Holiday Message

The Ladysmith Chamber Board of Directors and staff would like to take this opportunity to express gratitude for the support of our members, business community and sponsors for their investment and involvement with the Ladysmith Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Centre.

This has been a year of change and growth for the Ladysmith Chamber, and we’re proud of our progress. There will be lots to look forward to in 2024 with the Spirit Awards returning, our Annual Golf Classic, completion of the Indigenous Learning Project and much more, including a possible BIG announcement!

We wish you all a Holiday season full of kindness and love, time with family and friends and hopes for a healthy, happy New Year!

Holiday Hours

The Chamber Office & Visitor Centre will be closing over the Holidays beginning Friday, Dec 22, 2023 and will open in the New Year on Tuesday, January 08, 2024.  

Have a safe and happy holiday season.

Your ongoing support of the Chamber helps us to continue moving forward with government advocacy, rebuilding business and social networks that were fractured during the pandemic and providing information-sharing and learning opportunities to help our business community deal with today’s challenges… among many other initiatives!

Ladysmith’s business community has a positive future with opportunities quickly expanding as one of Vancouver Island’s growing communities. Chamber membership is an excellent way to keep your business

operational, during these ever-changing times.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us personally if you have any questions about your membership and/or with any ideas to help the Chamber continue to move forward. Thank you for your ongoing support!

We are pleased to offer convenient renewal options again this year. The membership portal on our website served us well last year and we welcome your use of this system. The portal is open for your renewal at your convenience. Our personal service has not been lost through online renewals. If you would like an invoice sent, please do not hesitate to email us.  Also, we love to see our members so if you would prefer to renew your membership in person, we will be back in the office on January 8, 2024.

Chamber President Cheri Mactier of Mactier Real estate Group and Chamber Executive Director Roberta Bowman attended an excellent luncheon with the Premier and Cabinet hosted by the BC Chamber of Commerce last week. The Premier addressed the rising cost of doing business, housing, economy and other challenges.

Christmas Social Recap!

Cheers to everyone who kicked off the Holiday Season with us at the Ladysmith Chamber and the Ladysmith Downtown Business Association’s Annual Christmas Social!

As an osteopathic practitioner, Michelle uses hands-on techniques to elicit deep, lasting changes through all the systems of the body.

With advanced training in the biodynamic approach, she is well-suited for addressing more complex health conditions.

She works with clients of all ages, specializing in osteopathy for babies and kids.

Phone: (250) 246-7408

Click here to email | Website

Custom Freeze Dried candy, fruits and vegetables. Candy Go Co. is a new local business, excited to introduce their freeze dried treats. They currently sell their candy at local craft fairs, at the seasonal Cedar Farmers Market and in a vending machine at Little Otters Den.

Phone: 250-739-3897

Click here to email | Facebook

Festival of Lights is working with Work Leisure Centre of Excellence @ VIU to research the social and economical impacts Light Up and the six week Festival of Lights has on the community. Please take a moment to complete the survey by scanning the QR code. The survey is short and will help provide data that can inform the Committee on how we could move forward with the event.

Interested in making a Securing Small Business Rebate application? Join the BC Chamber on January 18, 11.00am-12.00pm, for a "How to Apply for a Rebate" Webinar, designed to help small businesses prepare and submit a rebate application.

They will cover types of rebates, eligible expenses, applicant criteria and more!

4VI, formerly known as Tourism Vancouver Island, has partnered with Destination BC to support businesses and organizations to access and pay for a grant writer to assist in tourism funding applications. To access grant writing support, you can fill out the simple six question form attached and submit your application directly to Caleb McIntyre, Manager of Sustainable Development, 4VI at caleb@forvi.ca.

This grant writing program is timely, as Pacifican recently launched its new Tourism Growth Program which aims to help small and medium-sized businesses, tourism organizations, and local communities to grow and develop tourism products and experiences. Eligible businesses may apply for an interest-free repayable contribution of up to $250,000, and not-for-profit organizations may apply for non-repayable contributions up to $250,000. The Tourism Growth Program will be accepting applications until February 20, 2024 at noon (PST).

Your business or organization can leverage the grant writing program for the Tourism Growth Program, or any other tourism related grant that suits your needs. Be sure to check out the South Central Island Destination Development Strategy to see what actions your project aligns with and supports. You can also access Destination BC’s planning area look-up tool to find associated strategies that match your project.

Three reasons to join the Chambers Plan:

1. It's simple – plans are easy to set up and manage

2. It's stable – premiums are pooled with 30,000 businesses across Canada, so rates are reliable

3. It's secure – they've been providing benefits to chamber members for over 50 years.