The Vax for BC campaign will shift focus from mass clinics to mobile ones, making the process more convenient. On Aug. 4, all clinics will also offer walk-in service for people who have not registered.

The Chamber is part of the national Faster Together initiative, whose studies show that 14% of Canadians are hesitant about vaccines. The majority of those say they have questions and want access to qualified health professionals before they get their shot. Let's hope this new campaign can give them the answers they need.

If you are an employer looking to transition your COVID-19 Safety Plan to a communicable disease prevention plan, WorkSafeBC offers a guide for employers.

The BC Day weekend will be a busy one for BC Ferries, which is advising travellers to plan ahead before sailing. The increased volumes are great news for the organization, and signal a return to vibrancy for our tourism industry.

"Historically, this weekend sees the highest traffic volumes of the year. The most popular travel times are Thursday and Friday afternoon, as well as Saturday morning," states a news release from BC Ferries.

You can reserve a sailing ahead of time, or try a new feature that allows passengers to use their phones to check-in.

“These devices will provide terminal staff with an additional option to check-in customers, which will speed up the check-in process overall,” BC Ferries says. “Follow traffic control flaggers and have your booking reference number ready upon arrival at the ticket booth to speed up the check-in process if you have an advanced booking.”

The provincial government announced grants of up to $1 million for major tourism businesses last Friday, answering calls to help this hard hit sector. Grants of up to $500,000 were also available for tour bus companies and rural attractions.

The funds were approved for 83 business across BC, including a number located in Greater Victoria.

Recipients in our region include The Butchart Gardens, Craigdarroch Castle Historical Museum, Prince of Whales Whale Watching, LA Limousines and Wilson's Group of Companies.

“The sector called on government to provide grants, not loans, and we worked with tourism sector leaders to make sure these vital businesses and non-profits can continue to employ residents and draw visitors to attractions throughout BC," Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Minister Melanie Mark said Friday.

The funds will help the industry with its ongoing recovery as the number of visitors from across Canada increases. The border is set to open to US travellers on Aug. 9, providing another boost for tourism businesses.

Click here for key dates, the nomination process and the voting procedure. Download your application, including a request for a bio and photo for the election ballot — as well as a form to gather your nomination supporters.

In less than 10 minutes, you can share your thoughts on your Chamber membership by taking our Membership Matters Survey.

Your Chamber Membership provides you with discounts on our benefit programs, opportunities to connect with the business community and supports your business through its advocacy efforts.

Help us help you! Enter to win round-trip flights to Vancouver for two from Helijet by completing the survey. Congrats to Carly from Used.ca for winning our Early Bird prize from EVO Car Share.

Work done by The Chamber along with Greater Victoria municipalities helped pave the way for a change to provincial rules around banning single-use plastics and plastic bags. On Tuesday, the province announced it was amending BC's Community Charter to allow local governments to ban plastics without first getting approval from BC's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.

The City of Victoria has been at the forefront of the move to ban single-use plastics, and worked closely with The Chamber to ensure its regulation aligned with ongoing business practices. Consumers have asked for alternatives to plastics for years, and it was vital that regulations match the innovations businesses already had in place.

The Chamber also worked with the District of Saanich, the Township of Esquimalt, and the City of Colwood to ensure regulations are the same for businesses and consumers throughout Greater Victoria.

The Chamber is part of a national network helping businesses build a more sustainable future. The Net-Zero Strategy includes innovations in supply chains and renewable energy as well as other actions.

"To ensure Canada’s pathway to net-zero is competitive, enhances investment, creates jobs for Canadians and promotes innovation, how we get there matters," states the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. "Investments that support business-led transitions, offset market development, and a predictable business environment are crucial to meeting these goals. Canada’s business community is eager to collaborate with government to develop the framework to enable the greatest economic opportunity for the next generation."

The Canadian Chamber is also playing a key role in advocating for a National Climate Adaption Strategy to protect people from increasing episodes of heat, wildfire and flooding.

With restrictions lifting and the threat of COVID-19 fading into the category of rarely contracted communicable disease, we’re all ready to get back to “new” normal. But what is normal? Can we get back to the life we enjoyed before social distancing, variants of concern and never-ending Zoom meetings? Do we want to?

Businesses have led exciting new innovations and systemic changes in the last 450 odd days. It’s time to bring that drive to change and improve into all aspects of our world so that the second-half of 2021 will be much different than it was before 2020. I truly believe in many ways we’re much better off. The crisis of a pandemic has forced us to re-examine our values and revealed systemic dysfunction that had been easy to ignore when times were good.

The British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI) has reported it ended its fiscal year on March 31 with $199.6 billion in managed assets and a net return of 16.5% for its pension plan clients.

BCI's CEO and CIO, Gordon Fyfe, told Black Press a shift to managing assets in-house freed up $3 billion. Those savings are now being invested as well as covering the cost of 400 new employees.

“It certainly helps the economy. We now have 600 people managing $200 billion based here in Victoria. Rather than everybody around the world taking that money from our pensioners, that money’s staying here in the province," Fyfe told Black Press.

Take a moment this BC Day long-weekend and look back on the history of the province, the diversity of its people and the promise we share for a better tomorrow.

It's a good time to reflect on the role First Nations held for millennia as the stewards of this land. As we all work towards reconciliation, join us in supporting our friends, neighbors and community members who strive to make BC the great place it is.

Start local by enjoying all that Greater Victoria has to offer — arts and entertainment, attractions, local shopping and more. Now could be a great time to get started on that lingering home project, or even schedule a last minute local getaway. Make sure to plan ahead, check what’s open before you go and stay updated on provincial health guidelines.

Showcase your product or service at the 2021 Virtual Chamber Auction!

We are thrilled to announce the return of our Virtual Auction, taking place Nov. 7 – 14.

This is a major fundraising event for The Chamber, with all proceeds supporting our work as the largest and most influential advocate for businesses in the region. Last year, we received nearly 8,000 visitors to our auction platform for a week of bidding on fabulous gifts.

Do you want your products and services featured in the auction? From gift cards to great local items and everything in-between, reach thousands of potential customers by donating a prize today. Keep an eye on our social media feed to see some of the incredible Auction items that will be featured this year.

As an event sponsor, Maximum Express, Courier, Freight and Logistics is offering donors complimentary delivery of their auction item to The Chamber Office.

Have any questions? Please call (250) 383-7191 or email Alex at [email protected]

One of your last chances to log on from the comfort of your home and connect with businesses across Greater Victoria at The Chamber’s Virtual August Business Mixer.

Grow your connections and discover new opportunities as we conclude our Virtual Mixer series, moving back to in-person networking events starting in September.

Zoom

Get re-acquainted with emerging and established members of Greater Victoria's business community at the Prodigy Group's first in-person event this year.

This is the second of a two-part Chamber Chat looking at one of the region's quiet giants of industry and business.

A 26-acre worksite in the middle of the region, the Seaspan Victoria Shipyards employs as many as 1,400 people. We go inside the gates with Vice President and General Manager, Joe O'Rourke.

Special thanks to our series sponsor: Island Savings

Full Bursaries available to Chamber Members - email [email protected]