“The province has ordered businesses to comply with this order, so anyone who has concerns about the rules should not be bullying people who are trying to make a living. It’s not their rule,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams says. “We’ve been working with our community partners on posters and other materials that we hope will remind everyone that we need to continue to be kind and patient while these requirements are in place.”

The Chamber also supports ongoing advocacy efforts underway to ensure the burden of enforcing the vaccine card is not placed solely on the shoulders of business.

“It has been a tough 18 months for restaurants and retailers, and they’ve worked extremely hard to keep their businesses operating. We can’t risk that by making it even harder on them by adding new challenges,” Williams said. “Getting your proof of vaccine is a simple process and only takes a few seconds to check. This will be a temporary measure, and it allows businesses to stay open and let’s all of us get back to the things we enjoy.”

The Chamber has been a vocal advocate for immunization as the best way forward. The data from today’s update by BC’s Ministry of Health shows that, after factoring for age, people not vaccinated are 37.9 times more likely to be hospitalized than those fully vaccinated.

View Royal’s new budget variance dashboard provides detailed info on operational finances in a number of areas, and allows comparisons of this year’s figures to previous years.

“It’s important that the community holds us accountable to stewarding their financial resources and that they receive regular reports on our progress,” View Royal’s Chief Administrative Officer Kim Anema said in a news release. “By regularly sharing detailed budget information with the community, we aim to build trust with our residents and demonstrate how we work to meet our financial goals.”

The Chamber recently presented to BC’s Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services to advocate for policies that will help grow the economy and allow the province to return to budget surpluses.

The updated numbers show that BC’s economy is rebounding, and that the province has the capacity to continue helping hard hit sectors, such as tourism and transportation, until they can fully participate in the recovery.