SD61 budget cuts could impact student employment

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The Chamber has lent its support to the long-standing career centre program at the Greater Victoria School District. The SD61 school board is expected to announce funding cuts as part of finalizing its budget tomorrow.

“We understand that this year’s budget process requires difficult decisions, and we do appreciate that every trustee is doing their best to make the right decision. That said, we urge the school board to continue adequately funding career centre staff positions,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams stated in a letter to trustees. “Education is about helping students grow and learn to be successful adults who contribute to making our world a better place. Students receive positive direction to fulfill their academic potential, and they deserve to also have positive direction to prepare them for working life.”

Career centre staff are able to help students learn to build connections and professional relationships. Without that assistance, there might be fewer students available to take on traditional student positions. With Greater Victoria experiencing a workforce crisis, hiring students helps employers and gives young people a chance to earn money to pursue their own dreams.

VicPD protects us regardless of where we call home

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A convoy of honking trucks and anti-government protestors that planned to entrench themselves in James Bay fizzled out before it could gain a foothold.

“Safe, peaceful and lawful protest are protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Occupation is not,” states a VicPD media release. “Dangerous and/or unlawful activity will continue to be met with de-escalation and enforcement.

By being proactive, the Victoria Police Department were able to avoid a prolonged disruption to businesses and residents. VicPD consulted with Ottawa police about lessons learned by that city when it permitted a protest that then turned into an encampment.

VicPD Police Chief Del Manak shared his insights as a guest speaker at The Chamber’s Public Policy and Advocacy committee meeting this week. Chief Manak was also asked about efforts to create a regional police department that could draw resources from more than one municipality. VicPD works with their neighbouring police forces as much as possible, but there’s no question the department faces critical constraints. The job of police is to protect people in their community, regardless of where they’re from. In Greater Victoria, that means VicPD protect everyone who visits downtown for work in the day or for all of its entertainment options in the evening.

The Chamber has long called for a regional police force, and we will be looking for indications government is listening when the provincial Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act is released April 28.

CleanBC investing in innovation led by business

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Innovation led by business is the key to addressing climate change. The Chamber supports the latest round of investment through CleanBC in developing technology that reduces harmful emissions.
 
On Monday, CleanBC unveiled its fourth round of funding for three streams:

  • The Emissions Performance stream supports projects that reduce emissions using commercially available technologies.
  • The Innovation Accelerator stream supports projects that use clean technologies to demonstrate innovative solutions for industry emissions.
  • The Project Feasibility Studies stream, opening April 1, supports studying how to remove barriers, mitigate risks and determine the viability of projects.

 
The program is aimed at supporting industrial jobs in communities across BC. The application process is open until April 29 for Emissions Performance RFPs, and May 27 for Innovation Accelerator RFPs.

ICBC rebate announced as relief from high gas prices

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To help British Columbians deal with high gas prices, ICBC announced last week it is providing drivers with a one-time $110 rebate ($160 for commercial drivers).
 
Rising fuel prices — caused by what Premier John Horgan called “Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine” — have made life more expensive and led to calls for the province to reduce fuel taxes. And while consumers will welcome the rebate, there are concerns that the cash back from ICBC could increase demand for fuel. A better solution, some economists say, would be to focus relief on commercial vehicles facing higher costs — costs that will inevitably be added to the price of goods and services.
 
The ICBC rebate will be directly deposited in customer’s accounts or applied to their credit card, depending on how they pay for vehicle insurance. ICBC will not text or email information about the rebate and warns customers to be vigilant about fraud attempts.

Paid sick-days based on calendar year, province says

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Employers have a little more clarity about the new requirement for five days of paid sick leave. On Monday, BC’s Labour Minister Harry Bains said the requirement is for every “calendar year” of employment, regardless of an employee’s start date.
 
As well, the government amended language relating to collective agreements so that no employees are excluded.
 
The Chamber continues to collect feedback from the business community about the introduction of paid-sick days in BC. Let us know your experiences to help inform our advocacy efforts by emailing communications@victoriachamber.ca.

Provincial grant funds street safety team in Victoria

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Creating safe communities requires getting to the root of issues that make people feel unsafe. The Chamber advocates for adequate funding of enforcement, health care services and housing, and we applaud news that the City of Victoria will receive a grant to increase community safety.
 
“People in Victoria at risk of harm or victimization will benefit from a $30,000 grant to create a community-based team of front-line workers to deliver better, faster access to services,” a provincial government news release states. “The teams, known as ‘situation tables,’ … proactively identify vulnerable individuals or families who have a significant probability of committing criminal offences or experiencing harm or victimization, and rapidly connect them to services before they experience a negative or traumatic event.”

Hiring Day connects UVic students with employers

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Finding and keeping workers starts with connections.
 
On Monday, The Chamber teamed up with the University of Victoria and the UVic Students’ Society to connect thousands of students with more than 60 employers in Greater Victoria.
 
About two-thirds of all students at UVic typically work while undertaking their studies. This has traditionally been a key addition to Greater Victoria’s labour force, especially as the region has one of the highest employment rates in the country.
 
Monday’s Hiring Day event attracted 63 employers, ranging from financial institutions to tourism and hospitality businesses.

“We are proud to have a long-standing partnership with The Chamber — students can make a real impact in workplaces across the region, and they are key to supporting the economic recovery in this community. This type of hiring event helps facilitate these important connections,” said Andrea Giles, Executive Director of UVic’s Co-operative Education Program and Career Services.

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Members Big Wheel Burger, Coastal Community Credit Union and Wilson’s Group at Hiring Day

International visitors renew hope for tourism sector

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The return of international visitors is good news for our region’s tourism sector.

The recent announcement by Kenmore Air that regularly scheduled flights between Seattle and Victoria will return on April 1 is a great step forward. The Seattle area is a major source of visitors to Victoria and we know businesses here can’t wait to welcome them back. Adding flights creates more options for travellers, including the previously announced return of the Victoria Clipper on April 15, and the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority‘s start of a new cruise ship season on April 6.

To help spread the word, Destination BC has launched a new $6.7 million marketing campaign aimed at international visitors. The campaign, called Discover the BC Effect, aims to “drive emotional urgency” that will encourage people in Washington, California, Britain and Australia to travel to our province. The effort will complement Destination Greater Victoria‘s ongoing $2.2 million campaign.

Consumer confidence up despite rising inflation

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Canadians aren’t letting pain at the pump or higher grocery bills get them down.

According to the latest report from the Conference Board of Canada, consumer confidence is up 2.2% in March from the month before. The conference board found that Canadians were buoyed by the strong labour market recovery with 26.8% optimistic that job opportunities will increase by the fall. That’s up 4% from February. However, more Canadians expressed reservations about their current (up 4% to 29.2%) and future finances (up 5.1% to 25.6%).

Greater Victoria getting 100 complex care spaces

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Safe communities are a fundamental requirement for businesses to operate, and The Chamber applauds news that Greater Victoria is getting 100 complex care spaces. Housing is the foundation for helping people experiencing homelessness, but many also require support with mental health and addictions. Complex care is a good step toward reducing pressure on healthcare and policing, and making our communities safer.

“The pandemic has shown us that mental health challenges affect all of us, including people who haven’t had access to the support they need,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. “We’ve been clear from the start that solutions such as complex care are needed to help people successfully escape the cycle of homelessness and addiction. We’re grateful for this investment in our community, and look forward to working with our partners to get to the root of this complex and challenging issue.”

An increase in property crime and reports of violence throughout the pandemic are tied to the larger issues of housing and mental illness. “The first step in stabilizing a person who is self medicating, living with an addiction and without shelter is to provide stable housing and specific supports for their challenges,” Williams said.

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