News Impacting Southern Vancouver Island Business
Ian Bird
Ian Bird has been hired as the next CEO of the Victoria Foundation starting in June 2026.
Zöe Harvey has been appointed the new Events & Program Specialist of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce.
Beacon Hill Wealth Management is looking for an Administrative Assistant to join its team in Victoria.
Eden Gardens, a long-term care facility in Nanaimo, was acquired by the Broadmead Care Society, marking its first attempt to expand beyond the capital region.
Pacific Economic Development Canada has awarded two researchers from UVic Engineering and Computer Science a total of $5.43 million to strengthen space, AI, and climate-tech with practical applications across Canada: $1.43 million will support Homayoun Najjaran‘s AI-powered drone mapping to enhance flood and wildfire risk assessment, particularly for remote and Indigenous communities, and $4 million will support a Western Canada space cluster headed by Afzal Suleman, director of the University of Victoria Centre for Aerospace Research (CfAR).
COAST (Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies) welcomes EDGEWISE Environmental, EPT Clean Oil and Armada Technologies as new members.
The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce welcomes its newest members: Vancity, True North Commercial REIT, Top Coat Painting, Armina Birdi, MIR, JD, and Crawford Munroe Thomson LLP.
The Victoria Foundation marks its 90th anniversary with an official proclamation from the Province of BC, designating April 1, 2026, as a day of celebration.
The Delta Hotels by Marriott, Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort has been recognized as one of the Top 20 Resorts in Canada for 2026 by U.S. News & World Report for the second year in a row.
The 304-room Hotel Grand Pacific has been acquired by InnVest Hotels, the biggest hotel operator and owner in Canada.
Tickets are now on sale for the 2026 Greater Victoria Business Awards Ceremony which will be held on June 11 at the Victoria Conference Centre.
The Victoria Cool Aid Society is managing Johnson Manor, located at 1153 Johnson St., as a transitional home for people in recovery in Victoria. The doors will open to the first residents in early April.
An online webinar on Effective Step Code Practices for Quality, Comfort, and Resilience will be hosted by BC Housing on April 23. Professionals in residential construction and building will learn how to translate performance goals into actual, constructed projects.
A new program has been established by the Simon Keith Foundation and the David Foster Foundation to provide juvenile transplant recipients with full funding for sports, fitness, recreational, and cultural activities.
VIATEC, also known as the Victoria Innovation, Advanced Technology and Entrepreneurship Council, announced the winners at the 2026 VIATEC award held at the Victoria Conference Centre on April 1, 2026.
2026 VIATEC award winners
- Company of the Year: Atreides Caseri
- Growth Company of the Year: Puzzle Lab
- Emerging Company of the Year: WikiSleep
- Social Impact Award: Synergy Enterprises
- Employer of the Year: MarineLabs
- Inclusion Champion: Text Groove Communications
- Product of the Year: Eterio Realities (Fab Station)
- Innovative Excellence – Software or Service: Archipelago
- Innovative Excellence – Hardware: Azor Biotek
- Colin Lennox Award for Technology Champion: Tobyn Sowden (Redbrick)
- Leader of the Year: Christopher Moreno (MarineLabs)
- Janet Baird Award for Community Champion: Karolina Valente (VoxCell)
- Emerging Leader of the Year: Farrah Costo (FLT)
- VIATEC Member of the Year: MNP LLP
Following a brief winter hiatus, work on the Highway 17 Keating Cross overpass project resumed on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
Saanich is developing a Zero Waste Strategy aimed at minimizing landfill contributions. The goal is to decrease per-capita waste from 318 kg per year to 250 kg by 2031, and further to 125 kg by 2050.
The North Saanich Residents Association’s next Annual General Meeting is on April 18 at the Saanich Peninsula Presbyterian Church, 9296 E Saanich Rd.
The Electric Vehicle Affordability Program gives discounts up to $5,000 for the purchase or lease of EVs with a total transaction value of up to $50,000 from countries having free-trade agreements with Canada.
Bears Bakery and Cafe, formerly known as Little Vienna Bakery, Cafe & Marketplace, is set to open under new ownership on April 6th.
The Sooke Country Market is moving to its new location at Woodside Farm, 7149 West Coast Rd, on April 18.
The Sooke Bike Club has put forward a plan for a 350-hectare mountain bike and hiking trail network. On March 23, they voted unanimously to consider sponsoring a Crown land application located west of the Sooke River.
The Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce welcomes Bears Bakery & Café, B.L. Woods Designs, Electric Alpine Biking, Make Space Storage, and Nox Excavating LTD, as its new members.
Highway 14 Towing & Recovery, owned by Ryan Brulotte, celebrates its first year in operation.
The District of Sooke is currently open for applications for the 2026 Community Grant Program, with a deadline set for April 8, 2026.
Chryseis Green celebrates 10 years with the Saanich Peninsula Hospital & Healthcare Foundation.
The Saanich Peninsula Community Foundation will be hosting the Lobsterfest PLUS on June 6th at the Mary Winspear Centre.
Sidney is hosting an open house on April 9 at the Mary Winspear Centre, inviting the community to contribute ideas for the future Town Hall building.
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