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$2.2B in Federal infrastructure funds fast-tracked

This morning Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced plans to assist local municipalities manage the pandemic. Municipalities across Canada will be offered an advanced transfer of infrastructure money, sent through the federal Gas Tax Fund. The funding will be made in a single payment this month rather than the traditional two annual payments.

The money must be used towards projects within 18 categories including: public transit; wastewater infrastructure, local roads and bridges, disaster mitigation, broadband and connectivity, culture, tourism, and recreation.

During a later press conference, Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna opened the door to the funding being banked for later use, pooled with other communities for shared infrastructure projects, or used to help finance big-ticket and revenue-boosting projects.

Looking to keep businesses healthy and safe

WorkSafeBC has once again stepped to the plate to assist businesses through this pandemic. In March, 27,000 employers opted to take advantage of WorkSafeBC's offer to defer first quarter premiums up to the end of June with no penalties.

Last week, WorkSafeBC agreed to waive premiums for employers approved for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) for employees currently on leave with full or partial payment. This change will be retroactive to tie in to the CEWS program start date of March 15, 2020 and will continue for the duration of CEWS.

WorkSafeBC: Member since 2006

Open for Business - Chamber directory style

To assist locals looking to support businesses in the region, we want to make it easier to find businesses that are open and ready to provide products or services.

You'll see on our Chamber online business directory that we've added an Open icon for businesses. Details on how the business has adapted and/or new hours will appear in Products & Services at the bottom of the listing. We've also enhanced the SEO keywords on these listings to get you noticed.

Do you have updated business hours or services? ​ Contact us for your Open Icon and enhanced directory listing.

In support of businesses helping businesses

Leadership and good citizenship are in large part what will help pull our region through our crisis. The Jawls have a reputation in our region for both and are advocating that others follow their lead.

Robert Jawl of Jawl Properties sent a heartfelt plea encouraging landlords to utilize CECRA to support small businesses and by doing so maintain the vibrant diversity of our region.

This morning Minister Carole James announced a new emergency order to protect small businesses from eviction.

Jawl Residential: Member since 2019

Think Small in a big way and make a splash

Through Canada Post and the Canadian Chamber, small businesses have one more tool to get the word out about their business.

Using Canada Post Neighbourhood Mail you can send a standalone postcard to up to 6,000 addresses with the postage covered - a $1,000 value. Or do a shared mailing for your shopping zone and reach 30,000 addresses. Both programs are available until August 31, 2020.

Canada Post has a toolkit to assist you, or better yet, reach out to a Chamber member who specialises in direct mail and make sure you look good with the right message provided by a Chamber member that can design and print your promotion or reach out to an agency for more.

Virtual Tailgate Business Mixer with HarbourCats

Join us for a virtual tailgate party and support the Victoria HarbourCats!

Attendees are encouraged to wear a Victoria HarbourCats hat while they network. If you don't already have one you can click here to gets yours before the event.

After the mixer grab some takeout from one of our awesome local restaurants and watch a replay of the July 19, 2018 game against the Corvallis Knights.

Virtual Tailgate Mixer

Wed., June 17 | 5- 6pm

Zoom

Over 200 Jobs posted to Chamber Job Board to date

Our expanded Job Board has posted more than 200 jobs since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.

When we heard from members in need of staff to provide essential services, we repurposed our job board to connect with people in our region looking for employment. We’re working hard to bring people together — after all connections are what we do best.

At this time, employers are able to post at no charge by using the code SUPPORTYYJ.

If you have any difficulty posting, email us and we will get back to you by next business day. All jobs posted to our job board have been vetted by a member of The Chamber team.

Don't let self isolation make you feel alone

The Chamber has a myriad of resources to help you and your business. You can connect with our staff or schedule a virtual coffee with one of our Ambassadors to talk about your business and next steps on our road to recovery.

We're #InItTogetherYYJ even if we can't be together. We look forward to talking with you soon about how we can help.

Let us know about updates to your hours or services

We've created a webpage to help your customers keep track of updated hours and services as a result of COVID-19. If your changes are not yet listed, email [email protected] to have your information added.