Making it easier to get around Greater Victoria, and addressing climate change were among the many topics addressed yesterday by BC’s Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming.

The Minister spoke to Chamber members as part of our ongoing Business Restart Series, which continues March 30 with Agricultural Minister Lana Popham (details below).

Fleming spoke about continuing efforts to make getting to work convenient for commuters who live in more affordable areas of the region. For example, he said the McKenzie Interchange, which is “substantially complete,” has cut commute times to the West Shore in half. As well, an additional widening of the highway will make the route ready for Light Rapid Transit. Another concept that is still being looked at is a ferry from Colwood to Victoria.
 
The Minister also addressed The Chamber’s calls for better transportation governance in the region. Fleming said the solution requires something other than the system of weighted votes used by the Capital Regional District. Greater Victoria needs a body that looks at the region as whole, and not as a collection of 13 municipalities.

The Minister also responded to a Chamber member question by encouraging businesses to lend their voice to a proposed “flyover” overpass from the Pat Bay Highway northbound to Keating Cross Road westbound, eliminating the left turn across highway traffic onto Keating Cross Road.

If you missed yesterday’s event but would like to hear more about what the Minister had to say, the video is available for purchase.

​Ferry service between Greater Victoria and destinations in Washington State are hoping for a return to service as soon as it’s safe to travel. The Canadian government has extended the closure of the US border until March 21.

Black Ball Ferry Lines, which operates the Coho ferry, and Clipper Navigation suspended operations when the border was closed almost a year ago. Both companies say they will be ready to resume sailing as soon as they’re permitted to do so.

“I think there’s lot of pent up demand, but we really don’t know the circumstances of what an opening will be,” Black Ball’s president Ryan Burles told the Times Colonist. “We know it has to be safe to travel, and not just kind of safe. I know that about 90% of B.C. people don’t want the border to be open until it’s safe.”

In the February edition of Business Examiner, Chamber CEO Bruce Williams comments on expert advice to help businesses set a course for recovery.

As we continue to adapt to new ways of doing business, we are starting to get a much clearer idea of what lies ahead. This is good news for businesses that have been forced to leap into the future sooner than planned. Knowing where we’re going can help an organization ensure it has the capacity and resources to fulfil its potential.

Tomorrow, when The Chamber hosts BC’s Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, Ravi Kahlon, one of the topics will be how can more organizations access the province’s Business Recovery Grants? Uptake has been slow on the program, which offers grants up to $30,000 for any business in operation for 18 months that have experienced a 30% loss of revenue since May. Tourism operators are eligible for up to $45,000 in non-repayable funds under the same criteria.

According to reports, as of this month, only $12 million of $300 million allotted for the program has been delivered to businesses.

See below for more information on how to sign up for tomorrow’s Business Restart Series with Minister Kahlon.

Starting Feb. 15, more financial institutions are able to accept applications for the federal governments Highly Affected Sectors loan program. The funding provides low-interest loans between $25,000 to $1 million to cover operational cash flow needs. The money is guaranteed by the government through the BDC, and is intended to help tourism and hospitality businesses — sectors hit the hardest by the pandemic.