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.”

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.

The City of Victoria and District of Saanich have already had their proposed bans approved by the province, which has jurisdiction over environmental matters. The Chamber was instrumental in helping Victoria and Saanich work with businesses to ensure their bylaws complimented practices in place due to consumer demand. We also worked with Esquimalt and other municipalities in the region to make sure regulations were seamless across borders.

The City of Langford ranks No. 1 overall for its continued growth during the pandemic, with high volumes of residential home sales, housing starts and one of the youngest populations in the province. The move to employees working from home was another factor in Langford’s favour, giving communities outside urban cores more points than in previous polls. Cities that rely heavily on tourism were typically farther down the list this year.

The Canada United Small Business Relief Fund was initially announced in October, but money is still available. The program is administered by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce though businesses from any province can apply.

Businesses that have already applied for the funds can email cusbrf@occ.ca to determine the status of their application.