It’s been 155 years since Victoria’s Chamber of Commerce began advocating for our region’s economic prosperity and building good business. Starting with only 44 members when we launched on February 9th, 1863, one of our first goals was making sure our city benefited from the Caribou Gold Trade. We’ve led the charge on a few issues since. We were part of the early development of Greater Victoria and Canada’s Pacific coast by pressing for a steamship link to Asia, as well as improved steamer service to California, Hawaii, New Zealand and Australia. In 1895, The Chamber helped make Victoria the top outfitting port for Klondike gold miners. In 1903, Victoria’s Chamber entertained delegates from across the British Empire. This was an early example of promoting our region as “open for business.” That same year, we lobbied the Canadian Pacific Railway to build a large hotel in Victoria. Five years later, the Empress opened. Over the course of The Chamber’s existence, we have fought to preserve the local shipbuilding industry (1919), backed plans to rehabilitate armed forces personnel so they could rejoin the workforce (1946) and challenged the Province to fast track road work on the Pat Bay Highway (1990) and more recently the McKenzie Highway Interchange (2016). We supported the transfer of the Victoria International Airport to local control and management (1997), and advocated for local businesses by urging the city to allow 90-minute parking at meters, rather than 60 minutes (2001). In 1978, the region’s first Economic Development Commission was created after The Chamber presented a brief to the Capital Regional District. The goal was to identify what can be done to create opportunities in our region. However, over the decades, it became clear that not just business but the many municipalities had to embrace a regional approach to economic development. This drove The Chamber and its members to take a new approach. We led the discussions and meetings between the 13 municipalities and key regional stakeholders that ultimately resulted in the creation of the South Island Prosperity Project in 2016. The Chamber has been a constant advocate for better governance through fewer governments in an effort to reduce the frustration businesses feel about the duplication of services and lack of accountability that comes with trying to operate in a patchwork of municipalities. We are happy to report that, just last month, the mayors of Victoria and Saanich jointly requested that the Province establish a Citizens’ Assembly to identify workable options for improving local governance. It may be the start of a real solution. There is plenty to celebrate about our history, but we know there is much more work ahead. Our now 1,400 members have been loud and clear that they want us to speak out about the big challenges facing our region. Right now, that means doing what we can to advocate for employers having difficulty attracting and retaining employees in our low unemployment, high cost region. We will continue to work productively with our members, other community stakeholders and governments of all levels to help deliver the services and solutions Victoria needs and in 2173, we hope to celebrate another 155 years of Building Good Business. B.C. Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver has been exerting his influence in several ways on the government’s agenda, and that includes objecting to its promise of universal $10-a-day child care. The universal part means that anyone who needs the program can use it, regardless of income. Weaver was quoted in this paper as saying: “I’ve made the case many times before — somebody who’s earning $2 million a year clearly doesn’t need to pay $10 for child care. Why would we support a program that would diffuse the limited resources we have to provide a one-size-fits-all [approach]?” The first is that they endure. That’s because people support what they see as a benefit for themselves. It doesn’t matter if they are using that program right now. What matters is that they’ve paid their taxes and, in return, as a citizen, they can use the program when and if they and their family members need it. Here are a few examples of universal programs that have built this province and country: University and college tuition for Canadians is subsidized by government and is not income-tested. We don’t pay more if our family has a higher income. This has led to a highly educated workforce that benefits employers as well as individuals. We have free, universal, public education from kindergarten to Grade 12 because we want to ensure all our kids have the basic education required to function in society and have opportunities for future success. We have a universal Canada Pension Plan. We pay into it from our earnings and we get a pension at the end of our working lives. We aren’t cut off once we reach a certain income level. Even roads and transit are universal programs. The government has removed tolls on bridges in the Lower Mainland, saying people shouldn’t have to pay more based on where they live. And we don’t say you can’t ride the bus because you’re too rich. And, of course, the grand-daddy of all universal programs is health care. There is one payer — the government — for one system with access based on need. You don’t get better health care in this country because you earn more — or less. And we all benefit from not having to pick between health care and financial ruin. (As an aside, generating the revenue for that universal access is another issue and one that has become controversial as a result of the government’s new health tax on payrolls — but that’s another column.) The second universal truth about universal programs is that, counter-intuitively, the only way to make sure there is enough funding to sustain them is to provide them to everyone. The reality is the opposite of what Weaver is suggesting. As government funding gets tight, we don’t cut programs that benefit everyone — we cut programs for the poor. Think health care compared to income assistance. Or more to the point, we’ve had a low-income child-care subsidy program in this province for decades. It has been squeezed and shaved to the point that you basically have to have almost no income to qualify. And that’s what the government is trying to fix with a universal program. Yes, we need child care to support single mothers on income assistance. But, equally important, we need child care to support two-income working families who are stretched to the limit by housing and transportation and child-care costs. Employers need all of those parents’ skills and expertise in our full-employment economy. And all children need high-quality child care to get a good start in life before they can go on to get their public school education and post-secondary training and join the workforce. So to answer Weaver’s question: “Why would we support a program that would diffuse the limited resources we have to provide a one-size-fits-all [approach]?” We support a one-size-fits-all approach because it is the tried-and-true Canadian way to have a rising tide that lifts all boats. Chamber CEO Catherine Holt was a guest of CFAX talk radio host Mark Brennae on Wednesday (Feb. 21, 2018). The two talked about BC Budget 2018, announced on Feb. 20. Follow this link to listen to the interview here. Audio courtesy of CFAX 1070. For more on The Chamber’s position on the Budget, see Finance Minister addresses Chamber Business Leaders Luncheon. This is bound to be an extra lively year as The Chamber rolls up its sleeves on behalf of our members. The Chamber’s theme for 2018 is Building Good Business, something we’ve done for the last 155 years. Adding to the usual mix of lively issues, the region goes to the polls in October to vote for our respective mayors and councilors. There is power in numbers so we’re asking our members to vote for the candidates you think can address the following three issues: First, employers are having a hard time finding and keeping workers to keep their companies going and our economy healthy. We need commitment to: • Market our region to attract people from other regions, provinces and countries and then help them to get here and fill a job. • Housing is expensive and rentals almost non-existent. Part of attracting workers is ensuring they can find and afford a place to live - workforce housing developments need to be fast tracked. More student housing is needed on campus to free up rentals. • After housing, child care is the second most expensive thing for a young family – if they can find it. We need affordable, quality child care, so parents can work. Employers need them. • When living costs are high, we need cheaper transportation options. Workers need public transit to be affordable, frequent, speedy, and to go where they need to be. The second issue is our long-standing need for better governance through fewer government. Amalgamation may be the means but ultimately the outcome needed is better service for our tax dollars. I recently learned from one of our distinguished governors, Terry Farmer, that in 1959, Eric Charman, legendary Victoria mover and shaker, and Stuart Keate, then publisher of the Victoria Times, hired J.J Deutch, a UBC faculty member “to do a study on the possible amalgamation of Victoria and the surrounding municipalities”. That was 60 years ago. We are encouraged that Victoria and Saanich both passed motions in January asking the Province to create a Citizen’s Assembly to examine the same issue, but we need to seriously speed up the timeline. Third, safe communities are a critical cornerstone. We all pay the price when parts of our city become associated with homelessness, anti-social and criminal behavior. Safe communities require the rule of law, adequate police resources, the active participation of citizens and adequate housing and services to care for those who cannot care for themselves. We are encouraged again, by motions passed by Victoria and Saanich councils in support of a regional police force comprised of Victoria/Esquimalt, Saanich, Oak Bay and Central Saanich. The combined resources would enable a big step up in public safety. Finally, there are new and disruptive technologies and public demands for change that mayors and councilors must assess. The public should have access to innovative services and products as long as those companies operate under the same rules as existing businesses. In other words, they don’t avoid tax, public safety requirements, or fair employment standards. We’ll be watching to see how the cannabis industry is regulated, how retailers are affected by the plan to reduce plastic bags, how short term vacation rentals are managed and how ride sharing rolls out. This will be a year to set expectations for what we want from government. Let’s use it to Build Good Business. In 2018, The Chamber will be celebrating its 155th anniversary. That kind of longevity only comes with strong leadership and vision. We’ve continued that proud tradition with this year’s incoming board. Dan Dagg, President of Hot House Marketing takes over the role of Chair for the next two years and John Wilson, CEO, Wilson’s Group of Companies is our incoming Vice-Chair. Both provide a wealth of business leadership expertise and experience and have been involved in many aspects of the economy and community in Greater Victoria. We have three new additions to our well-seasoned board, each providing a diversity of business and community leadership experience. Christina Clarke is Executive Director at the Songhees Nation as well as serving on several prominent community boards. Christina led implementation of the First Nations Fiscal Management Act (FMA) for Songhees Nation, helping to achieve the first FMA laws in Canada and first debenture bond issue by the First Nations Finance Authority. She also played a key role in the award-winning Songhees Wellness Centre. Ian Batey, Principal at IPB Consulting provides consulting services to non-for-profit organizations and businesses. Ian is actively engaged on the issue of affordable housing and homelessness and also serves on the board of the Coalition to End Homelessness, Greater Victoria Housing Society and Our Place. Rahim Khudabux is the General Manager and Owner of Max Furniture, a furniture store specializing in Canadian-made furniture for your home or office. Rahim has worked closely with The Chamber for many years including chairing the Prodigy Group Committee. He actively gives back to the community, volunteering his time at local events and mentoring up and coming professionals. Our new board members will be working with seasoned board members including recently re-elected Lise Gyorkos, President of Page One Publishing, Patricia Jelinski, CEO, United Way of Greater Victoria and Kris Wirk, Partner at Dickson Dusanj & Wirk. Other continuing board members include: Jason Boyd, Commander of Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, Carmen Charette, Vice President, External Relations at the University of Victoria, Mark Mawhinney, Investment Advisor at Odlum Brown Ltd. and Mark Smith, Chief Experience Officer with Query Technologies Corp. We are privileged to benefit from these active and experienced board members. As we bid auld lang syne to 2017, we send our thanks and best wishes to Natasha Reger, owner of The Reger Group and Gary Kinar, Kinar Curry Lawyers, who have both served two terms on our board and provided their time and advice. Al Hasham moves to Past Chair. Al has been an active member of The Chamber for 30 years and, in recognition of his tireless efforts and dedication to us and many other organizations and charities in town, we are pleased to say that he is our recipient of the 2018 Chamber Member of the Year award which he’ll receive at this year’s Business Awards. Finally, a very special thanks to Frank Bourree, CEO of Chemistry Consulting Group Inc., whose term as Past Chair is ending. This draws to a close (for the time being) his long service to The Chamber board where he has been a director since 2001. Thank you Frank, we have all benefitted from your presence. A very happy new year to all of our members and thank you for helping us keep our business community vibrant and strong. |
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