The provincial government announced today it is providing $2.5 million to Vancouver Island Life Sciences to create a 650-square-metre facility to help up to six companies with access to low-cost, specialized lab space. The lab will be in Greater Victoria, but the specific location is still in the works.
Vancouver Island Life Sciences is a volunteer, non-profit society in Victoria that connects Island researchers with the global life science community. The provincial government announced Tuesday that is focusing on five pillars to help businesses find and keep employees. They are:
“I’m hearing from businesses, small and large, that finding skilled labour is one of their biggest challenges,” said BC Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation Brenda Bailey, who will be speaking at The Chamber's Business Leader Luncheon on Monday, May 8. The Tofino Bus is returning to service starting May 4, the Wilson's Group of Companies announced last week. The service was paused in December as the company needed to shift to a seasonal approach to stay sustainable. The drop in passengers taking the bus over the winter was too much for the company to subsidize the service based on summer revenue.
The Tofino Bus and Vancouver Island Connector service will re-start with weekend service from Thursdays to Mondays, and could ramp up to seven days a week in June. “We expect to see lower passenger counts to start, however, we typically see a rise around the May long weekend which lasts throughout most of the summer” Wilson’s Group of Companies Brand Manager Samantha Wilson-Newton said. The Chamber applauds the increased connectivity for Island communities, and continues to call on government to invest in safe transportation options. The Chamber's 160th annual general meeting took place April 18 at the Inn at Laurel Point.
After making sure operations and financials were in order, members in attendance were treated to a frank discussion with BC's Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon. Chamber CEO Bruce Williams emceed the session and asked about the provincial government's plan to increase housing supply. The minister noted that legislation had been introduced that morning that will help projects avoid time-consuming delays. Among other topics was a discussion about the need to remove barriers for skilled workers coming here from other countries and provinces. Delays in the recognition of credentials has been an ongoing concern for newcomers wanting to work in their chosen professions. Minister Kahlon encouraged The Chamber to continue advocating for change, noting the message is being heard. He pointed to efforts to increase BC's health care workforce that are beginning to pay off. Also discussed were increasing student housing to free up rental properties for workers, strategies to house the homeless and using public land to build non-market housing following models that have proven successful elsewhere. "The Chamber is grateful to Minister Kahlon for sharing his time with our members to talk about the many challenges facing housing in Greater Victoria and the province," Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. "This year's annual general meeting was the 160th time we've reported to our members and we are working to make sure the next 12 months are successful for our organization, for all our member businesses and for everyone in our community." The province has adopted recommendations from the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission to add six new electoral districts to BC. The changes include carving out a new jurisdiction to recognize the influx of new residents in the City of Langford.
"The population of Langford has grown by approximately 32% over the past five years and is projected to continue growing rapidly," states the provincial news release. "To address this, a new electoral district is being added whose boundaries follow the municipal boundaries of the city of Langford and the district of Highlands." Victoria has been chosen as one of 12 hubs in BC for the Repeat Violent Offending Intervention Initiative, announced today by the provincial government.
The initiative will work to "identify cases for investigation and intervention, and provide documentation that will help prosecutors make informed decisions about charge assessments and prosecutions." BC Attorney General Niki Sharma said the province is working with the federal government on legislative changes to the Criminal Code to toughen up laws around repeat violent offenders. The initiative will be supported by the Special Investigation and Targeted Enforcement Program. The program will have a $16 million budget over three years to improve how police agencies share information around cases involving repeat violent offenders. The province said it is consulting with Indigenous stakeholders to ensure the initiative is culturally appropriate. British Columbia has a "new" opposition party today. The BC United Party is the new name of the BC Liberal Party after 80% of party members opted to make the change.
The party is led by Kevin Falcon and is not affiliated with any federal party. The change is aimed at avoiding confusion for voters ahead of the next provincial election, which must be called on or before Oct. 19, 2024. The minimum wage in BC is going up to $16.75 an hour starting June 1. The increase is expected to affect 150,000 employees in the province. The current minimum wage is $15.65 an hour.
The new rate was brought in to reflect the high rate of inflation in 2022. After the change, BC will have the second highest minimum wage in Canada after the Yukon, where it is $16.77 an hour. "The Chamber is concerned about how businesses will be affected by this decision, which was made without adequate consultation," Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. "Most of our members pay their employees higher than minimum wage but this increase has the potential to create a domino effect that will add unexpected costs for all businesses as well as for consumers who ultimately pay the price." A high-level plan to disrupt housing supply in BC was announced by the province on Monday.
“Even though our province is currently building more housing than ever before, it’s just not enough to meet the need," BC Premier David Eby said in a news release. The province identified four areas of focus that it says will increase the number of available homes, make them more affordable, help people in need and reduce the appeal of homes as short-term investments. Most of the changes will come after legislation is introduced in the fall, though critics are questioning whether the proposals will inadvertently make housing less affordable. "Everyone agrees that we need more housing supply," Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. "There are some positive ideas in this announcement but we'll need to see more details to know how this will impact things like municipal governance and how realistic the plan is, given the dire need for more skilled workers to build enough homes to meet demand." The court-imposed deadline for deciding the future of the Island rail corridor arrived yesterday, but there is still much work to be done to decide the fate of the former E&N Rail line.
"In September 2021, the British Columbia Court of Appeal asked the federal government to decide by March 14, 2023, on restoring the railway corridor or allowing a segment of lands to vest in Canada for the use and benefit of the Snaw-Naw-As First Nation," said a joint statement by the federal and provincial governments, explaining that the decision was made to return 11.4 acres to the Snaw-Naw-As. The corridor still has tremendous potential for Vancouver Island, which is expected to reach a population of more than one million people in the next decade. “To that end, we are committing $18 million to allow for future corridor planning involving affected First Nations and regional districts," BC Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming said. "The funding will also allow First Nations to assess identified concerns such as flooding, access, noise, or safety issues where the corridor crosses their land." The Island Corridor Foundation had been waiting for the governments to announce their intention, and will now begin reviewing options for the best use of this important transportation link. The Provincial Budget for 2023 was only recently announced but consultation for the 2024 is already underway. The Chamber has asked to meet in-person with the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, as we do every year.
Public hearings are anticipated to take place in late May and June. Chamber members with questions or comments on next year's budget are encouraged to share with our team at communications@victoriachamber.ca. New legislation introduced yesterday by the provincial government will require employers to include wage or salary ranges on all advertised jobs. The move is aimed at closing the gender pay gap in BC. The new law, once passed, will prohibit employers from asking prospective employees about their pay history or prevent staff from disclosing their own pay to co-workers or job applicants.
The rules will take effect Nov. 1, and will also include a staged implementation of reporting requirements for employers.
BC's Ministry of Finance will publish an annual report by June 1 that will serve as centralized reporting of gender pay in British Columbia. Camosun College announced last week it has selected a company to be pre-qualified to design, build and fund a film studio with education components.
The Visionary Group of Toronto will now enter into discussions with Camosun to determine the scope, timelines and cost for the project. In 2021, the province gave Camosun $150,000 to explore educational opportunities for students in the BC film industry and the potential development of an on-campus film studio. The project has been touted for land at Camosun's Interurban Campus in the District of Saanich. Yesterday, the 2023 budget was released with a focus on addressing many of the symptoms of unaffordability affecting British Columbians. However, there was a lack of new investment aimed at improving the province’s business climate.
The Chamber is traditionally the first business association to host the finance minister after the unveiling of the province's annual budget and BC Finance Minister Katrine Conroy addressed more than 100 business and community leaders today at the Hotel Grand Pacific. Among the highlights of BC Budget 2023 are $1 billion in new money for mental health and addiction services, new funding to improve food security and the $480 million Future Ready Plan, which will help employees gain the skills needed by employers. The province is forecasting deficits for the next three years but has chosen to increase spending this year. Minister Conroy said global inflation and the lingering effects of the pandemic are contributing to systemic challenges that make life less affordable for British Columbians. In the next 30 days, the $3.6 billion surplus left over from last year needs to be spent and will be used for a number of projects currently in the works. Details of that spending will be made available in the coming weeks. “The Chamber has heard from our members that they need help finding and keeping workers, and they want more done to ensure safe communities for all,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said, noting there are also annual increases to the Carbon Tax, which will add to the cost of doing business. “This budget will help by addressing symptoms of unaffordability through the renter’s tax credit, school food programs and a significant increase to healthcare funding. It’s a start but we would have liked to see BC Budget 2023 give a higher profile to the role business plays in improving the quality of life for all British Columbians. Businesses are the ones who make the investments needed to build resilience and create real solutions to affordability.” Employers need employees, so there's reason to applaud initiatives that make our region more attractive as a place to live, work and raise a family. Making neighbourhoods more accessible for people to walk or cycle to work, and making those routes safer, are steps in the right direction.
“We know that people make healthier, greener transportation choices when the options are there,” said Victoria-Swan Lake MLA Rob Fleming, who serves as Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. Last week, the province announced $20 million in funding for the Active Transportation Infrastructure Grants program to help cover costs of multi-use pathways, protected bike lanes, pedestrian bridges and regional connections, as well as lighting, sidewalks and other safety improvements. Greater Victoria projects include:
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