The 2017 Canadian Junior (Under 21) Men's and Women's Curling Championships will be Jan. 21-29 at the Archie Browning Sports Centre in Esquimalt, deciding which teams will represent Canada at the 2017 World Junior Curling Championships in South Korea.

Organizers believe the event will draw in teams across Canada, plus their families, organizers, coaches, introducing hundreds of people to beautiful Victoria, generating economic impact in the millions.

BC may soon join Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, PEI and New Brunswick, becoming the sixth province to regulate the franchise industry.

Bill 38, The Franchises Act, was introduced into the BC legislature on Oct 5 and is arguably one of the more business-friendly franchise statutes in Canada in terms of franchisor compliance. More importantly, it goes a long way to protect BC's large and growing number of small-business operators----many of whom are new Canadians----who operate a franchised business, but who were not entitled to any of the legal benefits and remedies available to franchisees.

Win BIG at the Fall Marketplace Mixer

This is not your everyday mixer! One part tradeshow and one part business mixer with a splash of fun.

• A laptop bag and iPad case courtesy of Grand & Toy.

4-7 pm
Bay Street Armoury
713 Bay St.
Street parking only

Despite an evacuation due to fire alarm, The Chamber successfully hosted three virtual forums for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke, Saanich-Gulf Islands and Victoria  ridings on Sept 29, Sept 30 and Oct 1. The questions ranged from topics on corporate taxes, economic development, workforce housing to negotiations with First Nations, subsidies to BC Ferries, and support of co-op work terms.

The interactive virtual forums were broadcast to a wide audience via webstream, supported by simultaneous Twitter dialogue, allowing the general public to engage candidates via The Chamber moderator during the forums and directly afterwards.

As of Oct. 7, nearly 1,000 people watched the webstream, which - coupled with the active and lively conversation on Twitter - allowed The Chamber to inform and engage tens of thousands of Greater Victoria's voters.

Special thanks to Jason at VidTime Online Inc. for webstreaming the forums!

Watch the forums here or check out the Twitter chat via #yyjforum15

High Cost of Living is #1 Issue

The Victoria Foundation's Vital Signs report is an in-depth survey, measuring the strengths and assessing the challenges for those living in Greater Victoria. It found that 23% of those living here could not pay their bills on time at least once in the past year and 26% feel high or overwhelming stress associated with personal finance.

"Vital Signs is an innovative look at many relevant statistics in our region that provide a snapshot of our community," said Chamber CEO Bruce Carter in the report. "Those statistics and the interpretation of them have provided an important resource for community leaders and community support organizations to make investment decisions."

Sapphire Day Spa, Victoria's largest independently owned spa, is celebrating its 10th anniversary in October. Over the month, they will be busy with celebrations, including launching a new service menu and hosting Deepak Chopra, an internationally renowned author and public speaker.  

The spa is on 714 View Street (between Blanshard and Douglas) and has over 28,000 clients and 25 staff members.  

Wed, Oct 21
7:30-9 am
2080 Oak Bay Ave.




SEMINARS:

Greater Victoria residents now have access to easily digestible information on the City of Victoria's municipal decision-making. The Chamber has posted June, July and August monthly digests, which include a summary of motions, Council and committee votes, as well as general description of motions.

"At the City of Victoria 'Engage and Empower the Community' is one of our key objectives. Information, transparency and accountability are key to achieving this," said City of Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps. "We're happy to have The Chamber profile Victoria's leadership in this regard and to see The Chamber creating this municipal accountability initiative."

Leading one of the largest utilities in Canada, with 5,500 employees and over $5 billion in annual revenue, Jessica McDonald brings a unique perspective on BC Hydro's plan to address our province's growing energy needs.

BC Hydro is a provincial crown corporation, serving 95% of BC's population, delivering electricity to approximately 4 million people.

11:30 am-1 pm
Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour
728 Humboldt St.

Esquimalt will deny all applications for business licences for medical-marijuana dispensaries after a 6-1 council vote Monday. Mayor Barb Desjardins said Tuesday the vote was based on the fact the dispensaries are illegal under federal law, and until that law changes, dispensaries looking to set up in the municipality will be referred to bylaw enforcement and Victoria police.

"This position is consistent with The Chamber's view that illegal businesses shouldn't be regulated municipally," said Chamber CEO Bruce Carter.

Special offers abound on The Chamber's website, both for members - and their staff - as well as for the general public.

If you are a member and have a special offer, simply log-in to the Members Only section to share.

A sample of this week's deals:   
 

Want one The Chamber's name tags? Email us to order yours today.