Greater Victoria Movers and Shakers

As well as Fastrac celebrating its 30th year in Victoria’s business community, Allysa Hawes has been promoted to General Manager. Allysa will also be taking on responsibility for developing Fastrac’s social and online presence. With additional capacity from the acquisition of new equipment, Fastrac is poised to expand its “one-stop-shop” solutions for Direct mail.

The CRD recently sold their Viewfield Road property for $3.7 Million profit. It was originally purchased in 2013 as a possible site for the Core Area Wasterwater Treatment Project.

Esquimalt will see a temporary urgent and primary care centre in late spring of 2021 according to Island Health.

Langford City Council approved a foundation permit for a 12-storey building that will cover an entire block of Peatt Road between Goldstream and Hockley Avenue. Design Build Services is behind the new project dubbed Tallwood 1 that will include 124 residential units and groundfloor commercial space. The project is expected to be completed in late 2021.

Victoria-resident Dale Drysdale was recently presented with an award from Governor General Julie Payette in honour of his volunteer work with the Canadian Scottish Regimental Museum. Drysdale received the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers, an award that recognizes exceptional volunteer achievements of Canadians from across the country in a range of fields.

According to DoorDash. burritos followed by chicken lettuce wraps and miso soup were the most popular three food ordered by British Columbians over the past 6 months. Who knew?

Save On Foods celebrates their first year at the 1010 Pandora Ave location.

SookePoint Ocean Cottage Resort was the recipient of several provincial awards at the Canadian Home Builder’s Association of British Columbia’s recently held Georgie Awards. SookePoint won awards in three categories including Best Single-Family Home, Best Townhome Development and Best Innovative Feature.

 

Resonance Hearing Clinic welcomes Registered Audiologist Chelsea Burdge, RAUD, RHIP to its team of professionals at 2401 Beacon Avenue in Sidney.

The Sidney Spit campground and ferry have reopened for summer service. The ferry service is operated by Sidney Whale Watching and runs several times a day and travelers are required to make a reservation. Summer service will continue until September 7. To make a ferry reservation or find out more visit sidneyspitferry.com.

Engel & Volkers Vancouver Island welcomes Chris Mann to its team of Victoria real estate professionals at 735 Humboldt Street.

Cindy Pendergast and Brad Styles hope to open Happy Buddha Cannabis in Sidney next month, pending approval from Sidney city council.

GableCraft Homes is proposing an “urban village” for the south side of Latoria Boulevard in Colwood with a mixture of housing types and commercial amenities as well as new parks and trails. Transit and transportation connections, an elementary school, a fire hall and a civic precinct are also part of the plans. Colwood has approved plans for the Royal Bay development expansion following a public hearing that saw residents both for and against the development.

Victoria International Airport (YYJ) has been ranked as the most efficient airport in its size category showing in the 2020 Global Airport Performance Benchmarking Report. The Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University announced the winners for the 2020 ATRS Global Airport Efficiency Awards at the ATRS virtual conference and general assembly held in early July.

Dr. Emma Thomson joins Drs. Glynis Newman, Sylvie Abrioux, Jennifer Chan and Associates at Hillside Veterinary Hospital at 1700 Kings Road.

Ray Dahl has retired and transferred his patients to the care of Dr. Samantha Bourdeau and the Ray Dhal Optical & Optometrist team.

Christine Stangeland joins the audiology team at Oak Bay Hearing Clinic at 1932 Oak Bay Ave, while Lewis Smith has relocated to Kamloops.

Sooke Harbourhouse new owners are planning on a fall reopening following some updates that need to be done. New owners, Vancouver real estate company IAG Enterprises Ltd hope to keep the historic charm and West Coast feel that the 28 room 1929 building offers. The site was purchased for $5.632 -million.

CRD’s new wastewater treatment project, costing $775-million, is set to be completed in less than six months. The water will be treated at the new facility, the McLouglin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant, where it will go through one of the highest levels of contaminant reduction processes. The CRD plans to send biosolids to a cement manufacturer on the mainland. The project is currently $10-million over budget.

The District of Saanich has selected nine residents to join the Resilient Saanich Technical Committee, chosen by Council to advise and share their expertise. Committee members are: Kevin Brown, Claudia Copley, Tim Ennis, Purnima Govindarajulu, Stewart Guy, Jeremy Gye, Tory Stevens, Brian Wilkes and Bev Windjack. The group will be joined by a First Nations representative.

Mark’s has been serving the Sidney community for 30 years at 9764 5th Street.

Hey Happy Coffee owner Rob Kettner, has expanded into a neighbouring space and have brand new kitchen. They employed Bidgood & Co Interiors for the design.

MD Charlton Co. in Central Saanich, which specializes in law enforcement supply, military gear, security equipment and clothing for first responders, is celebrating their 40th year in business. Alec Rossa bought the business in 2002 and has grown it from 15 to 60 people.

HearingLife welcome Heidi Lange as their new registered hearing practitioner. They are located at 2537 Beacon Avenue, Suite 201 in Sidney.

Pet Connection opened in Sidney on July 4th. Owner Leslie Kennedy offers natural, raw pet food sourced from Canada and New Zealand, as well as pet supplies.

Sooke residents will be enjoying a new weight room and fitness studio expansion at the Leisure Complex made possible by a $1.24 million grant from the Federal Gas Tax Fund.

United Way of Greater Victoria is launching their Hi Neighbour program in Esquimalt, with funding from a donation made by Seaspan and Southern Railway of British Columbia. This program will provide support and critical services to vulnerable population groups in Esquimalt; namely seniors, people living with a disability, people in poverty, single parents and people with mental health concerns.

Rob Ekstrom and Darren Cole, have opened The Palms restaurant at the former Veneto space in the Rialto Hotel. Kyle Dampsy will be chef and has previously worked at the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, Blue Water Café and Hawksworth in Vancouver. Their menu will revolve around regional ingredients and changing local art and cocktails.

The Lakehouse at Shawnigan is now open at 2460 Renfrew Road. Owners Shane Clarke and Jill Tulloch come from a hospitality background and previously opened Clarke & Co in downtown Victoria in 2016. Executive Chef Ryan Bissell has held executive level positions with Whistler/Backcomb, The Boathouse Restaurants and The Villa Eyrie. Their goal is to support local farmers and businesses.

Our Clive’s Classic Lounge at the Chateau Victoria reopened on July 9th with legendary Executive Bar Keep, Shawn Soole returning after many years. Shawn originally started in 2009.  Clive’s has won many international awards including the 2020 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited award for top 10 international hotel bars in the Americas. Clive’s is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 5 pm to 11 pm and up to date menus and safety protocols can be found at clivesclassiclounge.com.

Vista 18 is expanding its service as of July 11 with a platted brunch service on Saturday and Sunday from 8:00am to 12:30pm. Menu details and protocols are available at vista18.com.

Pacheedaht First Nation has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the federal government to build and co-manage a $22-million Coast Guard facility on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The facility will provide search and rescue and environmental response services to the Strait of Juan de Fuca in response to safety and environmental concerns over the Trans-Mountain Expansion Project (TMX). The project is expected to be completed in 2022.

The T’Sou-ke Nation received $3.8-million for a community complex and health centre from Infrastructure Canada as part of a package 22 projects for Vancouver Island communities. Once complete the project will include a community hall, kitchen, outdoor patio, offices, washrooms and an elevator.

Victoria and the Okanagan are collaborating on a three-month program designed to support women entrepreneurs in growing their businesses. W Venture is a pilot accelerator program collaboratively run by the University of Victoria, Victoria Innovation, Advanced Technology and Entrepreneurial Council (VIATEC), Accelerate Okanagan, Digital Technology Supercluster, Communitech and Purpose Five. The program will be delivered remotely and is accessible to women entrepreneurs across British Columbia. Applications are open until July 31^st and the program begins in early September. To find out more visit wventure.ca.

Saanich City Council recently approved a rezoning application for the four-storey senior’s housing complex proposed at 3200 Linwood Avenue. Once complete the building will include 97 units near Mayfair Shopping Centre and will include patios and balconies, a shared laundry facility and a guest suite for friends and family of residents. The complex is owned by Baptist Housing Society and will replace Linwood Court, an existing 29-suite walk-up complex. 19 residents from Linwood Court have already been moved to other Baptist Housing properties, while the rest will be given four month’s notice, with the last month being rent-free. Once construction is complete, these residents will be invited to return to the new complex.

Clipper Navigation has suspended service between Victoria and Seattle until next spring. The company cited the extension of the closed border between Canada and the United States, coronavirus uncertainty and the continuation of a 14-day quarantine policy for those returning to Canada as the reason for the suspension. At its peak, Clipper Navigation employs about 200 people.

Three film productions are expected to get underway in Victoria by late this month including the latest Air Bud/Super Pups film franchise for Netflix, the Hallmark movie Deliver By Christmas and a Lifetime series based on V.C. Andrews’s Ruby Landry novels. The number of productions has not yet reached pre-pandemic estimates on Vancouver Island, though an additional two films are scheduled to begin in August.