1-part tradeshow, 1-part connecting, shake them together and you get the Spring Marketplace Mixer! Join over 300 business professionals at the Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour at an event that can't be missed.
Amenities Not Amenable

The CRD's Core Area Liquid Waste Management Committee has selected a two-plant treatment option as a base case to form a conditional amendment to the 2010 Liquid Waste Management Plan.

The option selected as the base case consists of a two-plant system, with a treatment plant at Clover Point in Victoria, and a plant at McLoughlin Point or Macaulay Plains in Esquimalt. These sites are being referred to the respective councils to seek approval in principle before submitting an amendment to the 2010 plan.

The Chamber has encouraged the City of Victoria to approve the Clover Point sewage treatment location, and cautioned against tacking amenities into the mix, adding additional expense.

"[Amenities] is not a process we favour as it creates even more costs to the taxpayer," said Chamber CEO Bruce Carter in the March 14 letter to Mayor Helps and Council.


Chamber News
Opportunities and connections

Over 25 Billion Blooms
A staggering 25,864,976,064 blooms were counted by Greater Victoria residents for the 41st annual Flower Count.

The winner of the Bloomingest Community for the third straight year was the City of Colwood. They faced some unexpected and stiff competition from the municipality of North Saanich, which placed second in total number of blooms counted. The City of Victoria took third place.

The hashtag #FlowerCount reached more than 700,000 people and the Flower Count website drew visitors from all provinces and territories, 29 states and 31 countries.



Spring has sprung and plans for the 2nd annual  YYJ Eats are in full bloom. Last year's inaugural event was a huge success (just look at the photos here). The Chamber is gearing up to do it all over again Thurs, June 21 at Market Square from 5 to 7 pm.

To become a food or beverage participant click here.

Barrier to Finding Skilled Workers - Housing
Greater Victoria's economy relies upon a wide variety of labour to meet its needs. To keep and attract workers throughout that spectrum, workers need to be able to find somewhere affordable to live.
 
During a March 11 presentation to the Federal Liberal Caucus (BC) meeting, Chamber Chair Al Hasham, CEO Bruce Carter and Policy Manager Peggy Kulmala discussed Greater Victoria's current housing inventory----rental and ownership----and how it affects employers' ability to meet their staffing needs.
 
"We are fortunate to have the ear of the mainland MPs; they are well aware of this critical issue and how it affects our regional economy and quality of life," said Peggy. "We expect to hear more on Government of Canada housing initiatives at the release of the federal budget next week."
 
The average price for housing in BC is forecasted to be between $594,600 and $668,000 in 2016, edging higher to $699,700 in 2017. To put that in context, a household making $80,000 a year could secure a mortgage for approx. $435,000, provided a suitable housing unit was available at that price.
 
The Chamber will continue its advocacy efforts to address the regulatory cost components of housing construction to reduce the barriers to affordable private-market housing.
Abeego to Receive Women-led Funding
Toni Desrosiers, founder of Abeego Designs Inc.,
Toni at the SheEO Gala in Toronto
was selected to receive an interest-free loan for a new product to be released later this year.

500 business women from across Canada raised $500,000 which will be split between Toni and four other Canadian business women. The money was raised through a SheEO initiative which combines crowdfunding and business mentoring to help women-led businesses.

"This financing is a huge step forward for Abeego, but the network of mentors is already proving to be worth even more," said Toni. "All of a sudden I'm working with heavy hitters who are taking boulders out of my pathway when it comes to growing my business. We are taking action on things that seemed impossible to me until now."

Abeego Designs Inc.: member since 2014

BUSINESS LEADERS LUNCHEON:

Fraud, vandalism, shoplifting, and other illegal activity can have a real impact on businesses and their bottom line. Join BC Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Morris to learn and discuss the Province's strategy to improve community safety in British Columbia.

Tues, April 12 | 11:30 am-1 pm
Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel & Marina, 146 Kingston St.

 



Scary Scarcity
According to a CMHC report, Victoria has a 0.6 % rental vacancy rate, the lowest rate in Canada. Kelowna follows closely at 0.07%, as does Vancouver at 0.08%.

"Rising home prices may be deterring or delaying the movement from rental to home ownership, keeping downward pressure on rental vacancy rates," said Chamber CEO Bruce Carter. "BC is likely the canary in the coal mine. If action is not taken soon, Canada's urban centers may soon also see declining supply of rental housing."

This Victoria News article outlines some of the disincentives to building rental housing.
Social Media Series:
Online Advertising 101
Learn what advertising options can greatly boost your business' online promotions and expand beyond your own networks.

Presenter: Chris Burdge, Co-Founder of Social Media Camp and CEO of bWest Communications Inc.

Tues, April 5 | 2-4 pm
The Chamber


LinkedIn with Viveka von Rosen 
LinkedIn is the most powerful business tool available in social media. With over 400 million members worldwide, smart organizations are looking for strategies to help them get the most out of this tool.

Presenter: Viveka von Rosen, internationally known LinkedIn Expert

Tues, May 3 | 2-4 pm
The Chamber



Innovation @ Limbic Media
Click here to watch the video
Limbic Media was recently profiled in a BC Innovation Council video where they talked about Aurora, the audio-reactive lighting system that will be lauched later this year, and Atagamaton, a motion controlled kinetic instrument that was co-developed with Monkey C Interactive.

Watch as Limbic Media takes Edison's invention and evolves it into interactive art.

Limbic Media: member since 2012

The Island Way of Life
The magnitude of movement to and from our region by air and water is staggering. In 2015, more than 9.6 million people came to and left Greater Victoria via BC Ferries' Swartz Bay terminal (7 million), the Victoria International Airport (1.7 million) and the Inner Harbour (900,000).
 
"Access to affordable and reliable transportation options are critical to our economy and quality of life," said Chamber Chair Al Hasham, also owner of Maximum Express, a courier, freight and logistics company with offices in Victoria and Vancouver. "Increases to fares or changes to schedules can lead to increases in a business' operational expenses, which are then passed on to its clients, theirs on to theirs, and so on."
 
As part of its ongoing advocacy work, The Chamber works with provincial and federal governments to bring about changes to regulatory frameworks and funding mechanisms to ensure competitive and sustainable transportation options.
Welcome to Our Newest Members! 



 
 

 

#100 - 852 Fort St.,
Victoria, BC V8W 1H8
Phone: 250-383-7191
Fax: 250-385-3552
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