The official countdown has begun as the province prepares to head to the polls on Oct. 19. The writ was dropped last Saturday and candidates who haven’t declared have until next Saturday to get their names on the ballot.

Of course, most candidates are well into campaigning and Chamber members can expect the discourse to heat up in the coming weeks.

The Chamber is non-partisan and we pride ourselves on working effectively with all levels of government, regardless of their political stripes. We’re also not afraid to speak up on behalf of business as needed.

For the provincial election, The Chamber hosted events with leaders of every party with an elected representative. The Leading to Election series was well attended and gave Chamber members a chance to hold all parties accountable on the issues that matter to our region’s business community.

For businesses and individuals in Victoria-Beacon Hill, one of our region’s highest-profile electoral areas, the Downtown Victoria Business Association is hosting an all-candidates meeting on Oct. 1, 6:30 – 9 pm at the Victoria Conference Centre.

The discussion will allow Tim Thielmann, Grace Lore, and Sonia Furstenau to share their platforms. This event is open to all residents of the Victoria-Beacon Hill riding, and you need to register in advance to attend.

Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau stands with Chamber CEO Bruce Williams before yesterday’s fourth and final Leading to Election event.

The Chamber hosted the fourth and final Leading to Election event yesterday, with about 30 people enjoying breakfast and a lively Q&A with BC Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau.

Furstenau spoke about her entrepreneurial history as a university student operating a food stand at the Moss Street Market, which led to a catering enterprise. She also worked as a bookkeeper and says the experiences helped her understand the hard work and risk of running a small business. She’s taken that understanding with her into politics, noting that the private sector generates the revenue that the public sector spends.

And the way that the government spends needs to change, she said, pointing out that BC has the same budget as Denmark but delivers a lot less to its citizens.

“If we’re going to spend $89 billion, I want all the nice things,” she said, adding that Denmark has better healthcare and social security programs.

Questions raised by Chamber members included how the BC Greens would address transportation challenges and how they would support a minority government if given the opportunity.

Fursetenau said the party would learn from its past mistakes and focus on reframing the narrative of government so that British Columbians have faith it can work for them and drive innovation to support the private sector economy.