News Impacting Southern Vancouver Island Business
VICTORIA
Shannon Byrne Susko
Metronomics and 10x Spring are hosting a half-day workshop featuring Shannon Byrne Susko, founder & CEO of Metronomics, 3HAG Creator and 3HAG Way Author as well as renowned CEO+Leadership Team Coach. This event, scheduled for February 12, at the University of Victoria, aims to provide CEO’s and business leaders with key tools and strategies for driving business growth. See registration
Tom Plumb of Kinetic has announced his retirement, after being with the company for 28 years. His retirement is effect January 5, 2026 at which time Mike Walz will take over as President.
Wendy Cocchia, CM, OBC, LLD (Hon), was appointed the 31st Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia on Thursday, January 30, 2025.
Andrew Wilkinson and Chris Sparling, entrepreneurs based in Victoria, have been recognized as the University of Victoria‘s Distinguished Entrepreneurs of the Year.
Michael Caparas, a marketing professional, was just voted as the Victoria-Filipino Canada Association‘s president.
Melissa Badua has been elected as the new president of the Bayanihan Cultural & Housing Society.
The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce welcomes its new members: Thinkspace Architecture Planning Interior Design Ltd., Peace Hills Trust, Canadian Digital Marketing Summit, and Method Air.
Paul Hawes
Paul Hawes has been appointed as the new President and CEO of the BC Hotel Association.
The Open Table‘s Top 100 lineup included Victoria restaurants: Boom + Batten, Finn’s Seafood, Chops and Cocktails, Glo Restaurant + Lounge, and VISTA 18 Restaurant + Lounge.
Small Gods Brewing Co. has teamed up with Field 5 Farm to announce the launch of Peninsula Lager, a new hyper-local beer that reflects the full agricultural cycle of the Saanich Peninsula. Media and industry professionals are invited to join the celebration.
Starting May 15, Porter Airlines will operate non-stop flights between Victoria and Ottawa.
The Societe Francophone de Victoria is leading a new pilot project that provides services to the Francophone population in Greater Victoria who are over 50. The project is partially sponsored by the Government of Canada‘s Aging Well at Homeinitiative.
Food Banks Canada will receive $1 for each burger sold during the February 1–28 fundraising campaign, organized by the BC Cattlemen’s Association and Canada Beef.
The Greater Victoria School District SD61 and Saanich School District 63 schools have announced full closures and no bus services for Tuesday, in all municipalities served by the districts.
Chard Development‘s 12-storey Nest will be the home for the Fueling Brains Academy childcare centre on the second floor, alongside several retailers joining Pizza Pizza in fully occupied commercial spaces on the ground floor.
The first H Mart Asian grocery store on Vancouver Island is nearing its opening as the retail space at Mayfair Shopping Centre, previously occupied by Toys R Us, is being prepared for grocery operations.
Elizabeth Dutton
Elizabeth Dutton has been appointed as the new Chief Operating Officer at Innovate BC.
African food restaurant Blue Nile has reopened in downtown Victoria, located in the 1700-block of Douglas Street, directly across from the Victoria Public Market.
On February 4 and 6, Camosun College will host two job fairs at its Interurban and Lansdowne campuses, respectively. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with more than 100 business executives from various industries.
Applications are now being accepted for the Vital Grant Stream of the Victoria Foundation’s 2025 Community Grants Program, which provides flexible, general operating funding for the non-profit and charitable sectors in the capital region. Each year, the Community Grants Program makes grants of up to $30,000 each available to support organizations whose work creates positive change – from the arts, to housing, to youth and senior services, and beyond. Staying the course from 2024, the goal of this year is to strengthen the long-term resilience of our community by supporting eligible local philanthropic organizations.
On January 31, the Saanich Police Department and Wounded Warriors Canada formally established a partnership to assist its officers in coping with trauma.
The District of Central Saanich has announced local architectural firm HCMA will design Central Saanich’s new municipal building for their facility replacement project. This is a significant milestone for the longstanding project, which will upgrade aging District facilities, currently located at 1903 Mt Newton Road.
Empresa Properties Ltd. is moving forward with plans for a six-storey building at the Turner building, featuring a village node at the base and 55 purpose-built rental homes across the upper floors following rezoning approval.
Nearly 14 acres of farm sites, community gardens, and a small retail space dedicated to supporting local agriculture will be available at the Blenkinsop Community Agricultural Centre, which is scheduled to
Fiona Hutchinson, a nurse practitioner, has joined Sooke’s primary care outreach program, which runs every Thursday morning.
Terrier Books by Gladys Vallee, which previously operated online, has established an actual bookstore on the lowest floor of the Artisans Garden at 6689 Goodmere Rd.
The Sidney Museum and Archives has announced the return of its annual LEGO Brick Exhibition for the 19th consecutive year. The exhibition is now open to the public and will run until March 30, 2025.
Beacon Community Services will host the Workforce Challenges—Strategizing Outside the Box Forum on February 7, 2025.
Sidney BIA and Beacon Community Services will participate in the Sidney Employment Expo on March 12, 2025, at the Mary Winspear Centre.
The Sidney Business Improvement Area (Sidney BIA) is pleased to launch the $200 Work in Sidney Perk Pass, a special program to honour new and current Sidney employees for their contributions to our thriving city.
Sidney’s Star Cinema is set to welcome the Victoria Film Festival this February, marking its return after a five-year break. The festival will take place at the theatre from Feb. 7-13.
The Town of Sidney staff presented a progress report to Council outlining how the Town is well on its way to meet a Housing Target Order set by the Province in 2024 to support the completion of 468 new housing units by June 30, 2029. Many communities across BC have been given Housing Target Orders by the Province in an effort to help alleviate a housing shortage in BC.
The Saanich Peninsula Chamber welcomes new member Peninsula Celebrations Society.
Katherine Strongwind, Abbie Morris and Barb Dunn recently joined the Sooke Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
The District of Sooke announced the successful approval of a $150,000 grant from the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF), administered by the Union of BC Municipalities and supported by the Province of British Columbia. This project will inform updates on mitigation, recovery, response, and business continuity plans while shaping emergency management training and exercises in our community.
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