Government Local Archives - Victoria Chamber

Saanich seeks feedback on traffic calming measures

May 29, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Government Local, Safe Communities, Transportation Options/by Jim Zeeben

A survey that closes on Saturday will help the District of Saanich roll out its Traffic Calming Policy for municipal roadways. You can have your say on how Saanich addresses road dangers so drivers, pedestrians and cyclists feel safer travelling the district’s streets.

Traffic calming can include speed bumps, bike ways, traffic circles and other infrastructure designed to slow drivers. A survey for offering feedback is open until May 31. The findings will help Saanich refine its plan ahead of council approvals this summer.

Saanich opens approval process for operations centre

May 22, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Finding And Keeping Workers, Government Local/by Jim Zeeben

A major redevelopment project in the District of Saanich is using an Alternative Approval Process to receive authority for needed funding.

“The Alternative Approval Process is a fiscally responsible and efficient tool that will help the District ensure that the community has a voice in the future of the Saanich Operations Centre,” Saanich Chief Administrative Officer Brent Reems said in a media release.

The $172 million project will replace aging infrastructure with new facilities for municipal services as well as allocate space for new homes and commercial uses.

Voting is open for Saanich residents, who can submit a form if opposed to the borrowing request. Saanich says the redevelopment will stimulate economic growth, create jobs during construction and ensure reliable services for the next 80 years.

Victoria hosts info session on business of childcare

May 15, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Finding And Keeping Workers, Government Local/by Jim Zeeben

Anyone thinking about starting a childcare business or interested in the sector can learn more about current rules at an info session on May 27, hosted by the City of Victoria’s Business Hub.

The session is free and is focused on helping people start or grow a childcare program as a for-profit or non-profit venture. Topics covered include how to get licensed, types of childcare and potential resource partners. Staff and experts will be on hand to answer questions about regulations and experiences.

The Business of Childcare: Small Business Info Session runs from 9 to 11:30 am, May 27, at Victoria City Hall.

Saanich property taxes up by 8% to meet rising costs

May 15, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Business And Economic Strength, Government Local/by Jim Zeeben

The District of Saanich is raising residential property taxes by 8% this year as council works to maintain service levels and invest in infrastructure. The municipality said the statistically average home with a property assessment of $1.29 million will pay $5,594.

The residential tax rate per $1,000 of taxable value is 3.12, while the rate for business is 14.27.

“Saanich continues to grapple with multiple pressures including rising costs to maintain infrastructure and the need to prepare for anticipated growth in the future,” Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock said in a media release. “Council is always mindful of the impact of any increase, and appreciates the work staff has done to find efficiencies and streamline processes where possible. This has allowed us to keep this year’s lift as low as possible without impacting the important services people depend on. Those decisions were informed by what we heard from residents at our public budget meetings and online engagement activities, and we thank everyone who took part.”

Investments in infrastructure include playground and sports field replacement, as well as the Library and Affordable Housing Project that uses land owned by the municipality.

Tax notices will be mailed out soon, and payment is due on or before July 2.

Saanich updates portals to speed up approval process

May 8, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Government Local, Housing/by Jim Zeeben

The District of Saanich has updated its residential building permit process with the launch of five digital submission portals:

New Build
Addition
Renovation
Demolition
Other(Accessory Building, Swimming Pool/Fence, Retaining Wall)

These online services will eliminate paper-based applications, making processes more convenient, reliable and efficient, the municipality stated, adding that it is striving to simplify the permitting process for residents and developers by removing application barriers and creating a seamless online application and payment experience.

“There is plenty of room for innovation to reduce barriers facing builders and others who do the work to provide the homes and services people demand,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. “We know that inefficiencies and delays can add up to one-third of the cost to projects. Those costs are then passed on to buyers, so we applaud Saanich for taking steps to address that.”

Business tax break a sign that council is listening

April 24, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Business And Economic Strength, Chamber Awareness, Government Local/by Jim Zeeben

The City of Victoria is investing in the business community by continuing to lower the gap between commercial and residential taxes.

The Chamber has worked with municipal councils over the years, asking them to mind the gap that had been increasing in years past. Through letters and presentations, The Chamber spoke up for the local jobs and services that businesses provide to a municipality. We also explained the challenges with tight margins that many businesses are facing.

Victoria Council is committed to lowering the rate charged to residents and that charged to business to 3:1 by 2030. It was 3.7:1 last year and is 3.5:1 this year.

“Businesses don’t receive the same level of service that residents do, yet they consistently are asked to pay a higher tax rate,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. “In the past, we were hearing concerns that some councils saw increasing business taxes as a politically expedient way to raise money — businesses don’t vote so maybe their individual complaints matter less than a resident that does vote. Thankfully, our experience with councils has been less cynical. Municipalities get the value of the business community — and the know The Chamber will remind them if they ever forget.”

Saanich and Victoria merger is the right thing to do

April 9, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Chamber Awareness, Fair Rules, Government Local, Streamlined Regional Regulations/by Jim Zeeben

Better governance from fewer governments has long been a rallying cry within the halls of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce. On April 5, our region took the first step toward achieving that goal.

The Victoria-Saanich Citizens’ Assembly released its findings seven years after the process took root in 2018. The 48-member assembly is recommending that Greater Victoria’s two largest municipalities merge.

“This is a major win for The Chamber. We’ve literally been advocating for this since the mid-20th Century,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. “When we were packing up to move our office, we found binders with reams of paperwork calling for amalgamation over the decades.”

The Chamber was an early voice for using the Citizens’ Assembly process as a practical method for initiating amalgamation. And whenever the process stalled along the way, The Chamber was quick to nudge it forward.

The next step will be for the City of Victoria and District of Saanich to review the consensus reached by the Assembly.

“Both municipal councils have committed to receiving the Assembly’s final report and deliberating on its recommendations,” the report stated. “If they decide to endorse the Assembly’s recommendation for a public referendum on amalgamation, they will work with the Province of British Columbia to initiate it, likely to coincide with the next municipal elections in 2026.”

Safety for Business session set for next week

March 5, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Government Local, Safe Communities/by Jim Zeeben

The City of Victoria‘s Small Business Info Session: Safety for Business is set for March 12, 4:30 to 7:30 pm, at Victoria City Hall. The session aims to help businesses better understand the resources available to improve their security and ensure customers and staff have a sense of safety.

Businesses can also contribute feedback to help community partners address outstanding concerns. Presentations are planned by police and firefighters, as well as bylaw enforcement, public works staff and the Community Led Crisis Response Team.

View Royal looking ahead to mid-century with OCP

February 26, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Government Local/by Jim Zeeben

The Town of View Royal is looking to the future to envision the community it wants to be by the mid-century. View Royal 2050: Our Future View will be a major update to the municipality’s Official Community Plan, which will helps councils and planners make decisions about land use, housing, transportation, parks, environmental stewardship, climate action and economic development.

The first phase of the update began in January, and businesses and residents can contribute via a survey that will launch March 8. Feedback will be used to create an updated vision statement and guide the project’s next steps.

Plan for Quadra McKenzie to be reworked this spring

February 26, 2025/in BizNews This Week, Government Local/by Jim Zeeben

The draft plan for the Quadra McKenzie area will go back to the District of Saanich council to reassess initial feedback from the public.

Council has asked staff to revise the plan with reduced density in some neighbourhoods, as well as to hold off any changes to vehicle lanes on McKenzie Avenue.

“We appreciate people taking the time to share their opinions on this long-term vision for the future of this important area,” Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock said in a media release.

More than 3,300 individual comments were received. The next step will see a revised plan go back to Council in late spring, followed by more public feedback into the fall.

The Quadra McKenzie plan aims to address our ongoing climate and housing crises over the next two to three decades.