The City of Langford is looking at plans for two 20,000-square-foot sound stages at the former Western Speedway property, reports the Times Colonist. The project would be a boon to Greater Victoria's burgeoning film industry, which is also anticipating three sound stages at Camosun College's Interurban campus and a potential film studio on Malahat Nation land.

"We need these investments in infrastructure to take the industry to a new level," says Chamber CEO Bruce Williams, who recently hosted a Chamber Chat with Camosun's Geoff Wilmshurst about their plans.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made several appearances in Greater Victoria on Monday, including a meeting with City of Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps to talk about housing affordability, climate change and the opioid crisis.

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister was at Royal Roads University to speak about the federal government's effort to increase sales of electric vehicles and the number of charging stations.

The PMO announced it wants 60% of all new vehicles sales to be electric by 2030, and 100% by 2035.

The province announced it will provide funding to keep five walk-in medical clinics from closing on southern Vancouver Island. The measures will help keep doctors and add nurses to serve Greater Victoria.

BC Health Minister Adrian Dix told CHEK News the five clinics requested funding through the South Island Primary Care Network (PCN) Walk-in Clinic Task Force.

“These five were the ones that participated in this particular task force, and we were able to find this solution in the short run as we work together for longer term solutions,” Dix said.

"Access to health care is a fundamental requirement for a community to achieve its economic potential," Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. "We need to retain doctors and other health care professionals so that our region continues to be an attractive destination for businesses and new residents."

The Bank of Canada continued its efforts to fight rising inflation, raising interest rates by half a percent on Wednesday. The bank also stated it will begin quantitative tightening starting on April 25, which will effectively make fixed rate mortgages more expensive.

The interest rate increase was expected as the bank attempts to counter an inflation rate of 5.7%. More increases are likely in the months ahead.

"Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine is causing unimaginable human suffering and new economic uncertainty," stated a Bank of Canada media release. "Price spikes in oil, natural gas and other commodities are adding to inflation around the world. Supply disruptions resulting from the war are also exacerbating ongoing supply constraints and weighing on activity. These factors are the primary drivers of a substantial upward revision to the Bank’s outlook for inflation in Canada."

The arrival of Holland America's 1,200 passenger Koningsdam last Saturday was a welcome sight for Greater Victoria's business community. It was the first time in more than 900 days that a cruise ship had sailed into Ogden Point.

Chamber CEO Bruce Williams was on hand to emcee a welcoming celebration, hosted by the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority.

“Normal isn’t quite a word we can use yet,” Williams said to Global News. “But by seeing things recovering in the sense that we can now gather like we are, and see things coming back like this ship, means we are indeed on the way to recovery, and getting ourselves back to the way were were before, so it’s a great feeling of pride."

The 2022 cruise ship season will see 364 ship calls from now until early November with an anticipated 780,000 passengers.

Record low unemployment in Canada was reflected in Greater Victoria as the regional rate dropped to 4.1% in March. That's down from 4.2% a month earlier.

“We’ve had one of the lowest unemployment rates for years, which is a mixed blessing for our regional economy,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams told the Times Colonist. “We are ­fundamentally sound and many sectors have rebounded from the ­pandemic, but the challenge facing all employers, including our members, is finding and keeping the right staff.”

Statistics Canada figures show 229,800 people in Greater Victoria were available to work in March, up 4.3% from March 2021.

"That’s welcome news as people need jobs and employers need people to achieve their economic potential. But people also need homes and our region’s population is growing faster than we’re able to add new homes," Williams said. "The Labour Market numbers really highlight how urgently we need a concerted effort by all levels of government to increase housing supply.”

We continue to ask for your support in safeguarding the health of our community at events. Please review our current COVID-19 protocols for in-person events to understand how you can help.

Join The Chamber and Mixer Hosts Max Furniture and Maximum Express for a very comfortable business networking opportunity. This vibrant, after hours business social event provides an excellent opportunity for members and prospective members to meet face-to-face, establishing or renewing valuable business relationships.

 3460 Quadra St., Victoria, BC

The auditor general has a unique role in B.C. Non-partisan and independent of government, the auditor general reports directly to the legislative assembly and provides assurance about government’s overall operations. The office's work contributes to improved financial reporting, programs, and services for the benefit of the people in B.C.

Join us to hear from Auditor General Michael Pickup on the work of his office and how they are attentive to the needs, expectations, and priorities of the Legislature, while being responsive to the needs and expectations of British Columbians.

Picnic in the Park, formerly known as YYJ Eats, is your exclusive chance to enjoy a variety of gourmet food samples, local wine, craft beers and specialty cocktails created and presented by some of Greater Victoria’s most popular restaurants, breweries, wineries, cideries & spirit makers.

With dozens of food and beverage options available, try unique menu items from great local exhibitors such as Lighthouse Brewing!

We will be highlighting more of our exhibitors in the weeks leading up to the event, so stay tuned to see what great local flavours you can experience at Picnic in the Park.

If you and your business would like to participate as an exhibitor in Picnic in the Park, please email [email protected] for more details.

Throughout the pandemic, we could rely on the security of clean water, water treatment, and our network of trails and parks to help us cope with the stresses we all faced. All these elements are managed by the Capital Regional District.

We talk about these elements in our Chamber Chat with CRD CAO Bob Lapham.

We're kicking off the April long weekend with signature cocktails, upscale dishes, and fabulous décor in a place that offers both a classy VIP experience and a be-yourself atmosphere. Friends of Dorothy Lounge is the perfect place to foster great connections and future collaborations as one of Greater Victoria’s emerging professionals.

The Mingle is now sold out, but don't worry you can build great connections and create new business relationships at our April Mixer.

Not sure what to do for the Easter long-weekend? Enjoy these egg-cellent ideas to make this Easter relaxing and memorable.

Whatever your Easter traditions may be, we hope you have a hoppy day while buying Easter supplies locally and sustainably!

Members can post Coupons and Discounts free of charge here.