Sonja Nagel is Executive Director of the Duncan Cowichan Chamber of Commerce
On May 22nd and 23rd the BC Chamber of Commerce held their two-day Annual General Meeting and Conference over Zoom, making it the first time the event has been delivered in a completely digital format. As a result of this pivot, five Duncan Cowichan Chamber Directors and two staff were able to attend, at a fraction of the cost.
The theme of this year’s conference was Unity and Community – Economic Recovery in a New Network Era. It could not have been more appropriate as we have all had to pivot toward a new definition of common purpose. Keynote Speakers including: Hon. John Horgan, Premier of British Columbia and Hon. Carole James. Minister of Finance and Deputy Premier; Perrin Beatty, President & CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce; Hon. Mary Ng, Federal Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International; and industry leaders from across BC.
This was a banner year for the BC Chamber with 70 policies submitted by 30 Chambers and Boards of Trade from across BC. There was a sense of urgency to elevate policies that support the economic recovery and address the impacts of struggling BC businesses due to COVID-19. Of the 62 policies that were passed, several had direct relevance to Cowichan and Vancouver Island such as: Making Housing on ALR work for Farming Families; Strata Insurance Premiums Crisis; Access to Timber Supply for Secondary Wood Producers; Keeping BC communities and their Economies Safe in an Era of Drug Addition, Mental Health Issues and Homelessness; and, Enabling BC’s Cannabis Economy. The BC Chamber s 2020 Policy and Positions Manual will be available in late June.
In the face of the economic crisis brought on by the pandemic, the Chamber’s May Membership Month looked a little different his year. Over the past 5 weeks, our Chamber has been celebrating with a number of recorded video chats featuring stories of resiliency from some of our members. The “Biz Banter” series took a closer look at how Cowichan businesses, across a variety of sectors, have had to adapt to survive… and in some cases, thrive. The Biz Banter series can be found on the Duncan Cowichan Chamber’s YouTube.
We capped off May Membership Month by welcoming the following new members: Angel Helping Hands, Clean Choice Eco-Friendly Cleaning Service, The Coaching Suite, Goldstream Distillery, McBarley’s, Vancouver Island Regional Library, GetintheLoop, Personal Solutions Income Tax Bookeeping & Payroll, Equipoise Bodyworks, Wine Kitz Duncan and Gibby’s Café & Catering,
Sonja Nagel is the Executive Director of the Duncan Cowichan Chamber of Commerce. http://www.duncancc.bc.ca/