Today is the last day to nominate a deserving organization or individual for a Greater Victoria Business Awards! See below for details.

The provincial government appears to be sharpening their scissors as they look to cut through red tape slowing new homes from being built in BC.

On Monday, Premier David Eby announced a "one-stop-shop" for provincial permitting to make it easier for more housing to be created. The Permitting Strategy for Housing co-ordinates housing-related permits across ministries. This eliminates the need for multiple applications to get permits for "riparian area approvals, water licences, transportation approvals, road rezonings, contaminated sites, and requirements for heritage inspection."

Having fewer bureaucrats shuffling paper on projects is a positive sign that the province is serious about adding urgency to promises to increase housing supply.

"From finding and keeping workers to helping people without homes and making sure Greater Victoria remains attractive for people looking to start their careers and raise families, the biggest challenge is the lack of accessible housing," Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. "We have had great conversations with local governments about adding to our region's housing supply. Speeding up the provincial process is a signal to municipalities that housing is critical, and they need to lead the way to get more homes built to meet demand."

One of the solutions for helping employers find and keep workers in Greater Victoria is to ensure there are homes for all income levels. A proven method to do that is non-market housing that provides homes for the people who help tourism and hospitality businesses operate at their full potential. Affordable rent is key, and helping non-profit organizations manage housing to create homes for workers is a practical way to keep our region's economy resilient and sustainable.

The province's recent creation of a $500 million Rental Protection Fund has the potential to help, by allowing non-profits to acquire affordable housing units facing market pressure to be redeveloped. "According to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation data, between 1991 and 2021, approximately 97,000 purpose-built rental units in B.C. were either redeveloped or converted to more expensive units." states the province's news release.

Recovery Fund aims to build resilience in non-profits

Non-profits play a significant role in Greater Victoria, providing services and solving problems that help businesses and improve quality of life in our community.

A $400 million federal investment in non-profits is being offered through United Way Southern Vancouver Island, Canadian Red Cross, and the Victoria Foundation to "strengthen internal capacity through one-time projects focused on people, systems and program innovation."

Applications are open for the Community Services Recovery Fund until Feb. 21. Funding ranges from $10,000 to $100,000 for Tier 1 projects, and between $101,000 and $200,000 for Tier 2 projects.

Investing in People: Recruit, retain, engage and support staff, volunteers and boards of directors.

Investing in Systems and Processes: The systems and processes of an organization’s overall structure.

Investing in Program and Service Innovation and Redesign: Program and service innovation and redesign using info gained during the pandemic.

Registration is open for Our Place Society's annual Coldest Night fundraising walkathon. Last year, about 800 people took part in the two walks held in Greater Victoria and raised $140,000 to help vulnerable people struggling with profound mental health, addiction and societal challenges.

Greater Victoria businesses are known for the compassion shown to our community, and The Chamber has long advocated for the fundamental importance of safe communities.

“This year we have witnessed a surge of people spending their nights on our cold, damp streets,” Our Place executive director Julian Daly said. “And the community is asking what they can do to help. This walkathon is one of those ways.”

Family-friendly walks will take place on Feb. 25 in downtown Victoria and at City Centre in Langford.

Jan. 22 is Lunar New Year, a chance to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit and prosperity ahead!

Based on the lunar calendar, Jan. 22 marks the beginning of the year in the Lunisolar calendar, which combines phases of the moon as well as the earth’s rotation around the sun. Although the Gregorian calendar always celebrates the new year on Jan. 1, Lunar New Year is celebrated annually between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20.

Typically celebrated in parts of Asia, Lunar New Year has significant cultural meaning across the world. In Greater Victoria, we wanted to share fun ways to celebrate the occasion while supporting local Chamber members.

We hope you have a fun and exciting Lunar New Year!

Greater Victoria’s cultural landscape has been enhanced with the opening of the Victoria Chinatown Museum in Fan Tan Alley.

In this Chamber Chat, CEO Bruce Williams speaks with two of the people involved with the creation of the museum who share some very compelling historical facts about the history of Chinese settlers in Greater Victoria.

Featuring Charlayne Thornton-Joe, facility coordinator for the Victoria Chinatown Museum, and John Adams, a Board Member with Victoria Chinatown Museum.

Special thanks to our series sponsor: Island Savings

Members can post Coupons and Discounts free of charge here.