News Impacting Southern Vancouver Island Business
VICTORIA
Rechelle Effendy
Rechelle Effendy, CAIA, CPA, CMA, has been appointed as BCI‘s Senior Vice President, Finance & Chief Financial Officer.
Mike McCardell announced his retirement at the end of the month, following a career spanning 62 years in the news industry.
Dave Kelly has been named the new President and CEO of Richardson Wealth, succeeding Kish Kapoor, who announced his resignation later this year.
Chief Del Manak, the Chief of the Victoria Police Department since 2017, will end his term in 2025.
The Victoria office of Richardson Wealth has welcomed the Riddell Wealth Management team, which consists of Evan Riddell, Mona Kazakoff, and Tracey Albert.
BCI’s public markets team has raised over $350,000 for the Island Kids Cancer Association (IKCA) through their annual charity golf tournament at Cordova Bay Golf Course.
Avery Brohman
Avery Brohman, the CEO of Victoria Hospitals Foundation, was recently recognized with the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy’s 40 Under 40 award. Brohman was recognized for her exceptional leadership since being appointed to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation in 2018. Under her guidance, the organization has accomplished its highest fundraising revenues, including $15.4 million last year.
BCI’s public markets team has raised over $350,000 for the Island Kids Cancer Association (IKCA) through their annual charity golf tournament at Cordova Bay Golf Course.
The 4th International Conference on New Horizons in Green Civil Engineering (NHICE-04), sponsored by BC Housing, is taking place on August 26–28 at the University of Victoria.
ATTA Elevators, a full-service elevator & escalator company headquartered in Ontario, is pleased to announce its expansion to Victoria.
The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce welcomes its newest members, IPP Consulting, Société de développement économique de la Colombie-Britannique (SDECB), CORE Landscape Products, and Mumma Magma Yoga.
The Greater Victoria Housing Society acquired the Arlington Court Apartments at 430 Michigan Street and Hamlet House at 1500 Chambers Street for $21.2 million, with help from the province’s Rental Protection fund. The vendor was represented by Colliers Multifamily Advisory Group‘s Grant Evans and Ken Cloak, while the buyer was represented by Colliers’ Anna Wray.
Gregg’s Furniture & Upholstery, a well-established furniture and upholstery business in Victoria, is closing its Government Street storefront. Owner David Screech, former mayor of View Royal, cites crime as the reason behind the closure.
Swans Brewery, known for its long-standing tradition of crafting unique recipes, has decided to cease its brewing operations. However, the pub, hotel, and liquor store in Victoria will continue to serve patrons.
Workers at the Hotel Grand Pacific in Victoria have overwhelmingly voted in favour of strike action, with 92 per cent supporting the decision. The vote comes after negotiations hit a standstill in May. There are around 160 members in Unifor Local 114 who are employed in various departments such as housekeeping, front desk, maintenance, reservations, Fathom restaurant, the Courtyard Café, and the banquets department.
United Way Southern Vancouver Island (UWSVI) announced it will be inviting people throughout the region to apply for two new grants in coming weeks, unlocking $2,040,000 to support the future of their communities. On August 26, UWSVI will invite local charities to apply for a Future Empowerment Grant, out of a $2 million fund established to help the charitable sector prepare for the future by strengthening its organizational abilities now. On September 9, UWSVI will invite individual youth (14-24 years old), organizations that serve youth, Indigenous-led organizations, and local schools and school districts to apply for a Youth in Action Grant, from a total pool of $40,000 dedicated for special projects for, and led by, local youth.
Public Safety Canada has allocated $3.5 million over three years to B.C. to support municipal police departments in their efforts to combat online child sexual exploitation. This funding is part of the Federal Contribution Program to Combat Serious and Organized Crime, which will be allocated towards staffing, equipment, and training to enhance investigation capabilities in partnership with the RCMP’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit.
Ledcor has been chosen as the design-build contractor to oversee the construction of the new BC Children’s Hospital Centre for health complexity at 3644 Slocan St. in East Vancouver. The former site of the Sunny Hill Health Centre has been demolished, and construction is set to start in spring 2025. The project is expected to be completed by December 2027.
The B.C. On-Farm Technology Adoption Program offers up to $2 million from the Canadian and British Columbia governments this year. The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership funds the program through Innovate BC‘s Integrated Marketplace effort. The $3.5 billion partnership between federal, provincial, and territorial governments aims to boost Canada’s agriculture, agrifood, and agro-based goods sector’s competitiveness, innovation, and resilience over five years. These funding applications are open until Oct. 6, 2024.
A nature-first attraction that incorporates the beauty of the forest and the beachfront for all to enjoy is planned by the Sandcut Campground & Resort, which intends to amalgamate two neighbouring properties directly off West Coast Road.
The software company Redbrick is pleased to announce that it has been officially designated as a Certified B Corporation™ (B Corp). This certification is the result of an extensive certification process that took place over several years, and it shows that Redbrick is still committed to being an industry leader when it comes to social and environmental impact.
The University of Victoria has consented to conduct an engineering report on the maintenance that would be necessary to keep McKinnon Pool operational, at least temporarily, according to Wayne Kelly, a former varsity swimmer and Olympian who is currently working to prevent its closure.
Better wages and working conditions were secured for staff at Victoria’s Bug Zoo through their first collective agreement, which was achieved after unionization in 2022. The increase from the current minimum wage in British Columbia—$17.40—to $21 per hour was secured by their union, MoveUP, through this collective bargaining agreement. In addition, the union secured shorter tour shifts, less monitoring of employee-only areas, and the formation of an Occupational Health and Safety Committee.
The Vancouver Island Construction Association (VICA) and BestHuman, an industry leader in online leadership development, have announced a partnership to launch a new leadership course specifically for new construction managers. The program, “Transformative Leadership: Creating Effective Managers,” is an intensive 7-week live cohort-based course that aims to improve the leadership skills necessary for managers to thrive in today’s fast-paced work environment.
NZ Builders is a general contractor that specializes in custom homes on Vancouver Island., has officially launched BACH HOMES (pronounced ‘batch’), a New Zealand term for your holiday home.
The Royal Victoria Marathon in 2024 has sold out for both the full and half marathon divisions. This is the earliest that these distances have sold out in the event’s 44-year history, with more than seven weeks until race weekend.
The Victoria Classic Boat Festival, which is now in its 45th year and is organized by The Maritime Museum of BC, will be held in the Inner Harbour from August 30th to September 1st, 2024, during the Labour Day weekend.
On Saturday, August 31, the BC Lions will visit the Ottawa RedBlacks at Royal Athletic Park, which has been expanded to accommodate over 14,000 fans, in a Touchdown Pacific matchup. At Central Park, there will also be a BC Lions Backyard Watch Party, where fans can enjoy the game on a giant screen with food, beverages, and entertainment. Anyone can attend for $25 if they don’t have a game ticket.
The Coast Victoria Hotel & Marina by APA has recently unveiled a new look.
The Victoria Festival of Authors is set to kick off its first-ever Festival Launch weekend on September 21 and 22, signalling the start of the fall season. During the upcoming weekend, four highly esteemed writers from British Columbia will be hosting workshops and sharing excerpts from their books. Located at 1701 Elgin Road in Oak Bay, the Canadian College of Performing Arts is a recently added venue to the Festival. It offers accessibility to all attendees. Prices for all events are offered on a flexible scale, allowing attendees to select a price that suits their needs.
Boann Social Impact (Boann) has committed $2M to Thrive Impact Fund to invest in communities across British Columbia. Since launching in 2021, Thrive Impact Fund has invested nearly $2M in local enterprises and communities. These flexible loans support a wide range of positive community benefits from food security to Indigenous data sovereignty to co-operative housing to plant-based wildfire suppression products, and more. The portfolio includes:
- Victoria Community Food Hub Society expanded their food production facility
- Animikii has launched and grown their Indigenous-led data product
- The Makehouse purchased a sewing and fabric enterprise and transitioned it into a worker’s cooperative
- Majik Media launched a fair trade publishing platform for local artists and writers
- WaterRangers expanded their citizen-led water testing and educational platform
- FireRein expanded their plant-based eco-gel to communities across BC
- LuxBio tested and expanded their bioluminescence alternative to toxic glow sticks
- LUSH Valley purchased a space to expand their programming and offices
- Propolis Cooperative Housing purchased a building to develop into affordable housing
The handyDART operations will move to a new location in View Royal early next year to make room for the construction of the Saanich Transit Centre, which is set to begin in Saanich’s Royal Oak community in 2025.
Canada ICI is pleased to announce the successful CMHC-insured acquisition financing of Reunion at Belmont, a newly constructed 121-unit multifamily building in Langford.
A residential and retail tower, designed by Victoria-based Christine Lintott Architects, may be constructed at the intersection of Quadra Street and Nicholson Street, north of McKenzie Avenue, as part of a forthcoming application to the District of Saanich.
Centennial Park in Central Saanich will soon be home to a new multi-sport facility, through a generous $2-million federal grant. The facility will include dedicated space for pickleball, among other sports. The construction of the new facility is set to commence in the later part of this summer, and it is anticipated to be completed by 2025.
The City of Langford is excited to announce a community fun day taking place at the grounds of Happy Valley Elementary School on August 28th.
The Munroe development, a new Langford housing project along Sooke Road, had a block party on Saturday as part of its launch.
BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau made a public appearance alongside Juan de Fuca-Malahat candidate David Evans at Cafe VOSINO in Sooke on Aug 23, 2024.
Ravi Parmar, MLA, and Amanda Dowhy, SD62 Chair, announced the recent acquisition of land for a new middle school in North Langford. The site, located at 2460 Gateway Road, is conveniently situated across from the land designated for a high school, which was announced in May 2024. This prime location is in the Costco shopping area, just off McCallum Road.
The Sooke Fax and Copy Centre will be closed from Aug 31 to September 3 and will reopen on September 4.
Galleon Books & Antiques, a long-time business in Sidney owned by Rod Laurie, has officially closed on August 25.
Specsavers has opened a new location in Sidney at 2424 Beacon Ave.
The renovations to the Sidney Pharmasave were recently completed with the collaboration of Potter Electric and Efficient Eco Solutions Inc.
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