Finding And Keeping Workers Archives

Chamber championing ferries’ future resonates with Island communities

April 30, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Chamber Awareness, Climate Change Solutions, Finding And Keeping Workers, Food Security, Global Uncertainty, Government Provincial, Transportation Options/by Jim Zeeben

The Chamber’s efforts to bring a business perspective to the future of our most vital transportation link has captured the attention of policy makers and business associations on the Island and across BC.

A letter penned by The Chamber on behalf of 20 organizations was sent to BC Premier David Eby last week. The letter makes the case for revisiting the recent decision by the BC Ferries commissioner to only approve four new vessels instead of the five required to meet demand.

The request was picked up by media during an interview with the Premier, who agreed that the vessels are needed.

“I think we need boats that are going to be able to serve the public well into the future here in British Columbia,” Eby told reporters. “It’s critical for commerce, for tourism and as the Island Highway for so many families and businesses.”

The Chamber supports efforts to reduce costs faced by taxpayers, and is grateful the provincial government has heard our calls to invest in ways that grow the economy for everyone. The attention on the issue has also raised the potential for federal funding to be part of the solution.

“Affordability is about more than just fares and yet there’s nothing that requires the commissioner to apply that lens,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams wrote in the letter about the need for infrastructure that drives business, industry and tourism.

Read The Chamber’s column

Businesses bear burden of loosening sick day rules

April 17, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Fair Rules, Finding And Keeping Workers, Government Provincial, Hospitality And Tourism Rescue And Recovery, Inflation And Rising Costs, Safe Communities/by Jim Zeeben

A cost to employers rooted in the pandemic is now further ingrained in law after the provincial government moved to ban the requirement for doctor’s notes when employees take sick days.

“Businesses would have liked to have had more of a say on this policy,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. “It’s one thing for the public sector to make this a requirement for its employees, but to force it on the private sector overlooks a lot of concerns we hear from members.”

Organizations understand the benefit of supporting their workers, especially in Greater Victoria with one of the lowest unemployment rates in Canada. During the pandemic, employers went to great lengths to support staff who were ill as well as to keep workers safe from infection. However, legislating paid sick days is a cost that is not covered by government. This additional burden on business adds up, especially at time when many organizations are facing lower margins.

“Most Chamber members I talk to have great relationships with their staff and go out of their way to help when needed,” Williams said. “But many are rightfully concerned that this change will create confusion and could incentivize abuse of the rules and potentially force employers to provide more paid days off work.”

Low unemployment rate reflects recruiting challenges

April 9, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Finding And Keeping Workers, Government Federal/by Jim Zeeben

It might be uncertain times, especially for global trading and the stock markets but we can count on Greater Victoria having a low unemployment rate.

Our region has the second lowest unemployment rate in Canada at 3.6%, behind only Saguenay, Quebec, which is at 3.4%.

Finding and keeping workers has been a challenge for Greater Victoria employers for at least 10 years. It’s an area that Chamber members continue to ask us to prioritize in our advocacy.

“We have the reality of living with a double-edged sword. Our region is one of the most desirable places in the world, but that also makes us an expensive area to call home,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. “We need investment in infrastructure — housing supply, transportation and affordable childcare — to attract working people and families.”

To hear more about how The Chamber and our partner organizations are working together to build good business and great community for all, register for an upcoming advocacy event.

On April 15, The Chamber’s AGM and panel discussion will look at how the Canada-US relationship affects our region’s economy. And on April 16, The Chamber and partners host Canada Votes 2025, a Listening Session for Federal Election candidates.

Women in Business report finds steady, slow progress

April 2, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Chamber Awareness, Fair Rules, Finding And Keeping Workers/by Jim Zeeben

The 2025 Women in Business report by Doane Grant Thornton is now available.

The annual report promotes gender equality, tracks progress, identifies challenges and informs strategies for fostering a more inclusive and equitable business environment — ultimately leading to better business outcomes.

“In Canada, 34.7% of women hold senior management positions in small- and medium-sized businesses. It’s steady progress but still a significant distance to achieve parity,” Doane Grant Thornton stated. “It could take another 25 years for women to achieve equal representation in top executive roles, without accelerated change.”

The report also looks at external and internal challenges that affect leadership teams in mid-market businesses, which Doane Grant Thornton said “account for 98% of employer businesses in Canada, and 90% of businesses and two-thirds of jobs worldwide.”

New child care spaces announced for Langford

March 26, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Finding And Keeping Workers/by Jim Zeeben

For the last 10 years, Chamber members have identified finding and keeping workers as one of the biggest challenges facing their organization. Our region has one of the lowest unemployment rates in part because of our cost of living. To help, the Chamber has loudly and successfully advocated for investment in child care, which can be the second highest cost facing families after housing.

On Monday, the City of Langford received funding for a new centre with 73 child care spaces.

“As the Voice of Business, the Chamber works to bring investment to our region,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. “This includes investing in infrastructure such as affordable child care spaces that attract families, that allow parents to continue their careers knowing their young kids are well looked after.”

Help wanted? Workers caught in TFW rule changes

March 19, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Finding And Keeping Workers, Government Federal, Immigration And Integration, Training And Microcredentials/by Jim Zeeben

The Chamber continues to work to address ill-advised changes to Canada’s Temporary Foreign Workers program. We’ve met with Victoria’s Member of Parliament and heard from several Chamber members about the damaging impact this blanket legislation is causing in our region.

Canadian Tire Hillside has reached out to ask for help finding work for four of their former staffers who are looking for employers able to offer a position with a Labour Market Impact Assessment.

“The workers are well qualified, highly experienced professionals with international and Canadian experience. We would be retaining these top-performing team members, however, recent changes to our country’s Temporary Foreign Worker program will unfortunately not permit it,” Canadian Tire said in an email to The Chamber.

The workers live in our region and have housing. They want to continue to be long-term contributing members of the community. The workers have experience in retail, customer service and warehouse work and can start in early summer — once they receive necessary approvals.

To learn more about hiring these potential team members and applying for LMIAs, contact Ron Heal at ron@cantire365.com.

New report offers insight into Canadian real estate

March 5, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Finding And Keeping Workers, Housing, Inflation And Rising Costs/by Jim Zeeben

What do the current events of 2025 mean for Canada’s real estate industry? There’s no crystal ball to foretell the future, but the expert prognosticators at Doane Grant Thornton have put together some thoughtful insights in their 2025 Real Estate market summary. The report looks at key trends, including the political winds blowing north from south of the border as well as the state of capital markets and impact of AI.

You can read about various asset classes and more at doanegrantthornton.ca.

Blanket change to TFW program makes little sense

February 26, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Finding And Keeping Workers, Global Uncertainty, Government Federal/by Jim Zeeben

Recent changes to the rules around Temporary Foreign Workers have caught many businesses by surprise. The program has existed for half a century and has been vital to helping employers fill out their workforce. It’s also proved to be a popular pathway to Canadian citizenship.

The rule changes were driven by shifting political winds that have seen the federal government curtail immigration targets. However, applying the same rules to all regions across the country does not reflect the reality that unemployment rates vary immensely. In Greater Victoria, the rate is often one of the lowest in Canada.

“Losing this source of workers can make the difference in staying viable for some employers,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. “We’ve been meeting with federal government representatives and plan to keep making the case for an exemption for our region.”

If the changes have impacted your business, contact The Chamber at communications@victoriachamber.ca to learn more about our advocacy work.

Jobless rate down, but unease being felt nationally

February 12, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Business And Economic Strength, Finding And Keeping Workers/by Jim Zeeben

Greater Victoria continues to have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, according to Statistics Canada’s latest numbers.

Our region had a rate of 3.6%, with 244,700 people working out of a labour force of 253,800. Nationally, the unemployment rate was 6.6%. Notably, fewer people are switching jobs likely because of the ongoing uncertainty of a looming trade war.

“The job changing rate, which measures the proportion of workers who remained employed from one month to the next but who had changed jobs, was 0.4% in January,” Statistics Canada reported. “This was lower than the corresponding proportion in January 2024 (0.5%) and lower than the pre-pandemic average for January from 2017 to 2019 (0.7%)”

The national job market was something cited by the Bank of Canada today when it released its Summary of Governing Council Deliberations explaining it’s decision to cut interest rates on Jan. 29.

“According to multiple indicators, the job market remained soft. The unemployment rate was 6.7% in December, with new entrants into the labour market — mostly younger workers and newcomers to Canada — finding it particularly hard to get a job,” the Bank said.

Chamber CEO moderating Beacon Services workshop

February 5, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Chamber Awareness, Finding And Keeping Workers/by Jim Zeeben

Chamber CEO Bruce Williams is moderating a full day of discussion, from 9am to 4pm on Feb. 7, about how our region can do more to help employers find and keep workers.

Beacon Community Services is putting on the event, which includes a keynote speech by Osoyoos Band Chief Clarence Louie. The band is the top employer in their region, and Chief Louie is recognized for his work in economic development.

Following the speech, Williams will lead three fireside chats on the following topics:

Empower communities: The role of Social Enterprises in Job Creation
Harnessing the Talent of Canadian Newcomers
Reskilling for the Future – Embracing AI & Skills Needed in the Workplace

To learn more or register, go to beaconcs.ca.