Chamber will pay shipping costs for your customers

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Supporting your neighbours starts with thinking locally.

“In an effort to help people choose to shop at Greater Victoria retailers this holiday season, The Chamber is putting our money where our mouth is and paying the cost of shipping,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams says. “We all benefit from a strong regional economy and it’s up to each of us to do our part to help with the ongoing recovery.”

Effective immediately, the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce is encouraging holiday shoppers to choose local. The Chamber will cover the cost of shipping for items purchased from Chamber businesses and delivered by proud Chamber Courier partners.

The last two years have been challenging for retailers, but the forecast is for Canadians to spend more this holiday season. The Retail Council of Canada recently released a survey that shows people are feeling more confident with their finances this year.

Buying online from local retailers is also a good way to support our economic recovery and conserve a little gas by letting someone else do the delivery.

For more information on The Chamber’s Shop #ChamberLocalVicBC campaign, visit our website at victoriachamber.ca and make sure to follow us on social media.

If your business is interested in taking part in this initiative, please email members@victoriachamber.ca right away.

Media Coverage: Shop #ChamberLocalVicBC

Use your Chamber Benefits today

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Now is the time to take advantage of your health insurance coverage through your Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan.

Before the end of the calendar year, make sure to schedule a visit to your local dentist, chiropractor, massage therapist or acupuncturist to ensure you use the coverage you’re provided. Depending on your plan, your funds may not carry over into 2021.

Rest easy knowing claim payments are directly deposited into your account within 48 hours of being processed, and that you’re supporting local businesses this holiday season.

Interested in learning more? For over 17 years, RDF Group Ltd. has helped Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce members design a Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance plan reflecting the size and requirements of their businesses.

New Spirit Loop Connects Tourism on Lower Island

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​When roads are repaired and you’re ready for a perfect weekend away, there’s a local site for you to enjoy. Earlier this month, Malahat Nation CAO, Josh Handysides was on site at the Malahat Skywalk as local dignitaries gathered to officially launch the Spirit Loop. The project was launched in conjunction with Destination BC to build tourism between Malahat, Langford, Sooke and Port Renfrew.
 
With the tagline, Let nature take the wheel, the site provides 1 – 3 day itineraries of places to go and recharge your spirit along the Pacific Marine Circle Route.

Chamber takes advocacy initiatives directly to the opposition

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Since 1863, The Chamber has served as the largest and most influential voice of Greater Victoria’s business community. What that means is we listen to what our members tell us — their concerns, their questions, and their vision as we connect with the appropriate level of government and make sure decision makers have the information they need to make the right choices.
 
This past Monday, The Chamber was offered the opportunity to host an exclusive and intimate discussion with the Honourable Erin O’Toole, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and Canada’s Official Opposition.
Mr. O’Toole outlined Canada’s Recovery Plan, a detailed vision that focuses on uniting Canadians and making life more affordable for everyone. He touched on the Conservative Party’s priorities and how he values the opportunity to both oppose and propose legislation as the Official Opposition.

The address from Mr. O’Toole was followed by wide-ranging questions from our members focused on issues that matter to local business moderated by Bruce Williams, Chamber CEO. The Chamber made sure that our voice and needs were heard on issues outlined in our 2021 Advocacy priorities including: simplifying our current tax structure; addressing current workforce challenges and the affordable housing crisis; providing better supports for mental health and addiction to create safer communities; supporting innovation that mitigates climate change and shifts away from fossil fuels; and more.
 
The Chamber looks forward to future discussions with municipal, provincial, and federal decision makers to ensure the voice of business in Greater Victoria is heard. Learn more about our advocacy priorities here.

View photos from the event here. 

Heavy rains trigger State of Emergency in BC

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​200 millimetres doesn’t sound like much in the grand scheme of things, but it was a quick lesson in what climate extremes are doing to our province as it rained and then rained some more across BC. As of midday today, Premier Horgan has declared a Provincial State of Emergency.
 
The power outages, damage to homes and businesses, mudslides, road and bridge washouts, and even isolation due to evacuations, are the most visible problems. Insurance companies are already touting this as the largest natural catastrophic disaster for the insurance industry in 2021.
 
What is yet to be fully assessed is another delay in our already hard hit supply chain and the costs around delayed goods. The Port of Vancouver is assessing that the turnaround on imported goods may be nearly doubled from 2 days or less to as much as 5 days. Rob Reilly, Canadian National Railway Co.’s chief operating officer, said the heavy rain has made the tracks impassable at “a number of locations in southern B.C.” CN has been working above and beyond, using helicopters to deliver supplies as needed. Truck transportation is similarly impacted, even as alternating traffic patterns are restored. The request has been made that non-essential travel be suspended at this time. Here on the lower island, several gas stations are out of fuel.
 
Closures on major island transportation corridors — such as the Malahat and Sooke Road — have also resulted in workforce and supply chain disruptions. As always, in the midst of crisis, we have seen extraordinary efforts from the people of BC. Our first responders and emergency crews — and soon our military — have been working day and night to get our province back on its feet and on our roads. BC Ferries has added extra sailings to get goods to the island and to help reconnect our communities.
 
The provincial and federal government have committed to get transportation links up and running in order to keep people and goods in our province moving.

A new hotel in town

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​Fort and Blanshard will soon have a new profile, as the first hotel to be built in the city in 20 years was approved by Victoria city council.
 
Merchant House Capital has envisioned a 20-storey hotel with commercial and office space called the Wintergarden Spire. Details on the builder and hotel operator are still to be released, but once completed this will improve the depleting stock of hotel rooms needed for the city to bounce forward out of the pandemic.

More ways to support local businesses and shop #ChamberLocalVicBC this holiday season

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This Christmas, The Chamber will be working to encourage local shopping by picking up the tab on deliveries in Greater Victoria made at retail outlets that are Chamber members.
 
Recent survey results from the Retail Council of Canada are showing that consumers are planning to spend about $100 more this year than last (~$792) during the holiday season. The resurgence in consumer confidence is encouraging but to benefit our local merchants that needs to be focused on local businesses rather than online empires.
 
If your business is interested in taking part in this initiative, please email members@victoriachamber.ca right away. The program begins this week.

Lest We Forget

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As we honour members of the armed forces and their sacrifices this Remembrance Day, The Chamber is proud to have a long history of commemorating the soldiers who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.

After the First World War, The Chamber was instrumental in helping create Memorial Avenue that still runs along Shelbourne Street. Shelbourne was chosen as it offered enough space to commemorate every soldier from the city who died in the war. Chamber members helped plan the project, and business owners rolled up their sleeves to dig holes for the trees.

This year, the Royal Canadian Legion marks the 100th anniversary of the poppy as a symbol for remembrance. Commemorative pins are also available, with sales going to support veterans nation-wide.

Many ceremonies across Greater Victoria have returned as in-person events, but virtual ceremonies are still being hosted. CHEK News is providing live coverage of the province’s official Remembrance Day Service from the BC legislature at 10:30 am.

The ceremony will be followed by a concert preformed by the Naden Band.
We hope you have a day of reflection and remembrance.

The Chamber will be closed today, Thursday, Nov. 11.

Putting the chill back in home buying

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The province is looking to put in a “cooling off” period for home buyers in an effort to make sure buyers have the time they need to make fully informed decisions, rather than leaping into a purchase with no conditions or doing blind bidding.

The announcement took the Victoria Real Estate Board by surprise as they asked the question what problem the province is actually trying to solve.

The BC Financial Authority will be reaching out to stakeholders and experts over the next two months with a goal of providing the right information to the government. Current plans are to bring in legislation in the spring focused on protecting both the seller and the buyer in this over-heated, under-supplied real estate market.

Unemployment in Victoria remains very low

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​Recent labour figures released by Statistics Canada have underscored what we at The Chamber have been hearing for months, there are insufficient workers to grow our economy. Based on October data, Greater Victoria has an unemployment rate of 4.4%, one of the lowest in Canada. An unemployment rate of 3% or lower is considered to be full employment. Quebec City’s rate is 3.8%.

Hon. Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation and our guest speaker at this year’s AGM had this to say about the numbers, “B.C. has the second-lowest unemployment rate in the country at 5.6%, and we continue to lead all provinces with a job recovery rate of 101.9%. Our job-recovery rate regionally continues to be strong,…notable job-recovery rates are Prince George at 107.1%, Vancouver Island at 105.8% – that’s a direct result of people, businesses and communities working together to get through these tough times.”

Through hard work and sheer determination, businesses have rebounded, but what the unemployment numbers don’t tell us, is how to fill the 900,000 job vacancies across Canada today.

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