Bank of Canada Deputy Governor Paul Beaudry speaks at a Chamber Business Leaders Luncheon on June 8 at the Victoria Conference Centre. Check out more event photos by Kevin Light for The Chamber.

Friday is the deadline for our membership survey, which helps us stay current and better understand how we can best help you. The Membership Matters Survey is something we do every year to help us plan for the year ahead. The more members who participate, the more we can augment or adjust our services and programs to serve Greater Victoria's business community.

And, by helping us, you automatically are entered into a draw for round-trip flights to Vancouver for two from Helijet.

It's official. Hockey fans across Canada will have their full attention on the Inner Harbour as the City of Victoria plays host to Scotiabank's Hockey Day in Canada. The announcement was made by Hockey Night in Canada legend Ron McLean during a broadcast of the Stanley Cup Finals last week.

Hockey Day in Canada in Victoria will include about 14 hours of national broadcast time on Jan. 20. The event is being organized by the Victoria Hockey Legacy Society, chaired by John Wilson of Wilson’s Group of Companies,

All seven Canadian NHL teams, as well as the WHL's Victoria Royals, will be in action on the day. The games will be interspersed with live programming from Ship Point.

One of the physical legacies from the event will be a 24-by-12 metre synthetic ice sheet that will be available to the community for up to 30 years.

Want to have your say on the future of tourism in Greater Victoria?

Destination Greater Victoria is conducting resident engagement for a 10+ year tourism master plan. DGV recently wrapped up three town hall sessions and has an online survey open to residents until June 30.

The situation is still uncertain for Vancouver Island communities that have had their main transportation routes cut off by wildfire.

Highway 4, connecting Tofino and Ucluet with Port Alberni and the rest of the Island, remains closed after fire burned more than two square kilometres of forest along the route.

"Right now, our thoughts are with everyone in those Island communities," Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. "The alternate routes are for essential traffic only. They're needed to ensure supplies and emergency personnel can get through. So we're working with our friends at 4VI to encourage people who had planned trips to impacted communities to consider other Island destinations that remain open."

Yesterday, the Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce relayed that they're trying to stay optimistic. However, businesses will be challenged until they are able to fully reopen.

“(We're) really pleased to hear that the fire is now being held, so that gives some businesses time to arrange for alternative arrangements for things coming in, but this is definitely going to be hard on the community,” Alberni Chamber CEO Jolleen Dick told CHEK News.

The Capital Regional District board wants to help address our region's housing supply shortage by taking on more projects. The regional district can't add more to its plate unless it increases its borrowing authority. Its current cap is fully committed to new homes already under development.

“Our region’s housing crisis continues to need our dedicated perseverance to make progress,” CRD Board Chair Colin Plant said in a news release. “We need to be nimble, we need to be determined, and we need to signal a willingness to invest in solutions so we can quickly take advantage of new housing opportunities and provincial or federal government programs that will allow us to secure more units for those in need in this region.”

The CRD intends to increase its borrowing authority through the Land Assembly, Housing and Land Banking service to $85 million to support new projects or the opportunity to invest in potential partnerships. 

The Regional Housing First Program is an example of the type of partnership that could benefit from an increase to the CRD’s borrowing authority. The program has brought 13 approved capital projects and 1,325 units to the region since 2019.

In this Chamber Chat, CEO Bruce Williams hears the perspective of Downtown Victoria Business Association CEO Jeff Bray.

Special thanks to our series sponsor: Island Savings

BC Ferries has made an application to transform check-in and boarding processes for customers at its five major terminals. The multi-million dollar project would look at best practices of international transportation terminals currently using the technology proposed for BC. The Major Terminal Efficiencies application has gone to the British Columbia Ferries Commissioner. The goal is to make boarding smoother at Duke Point, Tsawwassen, Horseshoe Bay, Departure Bay and Swartz Bay through:

Over 16.5 million passengers and 6.8 million vehicles travelled through BC Ferries’ major terminals last fiscal year. Public feedback on the proposal is being accepted until July 5.

A date has been set for the Uptown Multicultural Festival, celebrating the cultural diversity and inclusiveness of the District of Saanich. The event will take place Saturday, July 15, from 11 am to 5 pm along Uptown Boulevard and feature multicultural cuisine, exhibits and traditional entertainment.

Shape Property Management - Uptown: Member since 1983

TELUS Business has launched the fourth annual #StandWithOwners campaign, including $1 million to help Canadian businesses thrive in a digital world. Businesses can apply for up to $125,000 in funding, advertising and technology from TELUS and its partners by submitting an application at telus.com/StandWithOwners.

The program shows how TELUS recognizes the vital role small and medium businesses play in the economy. The #StandWithOwners campaign celebrates growth-minded business owners whose innovative approaches might be the next big thing — like Jayesh Vekariya and Linda Biggs of joni, who received funding in 2022 (and also won a Chamber 2022 Business Award for Innovation). Applications will be accepted until Sept. 6.

Game on! Road hockey players won't have to watch out for cars when the NHL brings its official youth hockey league to Victoria this summer. NHL Street — an initiative to make the sport accessible to more kids — announced a partnership with the Victoria Police Department, Victoria City Police Athletic Association and the Victoria Royals. Starting July 4 and running for four Tuesdays, youth aged six to 16 will play ball hockey games in the parking lot of Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. Participants receive a reversible jersey and the league supplies some street hockey gear.

Members can post Coupons and Discounts free of charge here.