An 115,000 square-foot Amazon distribution centre will be built on Victoria Airport Authority lands.

Construction on the centre will begin in September and is expected to be completed by fall of next year, according to a news release issued this morning. Amazon will use the facility as a "last mile" station to speed up delivery to customers.

Tell us what you need to succeed. In less than 10 minutes, you can share your thoughts on your Chamber membership by taking our Membership Matters Survey.

Help us help you!

Complete your survey by Friday, Aug. 19 and you could win round-trip flights to Vancouver for two from Helijet.

An influx of visitors to Greater Victoria is providing a healthy boost to businesses catering to tourists. BC's Interior is suffering from a prolonged wildfire season and a surge in COVID-19 cases. The unfavorable conditions there are suspected as one of the reasons for the increase in visitors to our region.

Downtown Victoria Business Association executive director Jeff Bray told CHEK News that retailers are seeing a trend of people who changed their vacation plans and are visiting Vancouver Island instead of the Okanagan.

Tourism statistics for July have not yet been released, but Chemistry Consulting's numbers from June show a healthy increase from 2020, though still far cry from June 2019.

One of your last chances to log on from the comfort of your home and connect with businesses across Greater Victoria at The Chamber’s Virtual August Business Mixer.

Grow your connections and discover new opportunities as we conclude our Virtual Mixer series, moving back to in-person networking events starting in September.

Zoom

FIRST IN-PERSON EVENT in 2021

Get re-acquainted with emerging and established members of Greater Victoria's business community at the Prodigy Group's first in-person event this year.

Attendance is limited, register now so you don't miss out.

Max Furniture, 3460 Quadra St

Victoria, BC

With immunization rates in Greater Victoria among the highest in BC, it's not surprising there has been little outcry for vaccine mandates for local businesses. The Chamber's staff are 100% fully vaccinated and many of our members tell us they have had the same voluntary commitment from their employees.

Chamber CEO Bruce Williams told the Times Colonist that businesses play a leadership role in their communities and that includes finding ways to ensure the safety of staff and customers.

“I think it’s fair to say that most businesses put the health and safety of their employees as a paramount concern,” he said. “Everybody’s concerned about the economic side, but, realistically, if everybody’s healthy and in a good place so that they can continue to work and things function (that's how we move forward).”

Vaccine mandates are in place for federal workers, and there have been calls to make immunization mandatory for employees of the University of Victoria. And, last week, BC announced all health-care workers in care homes will need to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 12. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has said she believes businesses are within their rights to impose vaccine mandates.

“These are business decisions that they need to make in conjunction with their own labour lawyer advisers,” she said. “But I do think it is a perfectly valid thing.”

As the Director of Stakeholder and Government Relations, Pavan looks forward to leading engagement and issues management with external stakeholders. These groups will include provincial, municipal, federal governments, community groups, and other partners. Pavan will also be working on the February 2022 launch of the Business Hall of Fame presented by RBC.

You can connect with Pavan at 250 360-3479 or [email protected].

The Chamber has a number of active and engaged committees that report to our Board of Directors. A key reason for the success of our board committees is the involvement of our Chamber members as volunteer committee members.

Each year, there are a few openings on our committees for new members. We are recruiting now for members who will be available starting on Jan. 1, 2022 for at least a two-year term. Here are our committees:

The opportunity to apply for any of the above committees will be open until Oct. 15, 2021. At the end of the application period, the chair of the committee will be in contact by email or phone.

Next time you login to your Member Portal, click on “Exposure Opportunities and Deals”. From here you can click “Submit an Event to Calendar” and fill out the details of your upcoming event. After submitting, your event will need to be approved by a Chamber staff member. Once approved, it will be featured in our online community calendar available to the public here.

You can also click “Add a Special Offer” to create a coupon visible on The Chamber’s site. You have the option of making your offer visible to the public, or only to fellow Chamber members.

At this time, clicking “Stats on your Directory Listing” will only be visible for profile editors. Stay tuned as we continue to make updates and add new features!

If you have any questions about your new Membership Portal, please contact Thomas at [email protected]

Do you want your products and services featured in the auction? From gift cards to great local items and everything in-between, reach thousands of potential customers by donating a prize today. Keep an eye on our social media feed to see some of the incredible Auction items that will be featured this year.

This is a major fundraising event for The Chamber, with all proceeds supporting our work as the largest and most influential advocate for businesses in the region. Last year, we received nearly 8,000 visitors to our auction platform for a week of bidding on fabulous gifts.

As an event sponsor, Maximum Express, Courier, Freight and Logistics is offering donors complimentary delivery of their auction item to The Chamber Office.

Have questions? Please call (250) 383-7191 or email Alex at [email protected]

Despite restrictions being lifted for restaurants, hotels, and other worksites most cannot function at full capacity due to the ongoing shortage of available workers.

Why is there a shortage, what is the impact of this, and what solutions are available to manage the situation? CEO Bruce Williams speaks with representatives of the hotel, hospitality, and construction/development sectors.

Featuring Samantha Scholefield of the BCRFA, Bill Lewis of the Magnolia Hotel & Spa, and Kathy Whitcher of the Urban Development Institute.

Special thanks to our series sponsor: Island Savings

Full Bursaries available to Chamber Members - email [email protected]