The Greater Victoria School District (SD61) has a Return to School Plan ready to go as students head back into classrooms.

The school district is following the BC Ministry of Education's restart plan, which focuses on the safety of students and staff while trying to give kids as much in-class instruction as possible. To help with the extra level of planning needed this year, the federal government is providing BC with $242.4 million to implement COVID-19 protocols for child care, transportation, health and safety and learning supports.

There's no question anxiety levels have been heightened during the pandemic, and the provincial government is spending an additional $2 million on school-based wellness programs. If it means fewer people suffering from mental health issues in the years ahead, it will have been an invaluable investment.

To help families manage back to school stress and anxiety, The Chamber is also happy to give shout out to Telus for hosting two seminars by clinical counselor Lindsay Killam. You can get more details and register for the Sept. 10 or Sept. 14 event here.

It's a critical time for families in British Columbia as we learn to live with COVID-19, and continue to work on restarting our economy. The Chamber encourages everyone to follow the most current advice of BC Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. There is less uncertainty around COVID-19 than there was in the spring, and efforts to slow transmission are much more focused — as detailed in today's announcement of a $1.6 billion plan for the fall and winter.

Yesterday, citing extensive work of contract tracers, the provincial government ordered all nightclubs and stand-alone banquet halls to close.

“Despite weeks of effort by public health teams, these venues are creating significant risk to everyone in BC, and making it more challenging to protect those who are most vulnerable to serious illness," says a statement by Health Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.

The new order also states that liquor sales in bars, pubs and restaurants must cease at 10 pm. And unless they provide a full meal service, they need to close by 11 pm.

Businesses have been given a reprieve as the provincial government announced last week that it is delaying implementation or increases to several taxes.

Quarterly installments for the Employer Health Tax have been pushed back as follows:

As well, the scheduled elimination of a Provincial Sales Tax exemption for sweetened carbonated beverages, and the requirement for e-commerce businesses outside BC to collect PST have been delayed until next April. And annual increases to the provincial carbon tax, postponed back in April, also won't begin until next year.

The Ministry of Finance is also reminding businesses that the due dates for the following sales taxes, extended in the spring, are coming up Sept. 30:

"These administrative deferrals are not being extended further," says a statement from the ministry. "Businesses were never able to spend taxes collected from customers such as PST, but delaying tax remittances removed an administrative burden from potentially short-staffed businesses during the beginning of the pandemic."

The federal rent relief program for commercial properties has been extended, though there continues to be concerns raised about how it was rolled out — and what comes next.

For many businesses that have been able to access Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA), the program has been a lifeline through the pandemic. Extending relief until the end of September will help. However, as the weather cools and revenues begin to fall, many restaurants and storefront retailers are wondering how they will survive.

The Chamber, along with our chamber network across the country, is calling on the federal government to rethink its approach to commercial rent relief. Rent is one of the biggest costs for many businesses and this is an area that government can provide real help. A new program is also required for the many businesses that needed help but couldn't access CECRA because of its complexity or landlords who were unwilling to shoulder risk and revenue loss.

Do you have questions about the federal government's wage subsidy program? The Canada Revenue Agency is hosting a series of virtual Q&A sessions to help employers better understand new rules and restrictions in this phaseCanada Emergency Wage Subsidy.

To register, email [email protected] with the session number:

BC's economic restart continued in August, with the unemployment rate in Greater Victoria dropping to 10.3% from 11.1% the month before.

"This is the fourth month we’ve seen a bit of a rise in the number of people working, which is good,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams told CHEK news. “It's a sign that we’re slowly on the road to recovery, but still reflects the great big hole in the economy with tourism and hospitality not really returning to anything near normal levels right now.”

The province says it has now recovered 94% of jobs lost during the initial economic restrictions imposed to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The provincial government paid $1.8 million for a property at 1176 Yates St. that will be used to provide up to 40 units of housing for homeless people in Greater Victoria. The homes will include support for mental health and addiction treatment.

Homelessness is a complex issue that requires a multi-faceted approach. The Chamber is focusing our ongoing advocacy on the need to improve mental health services that are often at the root of homelessness. We need to move beyond encampments that provide shelter but don't address underlying concerns.

Tomorrow! Bank of Canada's Economic Progress Report with Governor Tiff Macklem

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from the Governor of the Bank of Canada, Tiff Macklem, as he presents the Bank of Canada’s Economic Progress Report.

Dr. Richard Gale

Director of Camosun Innovates

Camosun College

Rasool Rayani 

Heart Pharmacy

Cue the cameras and roll out the red carpet!

Watch the 2020 Greater Victoria Business Awards live on CHEK Saturday, September 19 at 6 p.m. The program recognizes members in 14 different award categories. Click here to see the 2020 finalists!

Join in the celebration and dine-in with special award menu options from Chamber members House of Boateng, Toque Catering, Truffles Catering and Food for Thought Catering. Thank you for choosing to support Chamber members.

If you're an employer looking for your next great hire, make sure to post your career opportunities on the Chamber job board.

The job board is an exclusive benefit of Chamber membership.

If you have any difficulty posting, email [email protected].

We will get back to you within one business day. We know how important hiring the right person can be.

All jobs posted to our job board have been vetted by a member of The Chamber team.

10% at Monk Office supplies

30% when Chamber Members update laptops and PCs through Lenovo

Up to 85% off at Grand & Toy Office supplies

Discover all of our discounts and savings here.

Let us know at [email protected]