April 2022 Victoria Movers & Shakers

VICTORIA – Selina Williams has joined the Oak Bay Council as Chief Administrative Officer, Mayor Kevin Murdoch announced. Williams has held positions as Director of Corporate Services for the cities of Colwood and Gibsons, as well as Deputy Corporate Officer for the Sunshine Coast Regional District.

Collin Kettell has been named CEO of New Found Gold Corp, following the resignation of Craig Roberts. Roberts will continue with the company as Lead Advisor.

CapitalLand has selected Victoria-based Origen Air as one of the top 30 companies to advance in the Sustainability X Challenge.

Marysa Curtis has been promoted to Design Manager at Kinetic Construction. Design-Build projects and consultants will be overseen by Marysa, who will be the principal point of contact for clients regarding all design-related issues.

Chris Noel has been named CEO of Ergonomyx Technologies Canada Inc., based in 303-3948 Quadra St.

Pharmasave Oak Bay, owned by the Tucker family is celebrating its 60th anniversary.

Royal Roads University hopes to raise funds for its beneficiaries, The Kitchen Garden, The Japanese Garden Expansion and The Glass House Restoration, through the Vision in Bloom project.

Island Health has created a long-COVID rehabilitation clinic at Royal Jubilee Hospital to equip patients with the tools necessary to manage their symptoms independently.

Luv-A-Rug Services Inc., a Victoria-based rug cleaning company, collects donated rugs to give to charitable organizations that raise money for humanitarian relief in Ukraine.

Strand Properties and Bastion Development, the developers of Langford Heights, have applied for permission to build film studios in Langford.

There will be an $8.5 million expansion of the Starlight Stadium after Langford council inked a deal with BC Hydro to relocate a power pole and build more seats on its north end.

A record gap has opened up between the cost of homeownership and the cost of renting, according to CIBC Managing Director and Deputy Chief Economist Benjamin Tal, speaking at the Vancouver Real Estate Forum on April 12. Tal predicted that rents would rise by 53 per cent.

Capital Region Emergency Services Telecommunications (CREST), which provides emergency communications equipment to municipalities around Greater Victoria, is planning to build a new post-disaster headquarters on McCallum Road in Langford.

The Rockslide Studio Gallery, which assists Greater Victoria artists by offering inexpensive studio and exhibition space, will host an open house on April 23 to present a diverse collection of artistic works.

Absolute Ransomware Response has been released by Absolute SoftwareTM, a leading self-healing endpoint and secure access solution provider. With this new service, enterprises can check their ransomware preparation across all endpoints, verify that mission-critical security programs like anti-malware and device management are healthy and self-healing, and speed device quarantine and recovery.

An awards gala at the Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort marked the conclusion of the 2022 Vancouver Island Tourism Conference Industry Awards program, winners included: Employer of the Year: Oak Bay Beach Hotel; Employee of the Year: Josh Brown, Black Rock Oceanfront Resort; Social Responsibility: Victoria Airport Authority; Resilient Business of the Year: Kaatza Station Museum and People’s Choice: Malahat SkyWalk.

The Freedom Boat Club of Canada held a Spring Sale on April 14 and 15 at Canoe Cove Marina in North Saanich in preparation for the huge boating event at Oak Bay Marina in Victoria on May 1st.

The Cook and Quadra Medical Clinic building has been sold, and the office will cease operations on June 10, according to Dr. Peter Vizsolyi.

Sidney and North Saanich, in collaboration with the Victoria Airport Authority (VAA), announced last month an agreement to construct a roundabout at the intersection of Beacon Avenue West and Galaran Road. The project is projected to cost $4.9 million and Sidney will take out a $2 million loan to pay for its share of the roundabout.

Al Hasham has been presented with the Paul Harris Award by Harbourside Rotary in recognition of his and his company Maximum Express‘s commitment to charity and community service.

Engaged HR has announced the promotion of Davina Manhas to the position of People & Culture Partner, Daniel Adu-Febiri to the role of Talent Acquisition Services Team Lead, and Kayli Smith to the position of People & Culture Partner.

Professor Patrick Côté of the University of Victoria has received a grant from the Canadian Space Agency to conduct research on star formation, specifically in galaxies in the Virgo Cluster.

Assembly, established by Tobyn Sowden and Marco Pimentel, respectively the CEO and CMO of Redbrick, was acquired by St. Joseph Communications (SJC), Canada’s biggest privately held print, media and content marketing company.

The Better Business Bureau and Sales, Marketing, and Entrepreneurs of Victoria are inviting emerging entrepreneurs to apply and be featured at the new Connect Us – Networking with Purpose event. The event will take place at Spaces in Uptown Victoria on June 2, 2022.

Great Little Box Company Ltd./Ideon Packaging (GLBC) has been named one of Canada’s Top Small and Medium-Sized Employers of 2022.

HES PV Ltd., Canada’s leading solar distribution and engineering services firm, has changed its name to Charge Solar.

The Koningsdam docked at the Breakwater District Cruise Terminal in Victoria, marking the ship’s first Canadian port visit since October 2019.

The South Island Prosperity Partnership (SIPP) is pleased to announce the addition of Habitat for Humanity Victoria to its regional economic alliance. Habitat for Humanity Victoria is a charity dedicated to community building via affordable homeownership.

“ROLL-E,” an InDro Robotics-engineered robot designed for curbside deliveries by London Drugs, has been unveiled at its Harris Green Village location in Victoria.

The 2022 Technology Impact Awards are now accepting applications in the following categories: Spirit of BC Tech – Ambition, GameChanger – Climate Leadership, GameChanger – Diversity & Inclusion. Company of the Year – Startup, Company of the Year – Growth, Company of the Year – Export, Company of the Year – Scale, Company of the Year – Anchor, Excellence in Company Culture, Excellence in Technology Innovation, Excellence in Industry Innovation, with the addition of two new categories: GameChanger – Climate Leadership and Company of the Year – Startup.

The Honourable Omar Alghabra, Federal Minister of Transportation, has announced the reappointment of five executives of VIA Rail Inc: Chairwoman Françoise Bertrand has been given an 18-month term as the board’s chief executive officer; Naella-Kathy Baig was re-elected to serve on the Board of Directors; Jonathan Franklin Goldbloom was reappointed as a director for a term of four years; a  two-year term on the board of directors has been granted to H. Glenn Rainbird, who was reappointed to the position and Gail Louise Stephens was reappointed to the board of directors for another four years.

Over $90,000 will be given to local community organizations like the Victoria Highland Games Association, the View Royal Library and the Greater Vancouver Crossing Guards Association through grants-in-aid from the Town of View Royal.

CleanBC’s Go Electric Advanced Research and Commercialization initiative has awarded funding to Gregory C. Marshall Naval Architect, Ltd., one of two maritime design companies, for constructing an electric catamaran.

A new dormitory and dining hall for University of Victoria students and faculty is scheduled to open in September, according to Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery, and Innovation Ravi Kahlon.

The BC government announced a $10 million investment in veterinary education giving more opportunities to many students to enroll in Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine.

ICBC has introduced Street Sense, a new app for pre-drivers, inexperienced drivers, and residents of British Columbia.

BC Search and Rescue has received a $1 million grant from Rogers to expand its search and rescue efforts in British Columbia.

The Esquimalt Medical Clinic, Shoreline Medical, West Coast Family Medical Clinic and West Saanich Medical Clinic were awarded $3.46 million in grant funding by Canada’s provincial government.

South Island Dental located at 101-693 Hoffman Avenue, is now open for business.

Dr. Rachel Staples, owner of Colwood’s Urban Smiles dental clinic, will receive the British Columbia Medal of Good Citizenship—honoring her efforts to reopen emergency dental care during the pandemic’s early stages.

Devon Bird, the owner and operator of Sidney’s Moden Boutique and Moden Essentials, has been named President of the Sidney Business Improvement Area Society.

Laurie Hurst has announced her retirement after serving as Esquimalt’s chief administrative officer for 14 years.

Horizon Pacific Contracting is resuming its Step Up Community Build Program, which provides free house renovations to low-income homeowners.

BC has become North America’s EV capital, with a rise in registered electric vehicles of roughly 44 per cent in just the past year alone.

Nulla Project, Reusable BBT Cup and Silk Road Tea, are among companies in BC that provide reusable to-go cups for coffee and tea enthusiasts.

STN Video has been named the winner of Digiday’s Best Digital Video Monetization Platform in the TV and Video Awards.

Victoria’s Aurinia Pharmaceuticals announced that data from numerous studies of the anti-inflammatory drug LUPKYNISTM (voclosporin) was presented at the 2022 National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meetings in Boston, Massachusetts, in April.

Victoria’s IdyaFlow has recently launched its new IdyaFlow Marketplace Connector for Salesforce, a new interface with Salesforce Commerce Cloud.

Inseego Corp. announced that the MiFi® M2000, the company’s flagship device and the first commercially accessible 5G mobile hotspot on the TELUS network, is now available to TELUS consumers in Canada.

The Climate Solutions Council of British Columbia is pleased to welcome the following new members: Ulkatcho First Nation Chief Lynda Price, Kanaka Bar Indian Band Chief Patrick Michell, UBC Professor Kathryn Harrison, UBC Master’s student Eden Luymes, Vancouver Airport Authority President and CEO Tamara Vrooman and the Climate Displacement Planning Initiative’s managing director George Benson.

This year’s BC Cleantech Awards recognize winners from the private sector, academia, and government. The following organizations were honoured at the 2022 BC Cleantech Awards: Industry Icon: Karn Manhas, Terramera; Ecosystem Builder: Sarah Applebaum, Pangaea Ventures; Policy Maker: Jonathan Wilkinson, Government of Canada; Top Educator: Hassan Farhangi, British Columbia Institute of Technology; Rising Star: Ekona Power; Thriving Company: HTEC; Transformation Advocate: TransLink; Community Impact: Kanaka Bar Indian Band; Educational Institution: entrepreneurship@UBC and  Innovation Funder: Active Impact Investments.

Joseph Pipitone has started a new position as Project Manager at Mike Geric Construction.

Frank Macdonald, a former Saanich fireman, was chosen interim deputy chief earlier this year and will take over as fire chief following the retirement of Darren Hughes.

Small Business BC’s 19th annual provincial awards have Nature Bee as one of their top-five finalists for Community Impact Awards and People’s Choice Awards for customer loyalty. The Winners will be announced April 28^th.

The leases for the Satellite Fish Market and Pier Bistro Restaurant have been extended by the Sidney city council. The port will be operational until 2025 after the said renewal.

Clint Flood has been named General Manager of the Victoria 2022 55+ British Columbia Games, scheduled for September 13-17, 2022.

Kenmore Air, based in Seattle, plans to resume service to Victoria on April 1 and to Vancouver in May.

MazumaGo, the simplest way for construction companies to move funds, has recently launched its services in the US.

Odd Burger and Sai-Ganesh Enterprises (SGE), a hospitality firm focused on franchising and commercial building, have inked an area representation agreement that will see the addition of 36 Odd Burger restaurants in the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia.

Kelvin Ma has been hired as the Chargers head coach of the men’s volleyball starting for the 2022/23 season, Camosun College Athletics announced.

Little Sweety Cakes Studio has opened at 101-732 Broughton Street in downtown Victoria.

Ben Jillings, finance manager at Victoria Hyundai, noted that electric and hybrid vehicle sales are surging as a result of the recent jump in gasoline prices.

WestJet Airlines are bracing for an increase in passenger traffic following the Canadian government’s decision to eliminate pre-entry COVID-19 testing requirements for vaccinated travellers.

Victoria International Airport (YYJ) has won the Airports Council International (ACI) Award for Best Hygiene Measures by Region for Airport Service Quality (North America).

After 74 years in downtown Victoria, Birks on Government Street is closing.

Paper Excellence made a $50,000 donation to the Indigenous Women Entrepreneurship Fund (IWEF), which supports Indigenous women-owned enterprises.

The Vancouver Island Economic Alliance is seeking a new leader following the announcement of George Hanson‘s retirement in 2022 as President and Chief Executive Officer.

The Victoria Foundation, led by CEO Sandra Richardson, has announced the start of its 2022 Community Grants Program, which will grant financing to registered charities and other qualified groups that aim to improve the lives of Greater Victoria residents.

The GSL Holdings-operated Save-On-Foods Memorial Center has begun adopting British Columbia-based Active Witness security technology, that uses facial identification and QR codes loaded to their cellphones instead of traditional key cards.

The Greater Victoria School District‘s (SD61) board of trustees approved a land sale to the Victoria Hospice Society, of a parcel close to the former Richmond elementary at 2780 Richmond Rd.

The University of Victoria Foundation contributed $25 million to the Brookfield Global Transition Fund to aid in the transition to a carbon-neutral economy and to promote sustainability.

The Lynda Koenders-owned Beacon Hill Children’s Farm has officially reopened.

The Circular Food and Farm Society will get an additional $75,000 from North Saanich councillors to continue operating the Sandown grounds.

The new cocktail menu at Cadboro Bay’s Smuggler’s Cove Pub is in need of creative names. Join the Cadboro Bay Local Facebook group to submit your ideas.

Diane Bernard has grown her Sooke firm, Seaflora Skincare, into a huge success. Seaflora is transitioning away from plastic packaging, with the goal of selling its products exclusively in glass by the end of 2022.

New owners Brian and Sharon Holowaychuk, who recently purchased Grouse Nest on East Sooke, have opened their property to fleeing Ukrainians.

Black Sheep Quilt Shop, a Fabricland Franchise, is now open at Millstream Village -117, C2401 Millstream Road.