Your weekly round up of BizNews across Greater Victoria
Video courtesy of the Royal BC Museum
40,000-Year-Old Woolly Mammoth Visits Victoria
Lyuba (pronounced Lee-OO-bah) is the world's most complete mammoth. Her remarkable discovery in the frozen soil of the Artic in 2007 by a Siberian reindeer herder made immediate international headlines.
The Royal BC Museum's exhibit Mammoths: Giants of the Ice Age will be the first opportunity to see the baby mammoth in Canada.
"Seeing this unbelievable treasure in person will allow British Columbians and our visitors to discover how science has brought this baby mammoth's story to life," said Jack Lohman, CEO of the Royal BC Museum.
Click here to watch a time lapse of Lyuba's installation.
All four received unanimous support from delegates across the province, representing B.C.'s chambers of commerce.
"Having BC's network of chambers of commerce and boards of trade united on these issues is important news for Greater Victoria," said Chamber CEO Bruce Carter. "We collectively have agreed to engage all levels of government on issues of importance to Greater Victoria and our province. With B.C. leading Canada's economy, we will need to access global talent, contribute to Canada's competitiveness, and show leadership in areas of interest to Canada and Canadians."
On the Go Payment? There's an App for That
As of yesterday, your iPhone can do more. Owners of an iPhone 6 (or later) and/or Apple Watch can use Apple Pay to complete in-store purchases. Consumers simply add multiple cards from the various issuers into their digital wallet, then select which one they want to use to pay for an item.
The Canadian launch has begun with Royal Bank of Canada and CIBC, which are supporting the use of MasterCard, VISA and American Express credit cards as well as debit cards. Apple indicates that Bank of Montreal, Toronto-Dominion Bank and Bank of Nova Scotia have also agreed to support the service in the coming months, but a specific launch date has not been confirmed.
Apple Pay is expanding internationally and boasts the addition of a million new users per week.
Keep your most important asset - your people - healthy and well taken care of with the Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan, the most popular employee benefits plan in Canada for small business.Click here for more information.
UVic Chemist Tackles the Zika Virus
Grand Challenges Canada has awarded a total of $50,000 to University of Victoria chemist Alexandre Brolo for his research on two applications that could alleviate this emerging public health crisis.
The first project is creating low-cost strips using nanotechnology that detects the presence of arboviruses such as Zika and dengue in saliva. The screening device involves a plastic strip coated with nanoparticles that change colour when they come into contact with infected saliva. As simple-to-use technology, these screening strips would be used by on-the-ground health workers to detect infection trends.
The second is an app called "Larva Finder" that Alexandre helped conceptualize. It uses a smartphone camera to detect the presence of mosquito larvae in stagnated water, while also recording the time and location of the photo. With this new funding, the team will start development of the app.
We invite you to help us toast to Bruce's achievements over the past 12 years as CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce.
Tues, June 7 | 4-7 pm
Inn at Laurel Point, 680 Montreal St.
Want to be a Chamber Board Member?
If you are a business person with a desire to contribute to the community in a substantial way, we encourage you to consider serving on The Chamber's 2017-18 Board of Directors.
Representing Greater Victoria's business community, The Chamber Board is one of the most influential community boards in its region. Board members oversee the many services The Chamber provides to the business community, works with other business leaders and senior decision-makers and influences critical issues facing businesses in Greater Victoria.
For more information on serving on the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce's Board, you can register for the Board Election Information Session on Tue., July 12 from noon to 1 p.m. at The Chamber offices (100-852 Fort Street).
Do You Know all the Best Places to Go and Things to Do?
Are you creative and the kind of person that always gives the best gifts? Be part of The Chamber's 34th annual auction committee! Help create a memorable night and a list of goodies that will end up on everyone's "must-have" list. Together we can make this year's event a night to remember!
If you are interested in participating on the committee, please contact Emara Angus at (250) 360-3471 or specialevents@victoriachamber.ca to be a part of this fun committee.
2-Wheels and Good to Go
Greater Victoria enjoys some of the best
Catherine Holt
weather and some of the best bike paths in the country. Lifestyle options like the ability to bike to work make the difference when recruiting talent from out of region.
This week over 5,000 two-wheeled commuters are taking the challenge to cycle the Goose, hit the highway or meander the back streets from home to work. Keep your eyes peeled and welcome these additions to the traditional flow of traffic. And if you see Catherine Holt or Kate Masters from our staff zipping by on their bikes feel free to wave!
Set on a hilltop at de Vine Vineyards, guests will enjoy a four-course seasonal dinner served long-table style, prepared by Castro Boateng Fine Catering and featuring wine and spirit pairings by de Vine Vineyards. View the menu here.
Sign up for all three Summer Social Series events and save!
Speed Limits Transit Trips
Mayor Lisa Helps will be sitting down with BC Transit to review how to improve driving conditions to get more buses back on the road.
Since 2014 when speed limit reductions were implemented in the city of Victoria after a unanimous vote , BC Transit has had to reduce approximately 30 bus trips per day (about a 1% reduction) due to reduced speed limits, traffic congestion and road changes. Both BC Transit and the city have voiced a commitment to finding options to meet our growing region's transit needs. Have your say on this issue here.
Welcome to Our Newest Members!
Looking to be a part of The Chamber team? Click here for job opportunities.
