Pictured above: Jaime Clifton-Ross, left, and Taryn Malcolm, right, from the Victoria Foundation bookend Chamber staffers Hanna Bohm, Julia Banks and Summer Sandhu after dropping off cookies at the Chamber office.

The gesture was part of Random Acts of Kindness Week, Feb. 12-17, which asks people to “do something nice for someone and ask for nothing in return,” other than to perform another act of kindness to someone else.

Today is also Valentine’s Day, so The Chamber sends our love to our members and all of Greater Victoria’s business community. Make sure to celebrate with your valentine and enjoy flowers, chocolates or a dinner out!

This weekend is also Family Day so another great opportunity to support your fellow Chamber members, whether that’s sharing a meal, enjoying our region’s parks and rec centres or simply spending time together with family.

The Chamber office is closed Monday, Feb. 19.

C’s restaurants are facing a crisis. A new warning was issued this week by the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association and Restaurants Canada calling for urgent policy changes in order to avoid last call for the industry.

The document, formatted to resemble a menu, details the challenges facing the restaurant industry and offers policy solutions that pair well together. For example, under Entrees, the report offers:

– – –
Struggling To Make Ends Meatloaf

Cost: 35% of restaurants are losing money
A one-time classic that’s barely holding it together. Slices are becoming thinner and thinner with each passing day.
Policy Pairing: Provide rental assistance and offer rebates for energy, packaging, and municipal taxes
– – –

The report states the province has 15,000 restaurants, employing 185,000 people and contributing $18 billion in annual sales.

The Chamber is proud to support the work of the Victoria Hockey Legacy Society, organizers of the Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada celebration happening Jan. 17-20.

Family-friendly celebrations will take place in Victoria’s iconic Inner Harbour, including hockey clinics put on by BC Hockey on an outdoor skating rink, and a festival at Ship Point.

“This is a region that loves hockey, and this event gives us a chance to showcase our deep connection to the sport while showing off our spectacular hometown,” VHLS Chair John Wilson said. “We gratefully acknowledge that we are on the traditional truly spectacular territory of Lekwungen speaking peoples — the Songhees Nation and Esquimalt Nation — and let all Canadians know that Victoria is a welcoming place to visit any time of year.”

The Victoria Hockey Legacy Society has also partnered with Sportsnet, Scotiabank, Province of British Columbia, Destination Greater Victoria, City of Victoria, Bayview, Helen Edwards Consulting, Fairmont Empress, Chard Development, Jones Marine Group Ltd., Victoria Hyundai and many others to bring this four-day event to Vancouver Island.

Highlights include an NHL Alumni Game, opportunities to see the Stanley Cup and more, culminating with a full day of NHL broadcasts hosted from the Inner Harbour by Sportsnet’s Ron MacLean.

BC Hockey, local minor hockey and ball hockey associations as well as the WHL Victoria Royals all play an important role in the celebration. One of the legacies of the event will be a state-of-the-art artificial rink by CAN-ICE that will be usable by skaters for years to come. Proceeds from the event benefit the Courtnall Society for Mental Health.

A Request for Qualifications has gone out for the design and construction of a modern Belleville Terminal. The RFQ will lead to a shortlist for the Request for Proposals to carry out the upgrades to the terminal.

The project has a $303.9 million budgets and is expected to be completed ahead of the 2028 tourism season. The federal government has confirmed $41.6 million for the project.

After the upgrade, the terminal will be in compliance with the Canada-U.S. Land, Rail, Marine and Air Transport Preclearance Agreement, allowing passengers to complete the US customs and immigration process in Victoria, prior to disembarking in the United States.

The Songhees Nation and Esquimalt Nation will be able to showcase the cultural and geographical significance of the project’s location, and welcome visitors into Lekwungen territory.

Travellers spend approximately $174 million annually, generating $268 million in economic output and $155 million in provincial gross domestic product (GDP).

“As a gateway to Canada, to British Columbia and to our region, Belleville Terminal serves as a vital connection point for trade and tourism. The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce has made the case for modernization for more than 20 years,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. “I’m encouraged to see progress being made now. There is an urgency to ensure Belleville can continue to serve as an important border crossing and point of entry, and the time is now for this project to happen.”

Starting last week, all employers in BC will need to include salary or wage information on publicly posted jobs. BC’s new Pay Transparency Act takes affect Nov. 1.
The goal is to try to ensure all people are offered the same pay for the same work, and prohibits employers from asking prospective employees about how much they earned in the past. As well, employees can’t be punished for disclosing what they are being paid.
Large and medium-sized employers must also begin publicly posting reports about their gender-pay gap, based on a phased approach:

• Nov. 1, 2023: BC Public Service Agency and Crown corporations and public agencies with more than 1,000 employees (ICBC, BC Hydro, WorkSafeBC, BC Housing, BC Lottery Corporation and BC Transit)
• Nov. 1, 2024: all employers with 1,000 employees or more
• Nov. 1, 2025: all employers with 300 employees or more
• Nov. 1, 2026: all employers with 50 employees or more.