GREATER VICTORIA CHAMBER
Join Now
Member Login
  • Membership
    • Why Join?
    • Job Board
    • Member to Member Offers
    • Benefits, Discounts & Savings >
      • Chamber Store
    • Chamber Local
    • 1863 Impact Award
    • Questions & Answers
    • Join Now
    • Member Login
  • Member Directory
  • Events
    • Signature Events >
      • Annual Auction
      • Business Awards >
        • 2023 Business Awards
      • Picnic in the Park
      • Business Hall of Fame
      • Business Leaders Series
    • Event Calendar >
      • Chamber Events
      • Community Events
    • Event Photos 2023
    • Sponsorship
  • News & Advocacy
    • BizNews Articles
    • Advocacy / Wins for Business >
      • Advocacy Wins
      • Business Property Taxes
      • Advocacy Priorities
    • Chamber Chats
    • In the News >
      • Published Op-Eds
      • Media Releases
    • Non-market housing
    • Find and keep workers
    • Business Matters Magazine
    • COVID-19
  • The Chamber 1863
    • 1863-Indigenous
    • 1863-Early Chamber
    • 1863-History Events
    • 1863-Booms and Busts
    • 1863-Members & Communities
    • 1863-Women, people and organizations
    • 1863-Committees
    • 1863-Chairs and Chair Businesses
  • About Us
    • Emerge >
      • Emerge Events
      • Emerge Mentorship
      • Emerge Connect
    • Staff Directory
    • Board & Governance >
      • Governors
      • By-Laws, Plans & Reports
      • Committees
    • Chamber History
    • Partners & Sponsors
    • About Victoria >
      • Starting a Business
      • Moving Here
      • Visiting Victoria, BC
    • Contact Us

Published Op-Eds

Facetime with Premier invaluable for business leaders

6/7/2018

 
Picture
When B.C. Premier John Horgan broke the news about a potential solution to Greater Victoria’s commuter woes, he chose to do so at a lunch hosted on May 15 by our region’s five chambers of commerce. 

The event, organized by the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, was attended by 400 community leaders who understand the value of hearing firsthand from the Premier. 

Mr. Horgan announced that the Province wants to use the E&N corridor for moving people, and that there is no business case for using rail. He said he was committed to making this happen during government’s current term and suggested the right-of-way will be used for a rapid bus line. Judging by the applause, this was welcome news for many of the folks packed into Crystal Garden. 

Clearly there is a consensus that something needs to be done to ease commuter traffic between the West Shore and downtown Victoria. The decision to move past discussions about using trains on this corridor is, naturally, a tough pill for folks who have long advocated for the return of rail. 

A few days after our luncheon, the Premier said using the tracks for a train became much less feasible when the City of Victoria chose to terminate the track in Vic West rather than spend money on running rail lines across the new Johnson Street Bridge. 

But that was a different mayor and council and a different government than we have today. 

We applaud the decision to find a solution to traffic congestion, and using the E&N corridor makes sense. Running commuter buses along the corridor sounds like an affordable and flexible alternative to a train, though we still need to see the numbers behind the proposal. We also need a schedule for when we can actually expect to see this concept in action. 

As MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca, the Premier knows this issue is a longtime concern for commuters in Greater Victoria. In fact, the need for a regional approach to transportation planning is a pillar of The Chamber’s Advocacy Priorities. 
​
Facetime with this level of government is never easy to achieve, and we are grateful Premier Horgan, Finance Minister Carole James and Education Minister Rob Fleming (also local MLAs) were able to join us. 
Chambers of commerce like to call ourselves the “voice of business.” We are mandated by our members to listen to their collective concerns and find ways to ensure government decision makers hear them too. At the lunch with the Premier, we heard from him but he also heard from us. 


Comments are closed.

    Archives

    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    October 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018

    Categories

    All
    Business Examiner
    Times Colonist


    Policy & Wins for Business

    News for Members

    In the Media

    RSS Feed

Picture
​Copyright © 2021 Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce.  All rights reserved. 
​#100 – 852 Fort St., Victoria, BC V8W 1H8, Canada   |   Phone: (250) 383-7191 

chamber@victoriachamber.ca   |  Site Map
Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce
Notice a typo or broken link? Please let us know so we can fix it ASAP. Email communications@victoriachamber.ca
  • Membership
    • Why Join?
    • Job Board
    • Member to Member Offers
    • Benefits, Discounts & Savings >
      • Chamber Store
    • Chamber Local
    • 1863 Impact Award
    • Questions & Answers
    • Join Now
    • Member Login
  • Member Directory
  • Events
    • Signature Events >
      • Annual Auction
      • Business Awards >
        • 2023 Business Awards
      • Picnic in the Park
      • Business Hall of Fame
      • Business Leaders Series
    • Event Calendar >
      • Chamber Events
      • Community Events
    • Event Photos 2023
    • Sponsorship
  • News & Advocacy
    • BizNews Articles
    • Advocacy / Wins for Business >
      • Advocacy Wins
      • Business Property Taxes
      • Advocacy Priorities
    • Chamber Chats
    • In the News >
      • Published Op-Eds
      • Media Releases
    • Non-market housing
    • Find and keep workers
    • Business Matters Magazine
    • COVID-19
  • The Chamber 1863
    • 1863-Indigenous
    • 1863-Early Chamber
    • 1863-History Events
    • 1863-Booms and Busts
    • 1863-Members & Communities
    • 1863-Women, people and organizations
    • 1863-Committees
    • 1863-Chairs and Chair Businesses
  • About Us
    • Emerge >
      • Emerge Events
      • Emerge Mentorship
      • Emerge Connect
    • Staff Directory
    • Board & Governance >
      • Governors
      • By-Laws, Plans & Reports
      • Committees
    • Chamber History
    • Partners & Sponsors
    • About Victoria >
      • Starting a Business
      • Moving Here
      • Visiting Victoria, BC
    • Contact Us