Last chance to purchase tickets to Bannock & Brews on the Harbour Wed, Aug 2. Aboard the Orca Spirit II vessel, sip on local craft beer and learn about local First Nations culture at interactive chef stations by Songhees Seafood & Steam. 
See the menu and purchase tickets here.
LNG Not Over
 
Pacific NorthWest LNG (managed by Malaysian national energy company Petronas and its partners) has decided not to proceed with the Pacific NorthWest LNG project at Port Edward in BC based on global market conditions.

"The decision to not proceed with the Pacific NorthWest LNG terminal is a loss for BC, but there is still a window of opportunity to build a world-leading LNG industry," said President & CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce Val Litwin in a news release. "An LNG industry would not only help to secure a strong economic future for our province, but it would also provide a boost to the Canadian economy as we look to export clean energy to global markets."

The overall project would have cost $36 billion in total, including a 900-kilometre pipeline proposed by TransCanada (TSX:TRP) to a natural gas export terminal on the province's Lelu Island near Prince Rupert, as well as the production of gas to supply it. BC NDP continue their support of this sector

 
Chamber News
Events
Summer Social Series
Auction Donations
Business Mixers
Prodigy Group Mingles
Event Photos
Gathering no Moss
The nation is collectively humming an old Dr. Hook song as we take a moment to "enjoy the thrill that'll getcha when you get your picture on the cover of the Rollin' Stone." 

Canada has a new young and hip brand that is creating waves internationally and creating leadership envy south of the border. Although in our usual Canadian way, there is self-deprecation surrounding the exuberantly positive piece, there is no denying that good press that highlights the strengths of Canada - beyond Trudeau's appearance - is a positive all around.

 

First Vending-on-a-Bicycle Business Licence Approved
Two years of perseverance has paid off for Aaron Watson, owner of Curbside Treats, a bicycle powered mobile ice cream business. When he first approached the City of Victoria, bylaws were in place that prevented his business from being approved.

"After working diligently and attending numerous meetings, I was able to get the city to amend the relevant bylaws to allow this to happen," said Aaron. "Curbside Treats fits well with the City of Victoria's strategic plan objectives to create prosperity through economic development and enhancement and stewardship of public spaces, green spaces and food systems."

Aaron has been granted the first business licence of this kind in Victoria and was able to also get approval in Colwood and Langford.

"Aaron is planning to ride his bike business into other municipalities too," says Chamber CEO Catherine Holt. "For each municipality he works in, he has to apply for a license, pay fees and go through a different approval process every year. It is a crushing burden of bureaucracy for one guy with a bike."

Curbside Treats: member since 2017
"Long-Term Affordable"
 Vancouver is taking steps to be the first city in Canada to have a requirement where at least 20% of rental units are available at below market rents.

For this pilot project, Vancouver hopes to use an inclusionary zoning proposal to provide 1,000 affordable rental homes in the Oakridge Municipal Town Centre. The homes would be reserved for renters with household incomes of $30,000 to $80,000 and designated as "long-term affordable." To meet that benchmark, rents would be no more than 30% of that income.

In Premier John Horgan's mandate letter this week to Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Selina Robinson he noted developing 114,000 units of affordable housing in BC was among his top priorities.

With innovative steps being taken in Vancouver and the BC government making affordable housing a priority, hopefully that will translate into improving Victoria's 0.05% vacancy rate. Local stakeholders studying the issue that affordable housing is having on our local workforce are hoping that Chamber members will answer this survey on the how housing is affecting their workforce. 
PNWER to the People    

Senior Tourism Victoria and Greater Victoria Harbour Authority representatives delivered a powerful message about the impact of tourism at the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) 2017 Summit this week in Portland Oregon. This corridor of 5 US states and 5 Canadian provinces and territories generates an economic impact of $62.2 billion in visitor expenditures and spending.

"Our purpose for attending is to advance pre-clearance for border crossings to ease the movement in the PNWER region of people and goods," said Paul Nursey, CEO, Tourism Victoria. "Dave Cowen, chair of Tourism Victoria and CEO at Butchart Gardens, deserves a lot of credit for advancing bi-lateral tourism relations through PNWER."

The overall value and impact of tourism in the region is significant and at this conference issues being addressed include trusted traveler programs, pre-clearance regulations, being innovative with visa processing and ensuring that unintended consequences for specific tourism sectors are mitigated when NAFTA is modernized (like for wineries who invest in destination experience and export).

PNWER includes Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Washington, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.

Tourism Victoria: member since since 1988  
Butchart Gardens: member since 1976
Greater Victoria Harbour Authority: member since 2003

Your Message. Directly into 4,000+ business leader's inbox. Click here.
Canada Infrastructure Bank
One of the federal government's plans for their 12-year, $186 billion long-term infrastructure plan is to create the Canada Infrastructure Bank. The bank would use $35 billion in public funds as leverage to attract billions more in private investment for major infrastructure projects across Canada, such as bridges, transit systems and rail lines.

Funding would also be made available to projects that are only partly in Canada, provided there's a financial benefit and a physical connection to the country. For example, Washington state is exploring whether the bank could help finance a multibillion-dollar proposal for high-speed rail between Vancouver and the US northwest.

The bank will operate as a Crown Corporation, led by a Chief Executive Officer and governed by a Chairperson and Board of Directors.

Federal infrastructure minister Amarjeet Sohi will speak about this and more at a sold out Chamber luncheon Aug 1. Click here to be put on the waitlist.
Economic Impact of Wildfires

The wildfires of 2003 cost the BC economy $1.3 billion both in terms of fire suppression and indirect economic losses. Although difficult to forecast what that number will look like for 2017, business closures and mass evacuations of towns and cities in the Caribou region of BC have many predicting a similar or even greater cost. The fires have since displaced more than 45,000 people.

Locally, generous individuals and organizations have offered personnel and begun fundraising and damage control. The Tourism Industry Association of BC has put together a great list of resources with provincial partners at Destination BC.


 
Victoria Fire Department: member since 2014
United Way: member since 1972
 






Tickets on sale here!  

Donate today to The Chamber's
35th Annual Dinner Auction Gala
  • Feature your brand and products as people begin holiday shopping.
  • Reach over 200 potential customers.
  • Back the region's largest and most influential business advocate.
  • Unique & buzz-worthy items will be included in our social media campaign.


Call 250-383-7191 or email us to find out how you can leverage this year's auction to promote your business.
Drilling for Sewage
The first phase of construction for the Wastewater Treatment Project has begun with construction of a cross-harbour undersea pipe from Ogden Point to McLoughlin Point. Last week concluded what has been described as the "noisest part" of the project as the casing needed to begin the horizontal directional drilling was literally hammered into place. Drilling out the path for the a nearly 1km undersea pipe will take place over the next year.

This is just one of the many contracts that will be happening over the next 2.5 years as the project strives to achieve its deadline of completion by December 2020. The three key elements of the project are the Conveyance System (pipes and pumps), the McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant (tertiary treatment) and Residuals Treatment Facility at the Hartland Landfill (residual solids).

The project will cost $765 million and has been funded by the federal government (22%), provincial government (32%), P3 Canada (5%) and local government (40% plus overages).

Certificate of Origin Benefit   
 
Did you know that The Chamber authorizes Certificates of Origin to local businesses for the purpose of facilitating trade around the world?

A Certificate of Origin is a document attesting that goods exported in a shipment have been wholly obtained, produced, manufactured or processed in a particular country.

Documents commonly presented to The Chamber for certification are: 

  • Certificated of origin accompanying invoices and packing lists
  • Visa introductions to Saudi Arabia
  • Business registration
  • Agency or representation agreements and more!

Members receive one free Certificate of Origin annually while additional certificates are $20 including tax.

 

Contact us before you ship or travel to arrange a Certificate of Origin or click here  for more information. 

 

Welcome to Our Newest Members! 







Chamber Name Tags
Need to get one of the snazzy new Chamber Name tags? Email Reception to order yours today.

250-383-7191  

victoriachamber.ca
chamber@victoriachamber.ca
View on Instagram