The City of Victoria has released the first draft of its  Checkout Bag Regulation Bylaw (pg 12). City staff are recommending it take place no sooner than July 1, 2018.

Key notes include the shift from simply banning plastic bags to addressing the use of all Checkout Bags, including:

The Chamber will continue to advocate on behalf of local businesses for a regional approach and a longer phase-in period in order to provide retailers with time to implement changes. See Chamber CEO Catherine Holt's full presentation to the city here.  

Bravo to the Times Colonist for the editorial on the exceedingly generous benefits in the labour agreement between The City of Victoria and its city workers. 

As the editorial states: "These are excessive benefits, far beyond anything the ordinary taxpayer can expect to receive...Yet it's the ordinary taxpayer that gets handed the bill for the municipal workers."

And from a business perspective, commercial taxes in our 13 municipalities range from 2 to 5 times more than residential taxes. So businesses pay an even higher proportion of municipal salaries. Click here to see a chart comparing the two.

"A big step the provincial government took years ago to increase accountability and transparency with regard to taxpayer supported salaries, is to legally require that the salaries for public servants who earn more than $125,000 are published annually," said Catherine Holt, CEO of The Chamber. "This applies to all public sector organizations in the province except municipalities. Given the concerns outlined by the Times Colonist and the recent eye-opening deal that Saanich negotiated with its Police Chief, it's time all of our local governments publish the salaries they pay."

"For more on this topic, watch for The Chamber column in the November edition of Business Examiner, in which I talk about the 32 members of the Saanich Fire Department who earned over $100K in 2015."

100.3 the Q is celebrating their 30th year on the radio! Congrats on this historic milestone. They celebrated by hosting Beater Bonanza: 30th Edition where one lucky contestant won $5,000. 

Clive Piercy, a Victoria business person, avid angler, outdoorsman and generous community benefactor passed away Oct. 17. His most notable business legacy is the Chateau Victoria, which he and a partner bought in the mid 1970s. One of the hotel bars still bears the name "Clive's."

Chateau Victoria: member since 1974

A student from Camosun College's Co-operative education program has been the BC Co-op student of the year for 10 years in a row .   

 

Camosun students excel in technology, engineering, business, sport and exercise, hospitality, and arts and science. The hands-on innovative applied learning gives students relevant, current industry knowledge and skills. 

 

Co-op students can fill temporary needs or work on special projects. Mentor bright and enthusiastic students and enjoy the enthusiasm that students bring to the workplace.   

 

   

Camosun College: member since 1981

SDTC is responsible for funding Canadian clean technology projects and coaching the companies as they move their groundbreaking technologies to market. The Board of Directors and its committees play a critical role in ensuring that SDTC fulfills this important mandate. In addition, the Board has the authority to approve the funding of technologies with strong competitive and environmental potential.