Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce
| Specific Topics of Lobbying Communications | Intended Outcomes | Associated Subject Matters |
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Advocacy around ongoing economic recovery and support for businesses, specifically sectors hardest hit by the pandemic. Minister was guest speaker at Chamber AGM.
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Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Agriculture, COVID-19, Colleges & Universities, Finances and Budgets, Housing, Industry, Labour/Labour Relations, Tourism
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A letter requesting the ministry consider the Greater Victoria Dragon Boat Festival Society for funding under the Fairs, Festivals and Events Recovery Fund.
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Awarding, amendment or termination of any contract, grant or financial benefit by or on behalf of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Arts and Culture, Economic Development and Trade, Tourism
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A letter supporting Northwest Deuce Days application to the Fairs, Festivals and Events Recovery Fund.
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Awarding, amendment or termination of any contract, grant or financial benefit by or on behalf of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Tourism
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A phone call suggesting temporary repurposing of office space in Greater Victoria that is leased to the Provincial government but is vacant due to the Public Sector's shift to remote work. Rather than sit empty, the space could be used by non-profits and small businesses to add vibrancy to the area.
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Development of any legislative proposal by the government of British Columbia, a Provincial entity or a member of the Legislative Assembly, Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Non-Profit Organization, Small Business
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A request for ensuring non-profits have access to government relief programs, specifically the BC Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery Grant. Non-profit organizations make significant contributions to our economy and have faced challenges similar to all business during the pandemic.
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Awarding, amendment or termination of any contract, grant or financial benefit by or on behalf of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity, Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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COVID-19, Economic Development and Trade, Non-Profit Organization, Small Business
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As an additional element to our Indigenous engagement initiatives, we hope to add a multimedia component to a project celebrating the Chamber’s 160th anniversary. The Chamber was founded on Feb. 9, 1863, and we marked the date with a special gathering at the Royal BC Museum. At that time, we unveiled a website dedicated to the history of business and commerce on Vancouver Island through the perspectives of the diverse communities that call our region home. The project abides by the protocol of “nothing about us without us.” This is especially key to information about Indigenous communities, which requires working extensively with Indigenous knowledge keepers, including offering honorariums for elders and scholars to gain their perspective on traditions of commerce in our region. We are asking for help funding these proposed economic reconciliation initiatives.
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Awarding, amendment or termination of any contract, grant or financial benefit by or on behalf of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
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As BC enters Phase 3, we will meet with provincial officials including the Finance Minister and Tourism Minister to ask for details about BC's $1.5 billion fund to restart the economy. Working with other community organizations in Greater Victoria, The Chamber would like to see specific funding made available for tourism organizations directly affected by the pandemic.
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Development or enactment of any regulation, including the enactment of a regulation for the purposes of amending or repealing a regulation, Development of any legislative proposal by the government of British Columbia, a Provincial entity or a member of the Legislative Assembly, Introduction, amendment, passage or defeat of any Bill or resolution in or before the Legislative Assembly
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COVID-19, Small Business, Tourism
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Assistance in restoring bus service on Vancouver Island that is a vital connection for residents of Greater Victoria and Vancouver Island especially those who reside in Indigenous communities.
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Awarding, amendment or termination of any contract, grant or financial benefit by or on behalf of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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COVID-19, Transportation
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BC recognize the need for responsible public health orders and guidelines that prioritizes the health of the public through a regional approach to further re-opening or restrictions taking into consideration the fact that we are a massive province with significant variations in population density and rate of transmission of COVID-19.
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Development or enactment of any regulation, including the enactment of a regulation for the purposes of amending or repealing a regulation, Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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COVID-19, Economic Development and Trade, Health
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British Columbia’s Lobbyists Transparency Act (2020) (LTA) has placed a considerable burden on the not-for-profit sector and smaller organizations, including Chambers of Commerce. This legislation adds administrative constraints to our ability to perform our traditional roles in our communities. We request the definition of "small organization" be amended to 25 employees or less and the act provide a full exemption for all small organizations and only require registration of actual acts of lobbying upon completion, increasing the 50-hour threshold to 200 hours for charities and non-profits and eliminate the requirement for Chambers of Commerce altogether. In addition, establish a more streamlined lobbying tracking report form and process and remove accumulated lobbying reporting requirements when working with other organizations.
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Development or enactment of any regulation, including the enactment of a regulation for the purposes of amending or repealing a regulation
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Freedom of Information
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Conversation about housing proposed by Bayview in Victoria to discuss challenges and opportunities with the process.
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Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Housing
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Discussion about economic and community development potential of using office space leased by the provincial government that is not being fully used.
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Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Economic Development and Trade, Small Business
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Discussion about Indigenous businesses in Greater Victoria and opportunities to work together to connect them with regional business community.
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Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
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Discussion about innovative housing solution based on model in use in Atlantic Canada.
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Development or enactment of any regulation, including the enactment of a regulation for the purposes of amending or repealing a regulation
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Housing
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Discussion about ongoing work on Indigenous economic reconciliation.
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Awarding, amendment or termination of any contract, grant or financial benefit by or on behalf of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
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Emailed SG about speaking at luncheon about community safety.
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Development or enactment of any regulation, including the enactment of a regulation for the purposes of amending or repealing a regulation, Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity, Development of any legislative proposal by the government of British Columbia, a Provincial entity or a member of the Legislative Assembly
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Justice and Law Enforcement, Small Business
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Emailed the Solicitor General's staff about speaking at a public luncheon about community safety.
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Introduction, amendment, passage or defeat of any Bill or resolution in or before the Legislative Assembly, Development of any legislative proposal by the government of British Columbia, a Provincial entity or a member of the Legislative Assembly, Development or enactment of any regulation, including the enactment of a regulation for the purposes of amending or repealing a regulation, Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Justice and Law Enforcement, Small Business
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Email introduction between BC government and FRS Clipper Ferry CEO to create connections and economic development opportunities between BC/Canada and Germany.
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Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Economic Development and Trade, Tourism, Transportation
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In light of the pronounced role addiction and mental health issues plays in homeless populations, and the ongoing Opioid crisis, the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce actively supports the creation and enhancement of supports for mental health services and addiction recovery treatment.
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Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity, Development of any legislative proposal by the government of British Columbia, a Provincial entity or a member of the Legislative Assembly
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COVID-19, Housing, Mental Health and Addictions
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Invitation to Premier Eby to speak to Greater Victoria business community at a chamber luncheon.
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Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Economic Development and Trade, Finances and Budgets, Health, Housing, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Mental Health and Addictions, Small Business
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Letter in support of the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival Society’s application for the Tourism Events Program (TEP) to host the annual Dragon Boat Festival.
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Awarding, amendment or termination of any contract, grant or financial benefit by or on behalf of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Arts and Culture, Economic Development and Trade, Small Business, Sports and Recreation, Tourism
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Letter urging Deputy Minister to the Premier on behalf of Greater Victoria employers and business community to fully consider the potentially catastrophic domino effect that changing the nature of public sector work could have on the economy of our provincial capital, relating to the proposal by the BC Public Service to disrupt its hiring practices and reduce the number of workers in downtown Victoria and in our region as a whole.
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Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Economic Development and Trade, Small Business, Tourism
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Met with Minister of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship and Minister Responsible for Fisheries Josie Osborne at the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance Summit and discussed economic issues affecting Vancouver Island.
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Development of any legislative proposal by the government of British Columbia, a Provincial entity or a member of the Legislative Assembly
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Economic Development and Trade, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Small Business, Tourism
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Ongoing conversation about request for funding for The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce's Indigenous Economic Reconciliation Initiative.
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Awarding, amendment or termination of any contract, grant or financial benefit by or on behalf of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
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Phone call that touched on funding for Indigenous Economic Reconciliation that The Chamber had asked about previously, as well as general business concerns.
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Development or enactment of any regulation, including the enactment of a regulation for the purposes of amending or repealing a regulation, Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity, Awarding, amendment or termination of any contract, grant or financial benefit by or on behalf of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Economic Development and Trade, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Small Business
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Reminder about request to improve the Lobbyist Transparency Act, and request to discuss with ministry staff why doing so will benefit British Columbia communities.
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Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Economic Development and Trade, Freedom of Information, Small Business
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Report on meeting published in Chamber newsletter and available at victoriachamber.ca as well as on Chamber socials:
Minister meets with Chamber to hear about business issues
The Chamber would like to thank BC's Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, Jessie Sunner, for meeting with members of Greater Victoria's business community today.
The Minister had lunch with Chamber members and staff after a tour of Camosun College's Interurban Campus. The meeting was a welcome opportunity to hear about the province's plans to address ongoing challenges in BC, and hear from businesses about the value of supporting local education as well as urgent issues facing Greater Victoria.
Members from the post-secondary sector as well as aviation, hospitality and transportation industries spoke candidly with the Minister about actions they would like to see happen.
"We spoke about investing in trades training, and we also spoke about the crisis happening in downtown Victoria, and the need to not damage businesses there," Chamber CEO John Wilson said. "Yes, this is a complex problem that involves all levels of government, but that is precisely why we need all levels of government to listen to business."
Policies like a Canada-wide restriction on foreign workers or allowing downtown Victoria public sector offices to remain vacant have ripple effects that hamper the ability of businesses to operate.
Without the vibrancy that businesses create everyday, there's a real risk we're hollowing out an invaluable economic engine for our region.
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Development of any legislative proposal by the government of British Columbia, a Provincial entity or a member of the Legislative Assembly, Introduction, amendment, passage or defeat of any Bill or resolution in or before the Legislative Assembly, Development or enactment of any regulation, including the enactment of a regulation for the purposes of amending or repealing a regulation, Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Advanced Education, Economic Development and Trade, Employment and Training, Finances and Budgets, Justice and Law Enforcement, Small Business, Taxation and Finance
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Request for consultation with business groups to facilitate implementation of vaccine passport
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Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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COVID-19, Health, Small Business
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Request for letter of support for the nomination of Gordon Planes to Senate.
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Development of any legislative proposal by the government of British Columbia, a Provincial entity or a member of the Legislative Assembly
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Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
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Request for meeting and help arranging meeting with Minister of Housing to discuss challenges and opportunities for adding housing supply to Greater Victoria through the Bayview development.
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Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Housing
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Request for meeting with Minister Popham to discuss ongoing concerns for business and safe community in Downtown Victoria.
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Development or enactment of any regulation, including the enactment of a regulation for the purposes of amending or repealing a regulation, Awarding, amendment or termination of any contract, grant or financial benefit by or on behalf of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Justice and Law Enforcement, Small Business, Tourism
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Request for Minister Kahlon to speak to Greater Victoria business community at a chamber luncheon.
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Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Housing
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Request to talk about ideas and innovations regarding affordable, temporary housing for people at risk.
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Awarding, amendment or termination of any contract, grant or financial benefit by or on behalf of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity, Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Government Procurement, Housing, Non-Profit Organization, Poverty
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Support for directional and informational signage on Highway 17 on behalf of a member organization of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce
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Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Agriculture, Economic Development and Trade, Tourism, Transportation
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Support for the continued redevelopment of Phase 3 of Belleville Terminal as a key international gateway between B.C. and external market and allow for improved customs and border services.
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Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity, Development of any legislative proposal by the government of British Columbia, a Provincial entity or a member of the Legislative Assembly
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Economic Development and Trade, Tourism, Transportation
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The acceleration of investment in non-market housing that meets the needs of people who require homes but are not able to participate in the private real estate market.
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Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Housing, Mental Health and Addictions
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The Greater Victoria Chamber and our 1,400 members would appreciate Minister Bailey's consideration to be included in ongoing conversations to offer our perspective on the Ministry’s priorities and policies, specifically the government's rebate programs to help businesses deal with costs related to vandalism.
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Development of any legislative proposal by the government of British Columbia, a Provincial entity or a member of the Legislative Assembly
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Justice and Law Enforcement, Small Business
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The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce co-signed a request asking:
1. The provincial Police Services Division ensures Victoria adequately funds the Victoria Police Department;
2. The Attorney General works with Prosecution Services to prevent repeat and habitual offenders from being released back into the community while awaiting trial;
3. That the Province expedites the building of complex care facilities to house and treat the most marginalized, to establish their safety and to enhance community well-being.
4. The Province works with the District of Saanich and City of Victoria to ensure the prompt continuation of the Citizens’ Assembly examining the benefits and challenges of merging the municipalities including their respective police departments.
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Development or enactment of any regulation, including the enactment of a regulation for the purposes of amending or repealing a regulation, Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Housing, Justice and Law Enforcement, Mental Health and Addictions, Municipal Affairs
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The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce sent a letter supporting the proposal put forward by the Líl̓wat (Lil’wat), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) to lead an Indigenous bid to host the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in British Columbia.
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Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Arts and Culture, Economic Development and Trade, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Sports and Recreation, Tourism
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The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce supports the Victoria Arts Council and its annual LOOK community art showcase and asked the minister to consider the Victoria Arts Council’s grant application in order to show support for local artists in our region.
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Awarding, amendment or termination of any contract, grant or financial benefit by or on behalf of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
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Arts and Culture
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Virtual event with Minister Robinson speaking about BC Budget 2022. The minister was asked questions about government programs and plans for growing the economy, making changes to the payroll tax and consulting with the business community on issues such as paid sick days and investment in innovations.
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Awarding, amendment or termination of any contract, grant or financial benefit by or on behalf of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity, Development, establishment, amendment or termination of any program, policy, directive or guideline of the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity, Development or enactment of any regulation, including the enactment of a regulation for the purposes of amending or repealing a regulation
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Advanced Education, Agriculture, Economic Development and Trade, Finances and Budgets, Municipal Affairs, Taxation and Finance, Tourism, Transportation
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