News Impacting Southern Vancouver Island Business
VICTORIA
Rick Doman
Rick Doman has been appointed to the Forestry Innovation Investment board as chair.
Seaflora Skincare, a family-owned business in Sooke, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
Innov8 Digital Solutions has been named the #1 Canon Dealer in Canada. Innov8 is also Canon’s largest dealer in Canada with over 10 locations across British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario.
A groundbreaking ceremony has been conducted by Starlight Investments for the Harris Green Village, a substantial multi-family housing project in Victoria.
The Emerge Mini-Connector will be hosted by Level Up Salon Suites at 1128 Quadra Street on September 4th, as announced by the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce.
Roger Dall’Antonia
FortisBC President and CEO, Roger Dall’Antonia, will join the Victoria Chamber on September 9th for their next Business Leaders Luncheon.
Sargent Construction, Stan Chu‘s family business, Ho Goon Holdings Inc., and Metropolitan Hospitality Management, under the direction of Len Wansbrough, broke ground on the 103-room, six-story TownePlace Suites by Marriott on Goldstream Avenue.
Broadmead Care is hosting in-person tours for its newly launched Independent Living suites at the recently opened Nigel Living, located in mid-town Victoria, close to Uptown Mall.
The Second Hand Hope store, located at 426B William St. in Vic West, has partnered with the United Way and DoorDash to provide food and hygiene supplies to seniors and persons with disabilities in Greater Victoria.
Chipotle will launch its second confirmed restaurant in Greater Victoria this year at Westshore Town Centre.
The Songhees Development Corporation and the district signed an interim agreement on Aug. 5 to give Songhees Events & Catering exclusive use of the Oak Bay Marina restaurant until Sept. 30.
The Royal Victoria Marathon sold out in both the marathon and half marathon in early July, and with a 1200-person waiting list, the race remains popular. As the Westland Insurance 8K, Island Savings 5K, and Thrifty Foods Kids Run sell out, organizers expect 2025 to be the largest year ever.
The 2025 Victoria Forum is set for August 24-26 in the BC capital, bringing together over 400 participants from Canada and beyond. The event aims to push forward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as the 2030 deadline nears, focusing on the theme ‘Towards a Better Future: Shifting the Trajectory’.
Pacific Opera Victoria‘s Royal Theatre is proud to announce the 2025/26 Opera Season, a season that will transport audiences to the realm of enduring legends, passion, and thrills. The season will feature three extraordinary operas. Pacific Opera will present the following works: The Turn of the Screw, a chilling psychological thriller by Benjamin Britten, in October 2025; Tosca, a rollercoaster story of love, lust, murder, and political intrigue by Giacomo Puccini, in February 2026; and Orpheus & Eurydice, a timeless journey through love and loss in the depths of the underworld by Christoph Willibald Gluck, in April 2026.
The Order of British Columbia, the province’s highest honour, were awarded to fifteen individuals including:
- Stan Bevan (Satsan), Terrace
- Graham Clarke, Vancouver
- Charmaine Crooks, CM, West Vancouver
- Sandy Dhami, Richmond
- Ruth Grunau, Vancouver
- Elder Gwen Harry (Chésha7 / Wigistame), Squamish
- Mark Jaccard, Vancouver
- Jeremy Kinsman, Victoria
- Chief Robert Louie (Simo), OC, West Kelowna
- Robin Love, Lantzville
- Susannah Pierce, West Vancouver
- Allan Seckel, KC, Vancouver
- Martha Sturdy, West Vancouver
- Alan Twigg, CM, Vancouver
- John Yee, Vancouver
The request by Abstract Developer to the district to relax the requirements regarding the placement of a streetlight at the entrance to a 10-unit subdivision on Woodlands Place was unanimously approved by the Saanich council.
The 68-unit project by Victoria-based Rizzo Developments, which will be situated close to Whittier Avenue and Harriet Road, was approved by the Saanich council.
The 46th Victoria Classic Boat Festival, run by the Maritime Museum of BC, returns to Victoria’s Inner Harbour this Labour Day weekend from 29 – 31 August, 2025.
The Medal of Good Citizenship, which has been commemorating community service in British Columbia for 10 years, is honouring eighteen individuals for their exceptional contributions including:
- Troy MacBeth Abromaitis (Lex7em’ken Drynock), Richmond
- Roxana Aune, Surrey
- Montana Burgess, Rossland
- Victoria Clarke, Saanich
- Wadood Dilsoz, Surrey
- Olivier Drouin, Terrace
- Chloe Goodison, Port Moody
- Hanna Grover, Surrey
- Pamela Horton, North Vancouver
- Crystal Hung, Vancouver
- Marie Elizabeth (Betty) MacMichael, Coquitlam
- Kōshin Moonfist, Sooke
- Tulugak Payette, Nanaimo
- Ted Price and Anne Laughlin, Prince George
- Bruce Saunders, Victoria
- Dara Jan Vink, Quilchena
- Joyce Wilby, Alert Bay
Surespan Construction is starting work on the Galloping Goose bridge in Colwood. Expect overnight closures in both directions of the Island Highway between Wale Road and Goldstream Avenue on August 27 and 29.
The District of Sooke has selected the Catalyst Community Developments Society as the development partner for an innovative new project at 6651 Wadams Way. This project, which combines affordable rental housing with integrated health services in the centre of the community, is a source of pride for the society.
Carolyn’s Boutique, located at 6707 West Coast Road, Sooke, is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Ruth Howland of St Andrew’s Abbeyfield in Sidney receives the Robert McMullan Award for Lifetime Volunteering Excellence on July 25, 2025, from Robert Gunn, the BC Organizer for Abbeyfield Canada.
Butik Naturals in Sidney is donating a portion of the proceeds from all linen sales to Shoreline Medical’s Youth Clinic during the month of August.
Vendor spots are available for the final Ship Point Market of the season, happening September 12–14 in the heart of Victoria’s vibrant Inner Harbour.
Summit Salon Academy, Victoria’s newest accredited cosmetology school has launched at 1215 Broad Street, led by award-winning stylist Philip Ferreira and educator Natalie Grunberg-Ferreira.
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