious, surreal and silly. Any of these work for describing the current relationship between Canada and the United States as President Trump continues to attack Canadians’ national identity while threatening to gravely damage businesses, families and industry on this side of the border. The trade war started with tariffs, which serve as a tax paid […]
Safety for Business session set for next week
/in BizNews This Week, Government Local, Safe Communities/by Jim ZeebenThe City of Victoria‘s Small Business Info Session: Safety for Business is set for March 12, 4:30 to 7:30 pm, at Victoria City Hall. The session aims to help businesses better understand the resources available to improve their security and ensure customers and staff have a sense of safety. Businesses can also contribute feedback to […]
New report offers insight into Canadian real estate
/in BizNews This Week, Finding And Keeping Workers, Housing, Inflation And Rising Costs/by Jim ZeebenWhat do the current events of 2025 mean for Canada’s real estate industry? There’s no crystal ball to foretell the future, but the expert prognosticators at Doane Grant Thornton have put together some thoughtful insights in their 2025 Real Estate market summary. The report looks at key trends, including the political winds blowing north from […]
Navigate the trade war seas with MNP resource kit
/in BizNews This Week, Global Uncertainty/by Jim ZeebenThis week saw the first shots fired in a trade war started by US President Donald Trump. The action led to retaliatory tariffs and a heating up of rhetoric across social media. But how will tariffs affect you and your business? To help better understand the specific challenges, MNP has released a Trade Impact Navigator. […]
BC Budget 2025 attempts to tackle trade war’s unknowns
/in BizNews This Week, Chamber Awareness, Global Uncertainty, Government Provincial, Inflation And Rising Costs/by Jim ZeebenThe best news from yesterday’s BC Budget 2025 announcement was a promise from the provincial Finance Minister to work more closely with businesses going forward. As is tradition, the minister met with the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce today to discuss the budget. Brenda Bailey, a former tech sector entrepreneur, was elected to government in […]
First cruise ship of the season arrives March 6
/in BizNews This Week, Chamber Awareness, Transportation Options/by Jim ZeebenThis year’s cruise ship season begins March 6, when the Disney Wonder is scheduled to arrive at 8 am before departing at 5 pm from Pier B at The Breakwater District at Ogden Point. “As we embark on the 2025 cruise season, we are thrilled to welcome visitors from around the world to our vibrant […]
Blanket change to TFW program makes little sense
/in BizNews This Week, Finding And Keeping Workers, Global Uncertainty, Government Federal/by Jim ZeebenRecent changes to the rules around Temporary Foreign Workers have caught many businesses by surprise. The program has existed for half a century and has been vital to helping employers fill out their workforce. It’s also proved to be a popular pathway to Canadian citizenship. The rule changes were driven by shifting political winds that have seen the federal government curtail immigration targets. However, applying the same rules to all regions […]
View Royal looking ahead to mid-century with OCP
/in BizNews This Week, Government Local/by Jim ZeebenThe Town of View Royal is looking to the future to envision the community it wants to be by the mid-century. View Royal 2050: Our Future View will be a major update to the municipality’s Official Community Plan, which will helps councils and planners make decisions about land use, housing, transportation, parks, environmental stewardship, climate […]
Plan for Quadra McKenzie to be reworked this spring
/in BizNews This Week, Government Local/by Jim ZeebenThe draft plan for the Quadra McKenzie area will go back to the District of Saanich council to reassess initial feedback from the public. Council has asked staff to revise the plan with reduced density in some neighbourhoods, as well as to hold off any changes to vehicle lanes on McKenzie Avenue. “We appreciate people […]