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No big surprise here, but we think talking about The Chamber is rewarding. Win round-trip flights to Vancouver for two from
Helijet or two tickets to
YYJ Eats by
completing The Chamber's
Membership Matters Survey
!
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Business's voice heard on changes to employment standards
There are still plenty of details to come regarding changes to BC's Employment Standards Act, but The Chamber is pleased that the new rules don't force employers to dramatically change their standards for paid sick days.
In March, The Chamber called on Greater Victoria businesses to write to the provincial government about concerns with costly proposals, such as increasing sick leave to 10 paid days a year.
There was a significant response from our members, and, on Monday, government confirmed that it heard the concerns of business.
However, a new issue is that the regulations will raise the age at which children can perform certain jobs, though there isn't enough information to know if teenagers under 16 will be excluded from contributing to the workforce.
The new rules need to strike a balance between keeping kids safe and allowing motivated teenagers to take on entry-level roles that help them earn income and learn valuable life lessons while contributing to the economy.
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Chamber members address federal immigration minister
Chamber members were able to ask tough
questions of federal immigration minister Ahmed Hussen, at The Chamber's Business Leaders Breakfast on April 25.
Minister Hussen, the 10th speaker in The Chamber's 2019 Business Leaders Series, was pressed to increase the available pool of foreign workers to help businesses deal with our region's labour crunch.
WorkBC is predicting 150,000 job vacancies on Vancouver Island in the next 10 years, while the Conference Board of Canada says immigration will account for 100 percent of the country's population growth by 2034.
The Chamber invited Minister Hussen to Victoria, and, while he was here, the Minister was also able to meet privately with community leaders and attend a swearing in ceremony for new Canadians
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New Event!
BUSINESS LEADERS LUNCHEON:
What's ahead for one of our region's biggest industries?
Tourism is a major economic driver in this region accounting for over $2.3 billion dollars in economic activity and one of the largest employers in the Capital Regional District.
Hear from Mélanie Joly, Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie on the federal government's work on Canadian innovation and economic development, the federal budget, and tourism.
The Union Club of British Columbia
805 Gordon St.
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Members Around Town
Pacific FC wins inaugural home opener
Langford-based Canadian Premier League club, Pacific FC won it's inaugural game 1-0 against the HFX Wanderers this past Sunday. More than 5,000 fans packed Westhills Stadium to cheer on the team. It was the first victory by a team in CPL history after the league's inaugural game Saturday at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton ended in a 1-1 draw between host Forge FC and visiting York9 FC from York Region, Ontario.
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Pacific FC: member since 2019
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Thousands take part in Times Colonist 10K
Sarah Inglis of Scotland, a 2020 Tokyo Olympic hopeful for Great Britain, broke the Times Colonist 10K women's race record Sunday with a winning time of 32:24. Haron Sirma of Kenya successfully defended his men's title by winning in 29:38 to better his victorious time of 29:49 from 2018. The conditions were nearly ideal, under sunny skies, but with a slight headwind. Overall there were 8,911 adult participants, of which 5,251 were women and 3,655 men, in the third-decade anniversary of the Times Colonist 10K.
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Times Colonist: member since 1961
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'Bumpiest-road-in-Greater-Victoria'
Grumpy Taxpayer$ of Greater Victoria has named
Benvenuto Avenue to Wallace Drive in Central Saanich the '
Bumpiest-road-in-Greater-Victoria'. The original concrete road, poured by the Butchart family, remains and the two-foot paved addition to widen the narrow road is no longer fully intact.
Grumpy Taxpayer$ thought the contest would be a good way to draw attention to some of the roads that need repairing in our region.
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Grumpy Taxpayer$ of Greater Victoria: member since 2018
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Ocean Networks receives federal funding
Ocean Networks Canada received $7.2-million from the federal Canada Foundation for Innovation Major Science Initiative, which funds scientific infrastructure across the country. The boost in funding will allow the agency to develop new computer tools to better dig out scientific information researchers need to support their work.
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Ocean Networks Canada: member since 2019
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UVic honours David Black
The University of Victoria honoured Black Press owner David Black's contributions to the university by naming a lecture hall Black Ink Classroom
. In an interview with the Saanich News after the ceremony, Black said the name of the room riffs off his career in the newspaper industry, with the hope being that students studying in that class room will only know black ink and not red ink. The room serves as the primary instruction space for Bachelor of Commerce students at UVic's Peter B. Gustavson School of Business.
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University of Victoria: member since 1976
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Black Press: member since 1987
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Victoria Mayor returns from oil sands with new insight
The Chamber applauds the mayor for her leadership and for acknowledging that solutions to climate change start with innovation led by business. The Chamber wrote to council advising against an earlier motion to attempt a lawsuit against the oil and gas industry. We have been supportive of Victoria's climate leadership plan, and encourage Victoria council to stick to practical solutions that are within its mandate as a local government.
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Annual General Meeting & Mayoral Address
Residents
 of the City of Victoria and District of Saanich gave an enthusiastic yes when asked, "Are you in favour of spending up to $250,000 for establishing a Citizens' Assembly to explore the costs, benefits and disadvantages of the amalgamation between the District of Saanich and the City of Victoria?"
The Chamber is looking forward to a Citizen's Assembly examining the benefits for business resulting from amalgamation.
Hear how Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps and Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes plan to encourage this and other historic collaborations between the two municipalities.
Sponsored by:
Only 10 tickets left!
Tue, May 7 | 11:30 am-1:30 pm
Hotel Grand Pacific
463 Belleville St
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Metchosin mayor sounds alarm on cost of CRD bureaucracy
The Chamber is grateful to Metchosin Mayor John Ranns for sounding the alarm about escalating salaries at the Capital Regional District.
Ranns is rightly concerned about the expansion of regional bureaucracy. The CRD's total payroll has jumped from $50 million in 2017, to $55 million in 2018, Some of the increase could be due to the $800 million sewage treatment project.
The CRD's CEO earned $294,071 last year, while the highest paid executive on the sewage-treatment project made $398,181 in 2018.
For comparison, the highest-ranking decision-maker in the country, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, earns about $358,000 per year, while BC Premier John Horgan makes roughly $211,000 annually.
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St. Ann's Academy Historical Site
835 Humboldt St.
Sponsored by:
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On-street parking changes in Victoria
This week, the City of Victoria will begin charging for on-street parking on Sundays. Parking at the City's five parkades will continue to be free after 6 pm, all day Sundays and holidays, with the first hour always free.
On-street parking details:
- Pay parking at on-street meters will be in effect daily from 9 am - 6 pm
- Sunday on-street parking will have a four-hour time limit, with a fee of $2 per hour in a 90-minute zone and $1 per hour in other areas of downtown.
- On-street parking will continue to be free from 6 pm - 9 am and all day on holidays.
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City of Victoria: member since 1962
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Most trusted brands in Canada
The Peter B. Gustavson School of Business at the
University of Victoria has unveiled the fifth annual
Gustavson Brand Trust Index, an analysis of the brands most trusted by Canadians.
Three Chamber members were featured in the
top 10 including
Costco Wholesale (ranked 3rd),
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts (ranked 6th) and
Canadian Tire (ranked 10th). Congratulations! See the full list
here.
Highlighting how shared values, relationship management and customer experience influence consumer trust, the annual
Gustavson Brand Trust Index uses a statistically representative sample of more than 7,200 Canadian consumers on 313 national brands, across 26 different product categories. It was established to raise awareness of the role trust plays in the minds of consumers when making purchasing decisions, and measures the relationships between brand performance, social equity, trust, and advocacy for brands in
Canada.
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University of Victoria: member since 1976
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Costco Wholesale: member since 2018
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Fairmont Hotels & Resorts: member since 1962
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Canadian Tire: member since 2018
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Accelerate your export plan
Are you exporting currently or looking to do so soon? The Chamber wants to help you succeed.
Partnering with the World Trade Organization, this four day course with export experts will result in a road map for success. Participating organizations experienced an average international sales growth of 70% within one year of completing the program. Click
here to watch a video on how TAP can help your business.
Full bursaries available for a limited time, for qualifying companies. Value $5,000.
This is a four-day course held over a six-week period. Victoria course dates are
June 18,
June 19,
June 26
and July 24. Click
here for more details.
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Making the most of the sunshine while stuck in the office
The sun is out - now how do you keep your employees  engaged and happy at work? Here are some easy and affordable ways to boost morale and celebrate the sunshine with your team:
Go out and enjoy the sunshine!
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Welcome to Our Newest Members!
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Member to Member Deals
Want your company's special offer to appear here? Send us an email!
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