Join Prodigy Group on Thurs, Aug. 11 from 5 to 7 pm at Passion and Performance for their August Mingle. Come mix and mingle with emerging and established members of Greater Victoria's business community. Sign up here!

Hot Summer

Although the weather channel might not be supporting this observation, it has been a hot summer in Victoria and Vancouver.

National attention has been focused on the real estate markets in BC as the new 15% tax on foreign property buyers takes effect. A record-breaking number of real estate transactions were filed with the BC Land Title and Survey Authority (BC LTSA) in July to beat the deadline.

Although there have been signs of sales slowing down in Greater Victoria, it isn't buyers slowing the market but low inventory levels. This is evidenced by the fact that Greater Victoria's multi-family housing market has whole developments sold before the first nail is hammered. It is unlikely that will change in the near future. Although there has been a 115% climb in the value of building permits on the island, most of those are major infrastructure projects.

The Chamber continues to advocate on behalf of an increased inventory of workforce housing and has invited Connie Fair, CEO of the BC LTSA to discuss how the BC LTSA making things easier for developers and real estate transactions.

Chamber News

Greater Victoria Based Team Wins in Rio

Record Low Unemployment

$10,000 Available for Training

Produce Stands in the City

New Members

Opportunities and connections

Summer Social Series

Business Leaders Luncheons

Greater Victoria Based Team Wins in Rio

The Canadian women's rugby sevens team beat Great Britain 33-10 to win the bronze medal on Monday at the Rio Olympics. Five years ago Rugby Canada based the team out of the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence on the Camosun College Interurban campus and at Westhills Stadium in Langford.

Another Greater Victoria resident down in Rio is Adam Kreek, 2008 Gold Medalist in rowing and now a CBC Olympic Analyst. Adam, through his business KreekSpeak, is presenting a seminar with The Chamber called From the Olympics to the Bermuda Triangle - A Lesson in Leadership on Nov. 2 from 2-4 pm at The Chamber.

Rugby Canada: member since 2013
Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence: member since 2008
KreekSpeak Enterprises Inc: member since 2016

BUSINESS LEADERS LUNCHEON:

Jonathan Wilkinson

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Join the conversation as Jonathan speaks on behalf of the

federal government and answers your questions regarding the CRD sewage treatment project.

As the federal government lead on the CRD sewage treatment project, Jonathan can provide insight into the politics and science of meeting national objectives as he did so recently in this opinion piece for the Times Colonist.

Tue, Sept. 13 | 11:30 am-1 pm

The Union Club of British Columbia
805 Gordon St.

Record Low Unemployment

For those looking to hire new employees, it will come as no surprise that Greater Victoria has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Canada at 4.7%. It is a different picture across Canada as 31,200 net jobs were lost and unemployment rose to 6.9%.

Although certain sectors in Victoria - tourism, TV & film production and the tech sector - are clearly leaders in driving the economic growth, demand for workers is sector agnostic. Christine Willow of Chemistry Consulting and GT Hiring Solutions, indicated that employers are searching for everything from entry-level to skilled trades and professionals. Food prep is an increasing need province-wide, with chefs and cooks needed everywhere.

According to Statistics Canada, Greater Victoria added 3,600 jobs in public administration, 4,900 positions in the professions and 3,600 in retail and wholesale trade in the last year. At just over 2% growth, the economic outlook for the province is for a steady, but not crazy, increase over the next 18 months, according to the BC Business Council.

	Chemistry Consulting: member since 2006
	GT Hiring Solutions: member since 2006

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.

$10,000 Available for Training

Are you facing the challenge of having the right people but possibly not the right skills to grow your business? The Canada-BC Job Grant (CJG) will provide up to a maximum of $10,000 per employee per fiscal year with one-third of the costs borne by the employer. If your employee is also a new Canadian - including refugees - that funding for training can go up to $15,000 per person/year.

The CJG Priority Sectors stream includes ten BC Jobs Plan sectors and two other economic sectors identified as critical to B.C.'s labour market and economic development. They are:

Ten BC Jobs Plan Sectors that include:
Small Business
Technology and Green Economy
Construction
In-demand Organizations.

BUSINESS LEADERS LUNCHEON:
Connie Fair

CEO, Land Title & Survey Authority of BC

Business today travels at the speed of light and nowhere is

that more true than in the hot BC real estate market.

Hear Connie Fair, CEO of the Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia (LTSA), speak on how the LTSA is changing the landscape for those selling and developing land.

Wed, Sept. 28 | 11:30 am-1 pm

Hotel Grand Pacific, 463 Belleville St

Produce Stands in the City

The City of Victoria is considering bylaw changes that would allow raw, unprocessed food such as fruits, nuts, seeds, eggs and honey to be grown, harvested and sold anywhere in the city, while limiting impacts to neighbours.

People would be able to grow and sell unprocessed food on a range of potential sites including commercial areas, vacant lots, residential properties, rooftops, institutional properties and other underused sites.