Restaurant industry asks PHO to reconsider last call

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The Chamber is a strong supporter of BC Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, and we are proud of all our members who have dutifully followed her advice.
 
Among those are many of our restaurants, pubs and cafes that have gone above and beyond to keep their customers and our community safe. Which is why we share concerns expressed by the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association, through the Business Technical Advisory Panel (Liquor Policy). On Sept. 8, Dr. Henry verbally ordered the closure of bars and banquet halls, and called for liquor sales to end by 10 pm (among a list of restrictions).
 
For many operators, money earned in the last few hours of the evening is the difference between being able to make ends meet and shutting down the business.
 
A more effective approach would be to address specific situations and enforce problematic behaviour. As the panel’s letter notes, why punish a business providing wine to a couple in Victoria on a late-night date because a small group of people in Vancouver are breaking the rules?

SD61 students begin returning to classrooms

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The Greater Victoria School District (SD61) has a Return to School Plan ready to go as students head back into classrooms.
 
The school district is following the BC Ministry of Education’s restart plan, which focuses on the safety of students and staff while trying to give kids as much in-class instruction as possible. To help with the extra level of planning needed this year, the federal government is providing BC with $242.4 million to implement COVID-19 protocols for child care, transportation, health and safety and learning supports.
 
There’s no question anxiety levels have been heightened during the pandemic, and the provincial government is spending an additional $2 million on school-based wellness programs. If it means fewer people suffering from mental health issues in the years ahead, it will have been an invaluable investment.
 
To help families manage back to school stress and anxiety, The Chamber is also happy to give a shout out to Telus for hosting two seminars by clinical counselor Lindsay Killam. You can get more details and register for the Sept. 10 or Sept. 14 event here.
 
It’s a critical time for families in British Columbia as we learn to live with COVID-19, and continue to work on restarting our economy. The Chamber encourages everyone to follow the most current advice of BC Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. There is less uncertainty around COVID-19 than there was in the spring, and efforts to slow transmission are much more focused — as detailed in today’s announcement of a $1.6 billion plan for the fall and winter.

Support services vital to ensure housing is effective

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The provincial government paid $1.8 million for a property at 1176 Yates St. that will be used to provide up to 40 units of housing for homeless people in Greater Victoria. The homes will include support for mental health and addiction treatment.
 
Homelessness is a complex issue that requires a multi-faceted approach. The Chamber is focusing our ongoing advocacy on the need to improve mental health services that are often at the root of homelessness. We need to move beyond encampments that provide shelter but don’t address underlying concerns.

Province confirms tax measure implementation dates, deferral deadlines for businesses

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Businesses have been given a reprieve as the provincial government announced last week that it is delaying implementation or increases to several taxes.
 
Quarterly installments for the Employer Health Tax have been pushed back as follows:

  • Dec. 31, 2020 (original installment date was June 15, 2020)
  • Jan. 31, 2021 (original installment date was Sept. 15, 2020)
  • Feb. 28, 2021 (original installment date was Dec. 15, 2020)

 
As well, the scheduled elimination of a Provincial Sales Tax exemption for sweetened carbonated beverages, and the requirement for e-commerce businesses outside BC to collect PST have been delayed until next April. And annual increases to the provincial carbon tax, postponed back in April, also won’t begin until next year.
 
The Ministry of Finance is also reminding businesses that the due dates for the following sales taxes, extended in the spring, are coming up Sept. 30:

  • PST
  • hotel tax, also known as municipal and regional district tax
  • tobacco tax
  • motor fuel tax
  • carbon tax

 
“These administrative deferrals are not being extended further,” says a statement from the ministry. “Businesses were never able to spend taxes collected from customers such as PST, but delaying tax remittances removed an administrative burden from potentially short-staffed businesses during the beginning of the pandemic.”

Nightclubs, halls closed to slow spread of COVID-19

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Yesterday, citing extensive work of contract tracers, the provincial government ordered all nightclubs and stand-alone banquet halls to close.
 
“Despite weeks of effort by public health teams, these venues are creating significant risk to everyone in BC, and making it more challenging to protect those who are most vulnerable to serious illness,” says a statement by Health Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
 
The new order also states that liquor sales in bars, pubs and restaurants must cease at 10 pm. And unless they provide a full meal service, they need to close by 11 pm.

Postive job numbers a sign of slow and steady climb

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BC’s economic restart continued in August, with the unemployment rate in Greater Victoria dropping to 10.3% from 11.1% the month before.
 
“This is the fourth month we’ve seen a bit of a rise in the number of people working, which is good,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams told CHEK news. “It’s a sign that we’re slowly on the road to recovery, but still reflects the great big hole in the economy with tourism and hospitality not really returning to anything near normal levels right now.”
 
The province says it has now recovered 94% of jobs lost during the initial economic restrictions imposed to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Rent relief extension welcome, but changes needed

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The federal rent relief program for commercial properties has been extended, though there continues to be concerns raised about how it was rolled out — and what comes next.
 
For many businesses that have been able to access Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA), the program has been a lifeline through the pandemic. Extending relief until the end of September will help. However, as the weather cools and revenues begin to fall, many restaurants and storefront retailers are wondering how they will survive.
 
The Chamber, along with our chamber network across the country, is calling on the federal government to rethink its approach to commercial rent relief. Rent is one of the biggest costs for many businesses and this is an area that government can provide real help. A new program is also required for the many businesses that needed help but couldn’t access CECRA because of its complexity or landlords who were unwilling to shoulder risk and revenue loss.

Labour Day long weekend

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As September begins, enjoy the upcoming hot weather and take a moment to unwind before the summer ends.
Make the most of your Labour Day weekend by supporting your fellow Chamber members.


Take a photo of yourself completing the Patio Checklist, and tag us with @victoriachamber and #YYJPatioChecklist for a chance to be featured on our social media channels. Stay safe and support local.

​The Chamber will be closed on Monday, Sept. 7.

Ocean explorers turn eco-warriors

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​One of this year’s Business Award finalists – Maple Leaf Adventures – is one of the co-leads on a project to shine-up the phrase, Canada’s pristine wilderness.

“When it became clear we would not be able to operate under normal circumstances this summer and had to cancel a sold-out season, we turned our attention to the environment to give back to the coast that sustains us,” says Kevin Smith, CEO of Maple Leaf Adventures and co-lead on the project.

Working collaboratively with other small ship tour operators, local first nations, provincial scientists and with funding from the provincial government the project became a reality. The massive cleanup of up to 1,000 km of coastal beaches along the Great Bear Rainforest, is projected to take 100 tonnes of marine waste out of the eco-system over the next few weeks. Kudos to the 175 people from the surrounding first nations and tour companies, involved in this #BCCoastalCleanup.

Learn more about Maple Leaf Adventures, during the CHEK broadcast of this year’s Business Awards on Sept 19th at 6 p.m.

New Orders for Naden Drill Shed

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​The stamp of marching feet has been drilled into the Naden Drill Shed since it was put up in 1941 as part of the WWII efforts on the base at CFB Esquimalt.

As part of the ongoing infrastructure projects that CFB Esquimalt is undertaking the shed is being upgraded to a Junior Ranks Training Accommodation building. The new, multi-storey facility will include a 200-bed capacity. The existing shed, pictured here, was demolished and the site decontaminated earlier this year.

The project will bring between $100 million to $249 million in spending to the region. Construction is targeted for 2022-23 with completion by 2026-27.

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