From May 29 to June 4, join us in celebrating National AccessAbility Week — a week dedicated to disability inclusion and accessibility in Canada. Join the conversation and ask yourself: how can I champion disability inclusion in my everyday life?

During National AccessAbility Week, recognize an individual or an organization that improves accessibility in your community. Visit The Chamber’s Member Directory for a list of our members that strive to promote inclusivity in Greater Victoria.

Through The Chamber’s Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Advancement (IDEA) Committee, our engaged committee members offer advice and guidance to The Chamber to create a more inclusive and welcoming business community that truly represents the diversity of the Greater Victoria.

Watch our Chamber Chat ​featuring Joanne Neubauer of the Action Committee for Persons with Disabilities, and IDEA Committee member Wendy Cox of the Victoria Disability Resource Centre to learn more about how the pandemic has highlighted the need for accessibility and inclusion.

A class action settlement against certain credit card surcharges means businesses that accepted credit card payments between March 23, 2001 and Sept. 2, 2021 could be entitled to rebates of up to $5,000.
 
The class action opposed certain rules regarding fees paid by merchants and collected by banks for Visa and MasterCard transactions. The deadline for eligible businesses to submit a claim in order to participate in the settlement is Sept. 30.

After the initial announcement of plans to replace the Royal BC Museum created a storm of controversy, the provincial government tried again to explain their rationale with the release of the final business case today.
 
“If we had seen the business case when the original announcement was made, it might have helped with some of the sticker shock our members are feeling,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. “We’re going to keep working with our members to help those that can pick up some of the traffic, as well as with the museum and the province to try and mitigate the loss of a major attraction for eight years.”
 
The province said it’s not possible to keep the museum open while rebuilding because of the complexity of moving items and safely removing hazardous materials. The current building has outlived its useful life and there are potential risks to its stored collections as well as staff and visitors.
 
There is a cost to doing nothing, Minister for Tourism, Art, Culture and Sport Melanie Mark said at today’s technical briefing. The province estimates that the cost of the project — currently at $789 million — will increase the longer it is delayed.

Capital Bike is hoping to inspire more people to choose bikes to get where they need to go. Go By Bike Week runs May 30 to June 5, and anyone can participate as individuals or by registering as a team. The week-long event, previously known as Bike to Work Week, is a great chance for co-workers to boost their mental and physical health in a collaborative and fun way. Capital Bike is planning Celebration Stations along popular bike routes with more than $20,000 in prizes available.

The Chamber has added its voice to calls to quickly address reports of increased youth violence in downtown Victoria. Everyone needs to feel safe in their home, on their way to or from work and in their place of employment.
 
Chamber CEO Bruce Williams told Global News last Friday that the Victoria Police Department has assured him they were going to increase their presence and shut down any bad behaviour. VicPD arrested eight youths over the weekend and are working with regional groups to make it clear that unlawful behaviour won’t be tolerated downtown.