Businesses in the City of Langford will have more confidence about expanding operations after council voted to extend permits for up to three years.

Restaurants and retail businesses had been asking for certainty in order to invest in exterior capital improvements to support outdoor dining and expanded business capacity. Langford’s bylaw, previously requiring annual renewal, was amended to allow operations on sidewalks, boulevards and other common areas for up to three years under a single permit.

“Council has recognized that the implications of the pandemic are still a major challenge for many local businesses,” Langford Mayor Stew Young says. “Through this bylaw amendment, we have cut the red tape to make the process of expanding a patio or storefront this spring simple and efficient, while ensuring the safety of customers and staff.”

The Chamber continues working with all municipalities in Greater Victoria to enable innovative solutions to restaurants and all businesses affected by the pandemic.

Employers can now apply for the BC employer tax credit originally announced last September.

“With 2020 payrolls finalized, businesses will know if they are eligible for a credit that could equal up to 15% of any increase in total eligible payroll paid in the last quarter of 2020. The tax credit could be as much as $2,230 per employee,” states the provincial news release.

The credit will be applied to any outstanding Employer Health Tax or other debt owed to the province. Businesses that don’t pay EHT or owe less than their credit will receive a refund.

With the recent Provincial Health Order limiting indoor dining across BC, supporting local restaurants is as important as ever. That’s why we invite you to take part in
The Chamber’s Takeout Challenge! 

Tag your favourite restaurant and two friends for your chance to win one of two $100 gift cards to Tutti!

Take a photo enjoying takeout from your favourite restaurant, tag us and use the hashtag #ChamberLocalVicBC for five additional entries!

Winners will be announced on April 26 in our Chamber Events newsletter.

Click here to eat with a #ChamberLocalVicBC restaurant tonight.

The economic recovery hasn’t been the same for everyone. To help the struggling restaurant and hospitality sector, BC’s construction industry is launching a grant program to encourage construction employers to treat crews to lunch from local restaurants. Grants depend on the size of the crew and are $250 or $500.
 
The BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association is grateful for the support.
“It’s a generous idea and we’re thrilled to support it by making posters available to all our members so they can put them up in the window or even visit the construction sites near them and make sure they’re aware of the grants and the #LunchBoxChallenge,” BCRFA president and CEO Ian Tostenson said.
 
The #LunchBoxChallenge initiative is part of activities celebrating Construction Month in April, which include the Vancouver Island Construction Association as a sponsor. The industry was declared essential early in the pandemic and has fared better than many other sectors.

On April 19, the federal government will unveil its first full budget in two years and The Chamber is working with our partners to ensure businesses can lead the way.
 
It’s crucial that government move away from a subsidized economy and invest in the private sector to create sustainable growth.

“We at the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce are calling the roadmap to a post-COVID economy the ‘recovery runway’ and we are identifying ‘pivot pilots’ as those organizations and leaders who have been nimble with pivoting the way they do business,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams says in his latest column at Douglasmagazine.com.
 
Businesses that are leading the recovery — those pivot pilots — serve as a beacon of optimism as we taxi down the recovery runway.