An influx of visitors to Greater Victoria is providing a healthy boost to businesses catering to tourists. BC’s Interior is suffering from a prolonged wildfire season and a surge in COVID-19 cases. The unfavorable conditions there are suspected as one of the reasons for the increase in visitors to our region.
 
Downtown Victoria Business Association executive director Jeff Bray told CHEK News that retailers are seeing a trend of people who changed their vacation plans and are visiting Vancouver Island instead of the Okanagan.
 
Tourism statistics for July have not yet been released, but Chemistry Consulting‘s numbers from June show a healthy increase from 2020, though still far cry from June 2019.

Pavan Nirwan joins The Chamber with two decades of experience as a trusted strategic advisor, guiding stakeholders on government relations, business development, community and stakeholder engagement. Through her work in the public and private sector, Pavan has a proven record of establishing and maintaining relations with domestic and international governments and stakeholders.
 
As the Director of Stakeholder and Government Relations, Pavan looks forward to leading engagement and issues management with external stakeholders. These groups will include provincial, municipal, federal governments, community groups, and other partners. Pavan will also be working on the February 2022 launch of the Business Hall of Fame presented by RBC.
 
You can connect with Pavan at 250 360-3479 or govrelations@victoriachamber.ca.

A new economic development agency for British Columbia will include offices in Victoria and Campbell River.

Federal Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages Mélanie Joly says Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan) will provide a tailored approach for British Columbia’s economy.

“Minister Joly’s announcement has the potential to have a significant impact on the economic recovery and resilience needed in the Capital Region to move along a path of a sustainable and diverse post-pandemic economy,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams says, noting that as B.C.’s population has grown rapidly over the past 20 years, the province’s economy is becoming more advanced. “By creating two offices on Vancouver Island, one in Victoria and the other in Campbell River, the federal government shows it recognizes the unique opportunities and challenges of our Island economy. Greater Victoria has distinct priorities, as do the central, northern and western regions of the Island.”

PacifiCan builds on work done by Western Economic Diversification Canada over the last 34 years. Another new agency, Prairie Economic Development Canada (PrairieCan), will now serve Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

The Chamber is actively working with the federal government to get clarity on why Canada’s marine borders with the U.S remain closed.

There has been tremendous confusion regarding marine borders, which have not reopened, creating a major disruption to commercial ferry operators and Greater Victoria’s tourism economy.

We are asking government to provide clarity on this issue, as soon as possible, in order to avoid the very real risk of permanently losing key transportation and tourism links.

Visitors from Washington State play a vital role in job creation and the economic vitality of our region. The companies that operate ferries, as with all businesses, need certainty before they begin the process of resuming operations. This takes at minimum three weeks and, as we get closer to fall, a decision must be made to resume by the end of summer or to suspend operations for 2021 entirely.
 
Victoria’s Inner Harbour has long been a gateway to Canada and we are concerned about the federal government’s approach to Belleville Terminal’s designation as a port-of-entry. We are asking that immediate attention be given to reinstating Canada Border Service Agency personnel at Belleville Terminal in order to demonstrate that fair treatment is being given to this vital border crossing.

The Chamber supports BC’s immunization efforts and we believe the evidence shows COVID-19 vaccinations offer our best chance to put the pandemic behind us.

However, mandating vaccination for BC employers requires taking care to ensure human rights are respected. Unlike the US, where the Department of Justice has opined that employers can require employees be vaccinated, BC’s Human Rights Commission has issued general advice for treating people differently based on their vaccination status.

Essentially, the commission says workplaces must balance the need to be safe with avoiding discrimination against people who have adequate alternative means for preventing COVID-19 transmission.

The lack of clarity means the issue will be front and centre with HR departments for the foreseeable future.