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OCT/NOV 2026

F E AT U R E S

JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

CONTENTS

The Heat Is On Victoria Police Chief Fiona Wilson stresses the importance of connecting with the community. BY DAVID LENNAM

The Two Sides of Downtown Renewed investment and new retail help, but Victoria’s urban core still dogged by persistent street disorder. BY ANDREW FINDLAY

Our new national military strategy is creating unexpected opportunities for Island businesses. BY ROBYN QUINN

DAVE SILVER/BC BIKE RACE

Canada’s Defence Supply Chain

D E PA R T M E N T S 8

13 IN THE KNOW

North Island’s Buzz Bomb Tackle hooking recreational fishers for six decades, and counting; Greater Victoria’s economy tested by Canada-U.S. trade war; Island Coastal Economic Trust report highlights $45 million in new investment; B.C. workers see AI as inevitable; increased hiring in the cards. Plus: Douglas Reads; Corporate Calendar; and sweet contest giveaway!

The New Trail Economy How the growing mountain biking industry is drawing visitors to and boosting businesses across Vancouver Island. BY ANDREW FINDLAY

SPECIAL SECTION

What you should focus on if you’re planning, or attending, a memorable, engaging business event. • MEETING TRENDS • THE GUEST EXPERIENCE • FINDING AN EMCEE FOR YOUR EVENT

56 INTEL 56 THE STRATEGY BEHIND SAYING NO

JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

37 Meetings & Retreats

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Saying “yes” to everything is only necessary when starting your business. BY MIA MAKI

58 GETTING THE RIGHT PAYOFF FROM TECH INVESTMENTS There’s more to technology upgrades than mere software. BY CLEMENS RETTICH

60 LIFE + STYLE

The grey suit is now the coolest thing in the closet. Tree-top team building that won’t leave you hanging. Sandwiches to savour in the lunch crunch.

62 DID YOU KNOW

There were more than 44 million visits to downtown Victoria last year. How did all those visitors find their way there?

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Scotiabank Lighthouse, 100 Yonge St., 5th Floor, Toronto ON, M5C 2W1 File: 2706252 The McNaughton Group Douglas Ad

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LET TE R FROM THE EDITOR

2006

2026

Small business is anything but

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THE IDEA OF SMALL MIGHT SOUND MODEST, limited or safe. But spend any time talking to the people behind a small business in our community and you will find that “small” rarely means any of those things. There is nothing modest about putting your time, money and reputation on the line. There is nothing safe about opening a storefront in an economy under pressure or a neighbourhood that is facing its own challenges. And there is nothing limited about the ambition it takes to build something from the ground up. The past year has been a challenging one: costs have risen, finding and keeping good people has become harder and the way people consume continues to change. At the same time, safety concerns and new threats have made operating a business feel more difficult and less predictable. But people are still doing it. They are opening their doors in new neighbourhoods, hiring their first employee or finding ways to keep the people they already have. They are partnering with other local businesses or associations and updating their products and services to better serve their customers or Every new business appeal to new ones. They are discovering new represents a belief gaps to fill and new reasons for people to walk through the door. in the community. That is worth recognizing. In that spirit, nominations for Douglas An entrepreneur magazine’s 10 to Watch awards open this who hires another month (see page 9 to nominate a business). employee is creating The awards recognize new businesses and that deserve your attention. opportunity. entrepreneurs Their vision, determination and optimism bring new energy to our city. That gives us another reason to cheer for the home team. Every new business represents a belief in the community. An entrepreneur who hires another employee is creating opportunity. When a business adapts, changes course or finds a new market, it is helping to keep our economy moving. A small business may start with one person, one idea or one storefront, but its impact can be global. There’s nothing small about that.

— Tammy Schuster Douglas Editor editor@douglasmagazine.com

NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN! Nominate Vancouver Island’s best new businesses. For over 15 years, this prestigious award has provided the publicity and “rocket fuel” that startups (three years old or less) need in those critical early years of enterprise. Nominate your own business or a business you think is worth watching.

WHY ENTER THE 10 TO WATCH AWARDS? High-Impact Exposure: Award winners are featured in Douglas, Victoria’s premier business magazine. Broad Media Reach: Winners gain valuable coverage in print, online and across social media. Connections & Recognition: Winners are honoured on stage at the 2027 Douglas magazine 10 to Watch Awards and gain exclusive opportunities to connect with South Island business leaders, influencers and decision-makers.

Scan the code to nominate the best new businesses on Vancouver Island

Nominations are open until Nov 8, 2026 *To be eligible, businesses must be three years old or younger. There is no cost to apply for or participate in the 10 to Watch Awards program.

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VOLUME 20 NUMBER 5 PUBLISHERS Lise Gyorkos,

Georgina Camilleri

EDITOR IN CHIEF Joanne Sasvari DOUGLAS EDITOR Tammy Schuster ASSISTANT EDITOR Lionel Wild DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Jeffrey Bosdet LEAD GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kelly Hamilton ASSOCIATE GRAPHIC DESIGNER Janice Hildybrant ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS Deana Brown, Jennifer Dean Van Tol, Brenda Knapik

ADVERTISING CO-ORDINATOR Rebecca Juetten DIGITAL MEDIA SPECIALIST Lauren Ingle EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Julien Johnston-Brew FINANCIAL ANALYST Allison Villacis CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Carolyn Camilleri, Andrew Findlay,

David Lennam, Mia Maki, Robyn Quinn, Clemens Rettich

CONTRIBUTING AGENCIES Getty Images p. 39, 48, 62 CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Trevor Ball, Jenn Dykstra, Paul Fearn,

Geoff Howe, Vince Klassen, Deniz Merdano, Dave SIlver

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ADVERTISING INQUIRIES marketinginfo@douglasmagazine.com ONLINE douglasmagazine.com FACEBOOK DouglasMagazineVictoria LINKEDIN Douglas Magazine Victoria INSTAGRAM @douglas_magazine COVER A McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet Photo by Paul Fearn/Piemags Published by PAGE ONE PUBLISHING 580 Ardersier Road, Victoria, B.C. V8Z 1C7 T: 250.595.7243 E: info@pageonepublishing.ca pageonepublishing.ca Printed in Canada by Dollco Print Solutions Group Ideas and opinions expressed within this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Page One Publishing Inc. or its affiliates; no official endorsement should be inferred. The publisher does not assume any responsibility for the contents of any advertisement and any and all representations or warranties made in such advertising are those of the advertiser and not the publisher. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, in all or part, in any form — printed or electronic — without the express written permission of the publisher. The publisher cannot be held responsible for unsolicited manuscripts and photographs. Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #41295544 Undeliverable mail should be directed to Page One Publishing Inc. 580 Ardersier Road, Victoria, B.C. V8Z 1C7 Douglas magazine is a registered trademark of Page One Publishing Inc.

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D O U G L AS

IN THE KNOW

LASTING LURES Island sport fishing pioneer has hooked generations with unique lures. BY LIONEL WILD | PHOTO BY JEFFREY BOSDET CONTINUED ON P. 14

Buzz Bomb Tackle lures – from the Zzinger to the Spinnow, the Zelda Jig and the iconic, original Buzz Bomb – are crafted at the longstanding factory in Courtenay.

It’s the lure that revolutionized sport fishing in this part of the world — and it got its start, and is still at heart, on the Island. More than 60 years since Rex Field invented, perfected and marketed the Buzz Bomb lure to local anglers from his Courtenay home, a small, locally owned factory is still producing a wide variety of lures for recreational fishers around the world. “We’re still 100-per-cent made in Courtenay. We have had the same factory since 1982 or ’83,” says Buzz Bomb Tackle president and owner Tim Dolden. “We still do everything here.” West Vancouver native Dolden, 52, and his wife Gaia bought the business from Doug Field, son of founder Rex, 10 years ago. The duo and a staff of five employ the same timehonoured principles to produce a variety of lures — the Zzinger, Spinnow, Zelda Jig as well as the iconic Buzz Bomb — that changed the way sport fishing is done. “Doug really put a lot of purpose into finding what we call trigger colours, or colours that would attract the big fish. And then through that, the colours and sizes developed,” says Dolden. Even more than the colours, its rotation and vibration are key in Buzz Bombs lures’ success. The lures are balanced to rotate downward horizontally and, as they spin, to emit a unique hydrosonic vibration and buzzing sound, all of which mimic a stunned bait fish. “What happens is when a predatory fish, pretty much every fish, sees something wounded, it thinks of that as a meal and attacks it. And so that’s why on the packaging, and in reality, it catches all fish,” says Dolden. “The entry price of buzz bombing is between $5 and $10. And if you go right out in front of Pedder Bay right now, or Sooke, and you drop a Buzz Bomb, you’re almost guaranteed in an afternoon to catch a salmon. That’s a $150 fish, and you spent 10 bucks on a lure.” 14

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CULLEN GRUMMITT & ROE

IN THE KNOW

Strengthening local supply chains and getting goods to foreign markets from regional terminals like the Port of Nanaimo’s Duke Point will take time, say trade experts.

Trade Off Raises Stakes at Home As Canada’s trading relationship with the U.S. shifts, businesses look for new opportunities in our own backyard. BY TAMMY SCHUSTER

he Canada-U.S. trade war has put the country on edge. But for Greater Victoria, the disruption could also create an opportunity to strengthen the local economy and capture a growing wave of defence-related investment. The economic relationship that has tied Canada and the U.S. together for decades is being tested, and businesses are bracing for the fallout. “What we’re hearing from people who own and run businesses is deep concern about uncertainty, rising costs and how quickly these pressures are stacking up,”

says John Wilson, CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce. “A 50-per-cent tariff creates real challenges for people already operating on thin margins.” Wilson says the provincial government should focus on the costs it can control, including reducing red tape, improving access to new markets and avoiding new costs for businesses already under pressure. “This is not the time to make it more expensive for people to operate, invest or grow in B.C.,” he says. Aaron Stone, CEO of South Island Prosperity

Partnership, says the region’s economic makeup offers some protection from the direct effect of tariffs. “Thankfully, Greater Victoria is less exposed than many regions due to our employment mix leaning so heavily toward the public sector and services,” he says. But Stone sees this as an opportunity to strengthen local supply chains and position the region to benefit from increased defence spending. “The most obvious biggrowth opportunity is in the level of defence and related investment coming to the

— John Wilson, CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce

region — infrastructure, facilities, vessels, housing,” he says. “The level to which we benefit from all of this investment is directly connected to the degree to which we’re able to capture it locally.” But building new markets and supply chains will take time to develop, says Adel Guitouni, a University of Victoria professor of management sciences, operations research and decision support systems. He sees the tariff dispute as exposing longer-term weaknesses in Canada’s economy. “Diversification has sometimes been discussed as though markets can be switched quickly, when in reality it requires years of supply-chain investment, infrastructure and market development,” says Guitouni. “Canada also needs much greater attention to productivity, affected workers and communities and the reconfiguration of supply chains.” For Victoria, the bigger opportunity may be making changes that will last beyond the current trade dispute. “The broader lesson is that resilience comes from having options,” says Guitouni.

SURFRIDER FOUNDATION CANADA

“A 50-per-cent tariff creates real challenges for people already operating on thin margins.”

TRUST TOUTS $45 MILLION IN NEW INVESTMENT Thirty-two projects fuel growth across Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast. The Island Coastal Economic Trust has released its “2025–26 Impact Report”, highlighting more than $45 million in new investment generated through strategic projects across Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast. The trust approved 32 projects during the past year, committing $2.24 million and leveraging more than $20 in additional investment for every dollar invested. Funding supported business startups, acquisitions, community infrastructure and other development initiatives. Featured projects include ReSurf Recycling, Mount Cain Alpine Park Society, a hydroponic farming business by Huu-ay-aht First Nations, an expansion of the Salt Spring Island Air Facility and a fibre farm at Persephone Brewing in partnership with the Sunshine Coast Arts Council. Since its creation in 2006, the trust says it has approved 514 projects and invested more than $68 million, helping facilitate $406.5 million in economic development across Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and other island and inlet communities. “This year’s Impact Report reflects the strength of what can be achieved when communities, First Nations, local governments,

Ucluelet’s ReSurf Recycling is a surf gear repair and recycling hub.

businesses and the province work together toward regional priorities,” says Duncan Mayor Michelle Staples, chair of Island Coastal Economic Trust. “Our investments continue to drive innovative projects and regional growth — but this is also a defining year. As we work with the province, First Nations and local governments to modernize the Trust, we’re making sure we’re working for our communities to keep this vital, community-led economic institution for generations to come.” The report measures the impact of investment in terms of economic prosperity, social empowerment, climate resilience and cultural vitality. The report also highlights efforts to modernize the trust through new provincial legislation. An independent evaluation affirmed the trust’s value but warned that without strategic investment, it will be dissolved by 2028. To read the full report, visit islandcoastaltrust.ca

BC workers see AI as inevitable They’re ready for it, but say the workplace is lagging. British Columbians are the most convinced in Canada that AI adoption at work is happening, but many say their workplaces aren’t keeping up. New data published by TD show 83 per cent of B.C. workers who use artificial intelligence believe workplace adoption is inevitable, the highest rate in Canada. Yet 57 per cent say their workplace is lagging on AI adoption, and only 34 per cent say they have

received adequate AI training from their employer. Despite the gap, B.C. workers appear confident in their own ability to keep pace, with 63 per cent saying AI gives them a competitive edge while only 25 per cent admit to exaggerating their AI skills — the lowest rate in Canada. The numbers suggest that B.C. workers aren’t waiting for AI to arrive, but many employers are still catching up.

BRITISH 77% OFCOLUMBIANS

rated their own AI skills as a “C” or lower

BRITISH 85% OFCOLUMBIANS

think companies should provide retraining programs for workers affected by AI Source: TD AI Insights

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IN THE KNOW

RECRUITING RAMPS UP Employers plan to increase hiring before the end of 2026. Canadian employers are gearing up to hire, with nearly six in 10 planning to increase hiring in the second half of 2026, according to Robert Half research based on a survey of more than 1,360 Canadian hiring managers. Of those polled, 58 per cent said they plan to increase permanent hiring during the second half of the year and 45 per cent expect to hire contract professionals to access specialized expertise and support priority initiatives. The legal sector leads hiring demand at 74 per cent, followed by marketing and creative (66 per cent), human resources (64

6/10

CANADIAN EMPLOYERS

PLAN TO INCREASE HIRING IN THE SECOND HALF OF 2026

WHAT SECTORS ARE HIRING?

74% LEGAL & 66% MARKETING CREATIVE 64% HUMAN RESOURCES

& ACCOUNTING 58% FINANCE 48% TECHNOLOGY & 41% ADMINISTRATION CUSTOMER SUPPORT Source: Robert Half

per cent), finance and accounting (58 per cent), technology (48 per cent) and administrative and customer support (41 per cent). But finding the right people remains a major hurdle. More than half (53 per cent) of hiring managers say that finding qualified talent has become more difficult. Skill shortages have already taken their toll with 56 per cent of those surveyed reporting project delays over the past year, while 48 per cent have cancelled

projects because they lacked the necessary expertise. The hardest skills to find include technical or specialized skills (48 per cent), industryspecific knowledge or experience (47 per cent) and leadership abilities (41 per cent). To close these gaps, 37 per cent of hiring managers polled say they are hiring “high-potential” candidates and investing in their development, while 56 per cent say they are turning to staffing firms for specialized talent.

students back in classes, take the opportunity CORPORATE With to expand your own business knowledge with these CALENDAR professional learning and connection opportunities. OCTOBER 5 - 8 Victoria Conference Centre Cando Conference The Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers’ 32nd annual conference provides learning opportunities to grow economic development skills within Indigenous communities or organizations. The conference features women in business and national youth panels, a trade and artisan show as well as the the Economic Developer of the Year Award announcement. edo.ca OCTOBER 7 University Farquhar Auditorium TEDxVictoria In an era that calls for never-ending splitsecond decisions, this year’s series focuses on the potential of the unknown to improve problem solving for the future. Expect a day of bold ideas, new perspectives and thoughtful conversations from a variety of speakers, both from the Island and beyond, to spark meaningful connections. tedxvictoria.ca OCTOBER 20 - 22 Vancouver Island Conference Centre Vancouver Island Economic Alliance Summit This 20th annual gathering connects local leaders, entrepreneurs and changemakers to explore Vancouver Island’s economic landscape via keynotes, panel discussions and networking

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sessions. Participants will engage with regional challenges and opportunities while fostering collaboration to build a more prosperous and resilient future for Vancouver Island. vieasummit.ca OCTOBER 27 Victoria Conference Centre Small Business Summit In honour of Small Business Month, the City of Victoria offers this professional development opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs, small and home-based business owners, startups and anyone looking to expand their professional network within the region. Summit attendees will gain valuable, local-focused information via business presentations, facilitated networking opportunities, resource booths and more. victoria.ca/building-business/business-hub NOVEMBER 10 Inn at Laurel Point Ecostar Awards An annual recognition of organizations committed to environmental and social leadership and innovation across Vancouver Island and the Southern Gulf Islands. Awards are granted for 16 categories, including ecological stewardship, greenest retailer, experiential tourism and ecopreneur of the year. synergyfoundation.ca

NOVEMBER 14 Royal BC Museum Colourful Business This free-to-attend showcase of Victoria’s Indigenous, Black and immigrant entrepreneurs aims to tear down barriers, improve public visibility and support social and economic inclusion for local small and medium businesses. The expo, made possible by a regional network of community partners, is complete with live entertainment. colourfulbusiness.ca NOVEMBER 26 + 27 Victoria Conference Centre First Responders’ Mental Health Conference This Western Canada iteration of Wounded Warriors Canada’s annual conference provides public safety representatives the opportunity to network and learn practices to apply to research, training, organizational support as well as individual and familybased care. Workshop topics include clinical and operational approaches, findings from correctional services studies, community occupational therapy and more. frmhc.ca/ western For more business event listings, sign up for our twice-monthly Douglas Insider newsletter. newsletter.douglasmagazine.com

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I N C O N V E R S AT I O N

Fiona Wilson

THE HEAT IS ON

More officers, a stronger police presence, a new training academy and a culture of change are defining Fiona Wilson’s first year as Victoria’s chief of police.

BY DAVID LENNAM | PHOTO BY JEFFREY BOSDET

fter almost three decades with the Vancouver police, Fiona Wilson crossed the Salish Sea in late August 2025 to take over as chief of the Victoria Police Department, the first woman to be named the city’s top cop. Wilson arrived with a plan and immediately dedicated herself to implementing change. “It’s been seven days a week for sure,” she says. “I’ve loved every minute of it.” Those changes were buoyed when Victoria and Esquimalt boosted VicPD’s budget, allowing her to hire an unprecedented 20 new officers and start a two-year pilot project of an in-house training academy. The academy eliminates VicPD’s reliance on the Justice Institute, where only six to eight seats are available for new recruits. The 52-year-old Wilson grew up in Surrey and carved out a long and decorated career with the Vancouver Police Department, rising to deputy chief and leading groundbreaking research with a 2007 report, “Lost in Transition”, that drove the expansion of mental health response units. Chief Wilson candidly fields questions about an almost $90-million budget, changing the culture of the force, the suggestion that police are becoming overly militaristic (“I don’t think there’s a lot of tolerance for that here

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in Victoria/Esquimalt”) and, expectedly, the chronic shortfall of officers.

Douglas: How did you start addressing the necessity of bolstering the numbers in the force right away?

Wilson: The biggest challenge for VicPD

when I landed was understanding how underresourced they had been for well over a decade and I saw addressing that in three separate parts. The first would be securing an increase for authorized strength through the budget process, the second would be ensuring that we have enough people applying to VicPD to fill those positions and the third would be having capacity to train them.

Douglas: Typically, you’re at the whim of

the Justice Institute in New Westminster for training new recruits. How did you manage to internalize your own training and education and move that to Victoria?

Wilson: We got permission to host our own

police academy. We have our first class starting September 14 and we’re putting 16 recruits through. This academy not only gives us the numbers we need, but it keeps those recruits in the community, and they are training and serving in the community right from day one.

My understanding is, here in Victoria for many years, there was not that footpatrol presence and I cannot think of a community more well suited for foot patrol than Victoria.

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Douglas: Homelessness, drugs and street crime are major concerns in downtown. What do we do next?

Wilson: I think what we can’t do is take

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Douglas: What do you say to quell the disappointment of downtown business owners?

Wilson: I’ve had the opportunity to meet

This is where Victoria comes to sweat, cool off, and slow down.

with a whole pile of business owners, groups and associations, and one thing I always say is to keep calling because there tends to be a drop-off where there’s just fatigue. People stop calling, especially if they don’t get an immediate or adequate response. And we really desperately need the support at VicPD to increase our numbers. The only reason I was able to deploy a foot patrol unit is because we got that lift of 20 officers for 2026. … We’re also bringing back a crime reduction unit that will hit the streets in the fall. That’ll be a team of eight people, plainclothes and they will be dealing with street-level disorder [like drug trafficking and retail theft].

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our foot off the gas in terms of some of the initiatives we’ve been rolling out in co-operation with the City of Victoria’s Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan. So, more visible presence, foot patrol, building those relationships in the community – with business owners, residents, those who work downtown, people who use drugs, the homeless. My understanding is, here in Victoria for many years, there was not that foot-patrol presence and I cannot think of a community more well suited for foot patrol than Victoria.

Douglas: In the past, there were concerns

about a toxic culture within the VicPD. Did you come in thinking you were going to change that?

Wilson: I’ve been a cop for three decades

and there’s no question that, in any organization that was initially built by men to protect the interests of men in society, you are going to have remnants of that and certainly in policing. One of the things I’ve been very clear about from the day I landed here at VicPD is that I will absolutely support my members, even at times when they make mistakes, as long as they’re acting in good faith and they are doing their very best. However, I’ve made it very clear and I’ve told anyone who will listen in this department, that I will not tolerate behaviour that

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contributes to a sexualized workplace or off-duty behaviour that is sexually inappropriate.

Douglas: The VicPD signed on to 30

Wirk Consulting partners with you to pursue your most exciting opportunities and address your most pressing challenges.

Forward, a national movement focused on achieving 30 per cent representation of women in policing by 2030. How important is it?

Wilson: Study after study after study shows that when you have 30 per cent of women present in a workforce, that is what changes culture. And it happens simply by virtue of the numbers. We’re at just over 26 per cent and working to get those numbers up.

Strategy

Douglas: We have four municipal police

Governance

Stakeholder Engagement Facilitation Executive Coaching Succession Planning

forces in Greater Victoria, plus RCMP detachments. Is amalgamation of police forces an answer to better policing?

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Wilson: It is absolutely essential and

necessary here on the South Island. We have a number of integrated units that are like a Band-Aid. Because we don’t have amalgamation you may have seen recently VicPD withdrew from the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit. They were doing our homicides. When we withdrew, people said to me, “Chief, this is a step away from amalgamation.” I see it as exactly the opposite. Integration is not amalgamation. Integrated units are needed because we don’t have amalgamation. They are not ideal. I think that VicPD, Saanich, Central Saanich, Oak Bay should absolutely be looking at amalgamation. Having said that, we’ve been talking about amalgamation in this province for over 50 years. Are we going to move the dial on this? I am not prepared to continue to support Band-Aids.

BUILT FOR WHEREVER YOU’RE HEADED

Douglas: Is the first priority always connection to the community?

Wilson: Absolutely. Having said that, we’re

rolling out a whole new strategic plan. I think you’ll see that there is a reflection of the innovative, progressive approach to policing that, quite frankly, the community allows us to take. One of the reasons I was drawn to VicPD is because we are able to do policing in a different way here and I feel like the community expects us to be connected to them and be a part of them and not police them, but work with them to secure public safety. And I love that about Victoria/Esquimalt.

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Leo Graceffo, manager of Artavi Skate and Snow on Johnson Street, says he sees people from all walks of life trying to shoplift from his store, not just people who are unhoused or experiencing mental health challenges.

THE TWO SIDES

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OF DOWNTOWN BY ANDREW FINDLAY | PHOTOS BY JEFFREY BOSDET

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Despite downtown’s challenges, Victoria’s urban core is showing signs

of resilience and renewed investment.

The line suddenly goes dead. A few minutes later Leo Graceffo, manager of Artavi Skate and Snow, calls back with an explanation. Mid-interview, he dropped the phone to pursue a young woman dressed in a pink tracksuit and mirrored sunglasses who had brazenly strolled out the door with a $150 skateboard deck under her arm. He got the board back, quickly and without a struggle. But leaving the store unattended to confront a shoplifter is not a split-second decision to be taken lightly. “I wouldn’t have done that if it was a big guy or someone sketched out,” Graceffo says, “and I was only out of the store for around 45 seconds.”

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The casual recounting of this morning mini-drama reflects a retail reality and the fact that it’s not Graceffo’s first rodeo. As Artavi’s store manager for the past five years and the owner/resident of a small Johnson Street apartment, he’s seen and heard it all: shoplifting, vandalism, open drug use and alcohol, and yelling in the streets. In early August, the Downtown Victoria Business Association (DVBA) released its annual report that gives the city a C-plus as a place to do business. A generous reader might call it a good news report for a business district that makes local headlines more for crime, public disorder, traffic congestion and parking headaches.

Meat & Bread, a popular hot-sandwich shop, returns to Victoria at the corner of Broad and View streets. Nicholas Schneiter, vice president of operations at Fox & Crane Restaurant Group, is pictured at the shop’s soft launch in September.

A MIXED REPORT CARD

There are some positive indicators in the DVBA report. Commercial vacancy rates dropped from 11 per cent in 2024 to 9.6 per cent in 2025, new business licences were up slightly from 2,626 to 2,631, and roughly 32 per cent of survey respondents reported improved business performance, a notable year-over-year increase of eight per cent. Furthermore, nearly 42 per cent of businesses said they planned to renew their commercial leases in 2026, a modest jump of two percentage points from the previous year. However, perennial pain points remain for business owners who list open drug use, property damage and vandalism as well as poor traffic flow as top problems. Perhaps most telling — and troubling — are the nearly two-thirds of business owners who said increased bylaw enforcement and police presence, though positive, has not made a noticeable difference. “The data for this year’s report definitely showed that people are more optimistic and feeling better about downtown,” says longtime association CEO Jeff Bray. “Hotels are under construction, businesses are opening. That’s a positive.” Bray welcomes recent changes in law-and-order legislation. The federal government’s Bail and Sentencing Reform Act enacts stricter bail laws and tougher sentencing for violent and repeat offenders. Similarly, the provincial government’s chronic property offending intervention initiative targets nearly 900 known individuals with repeat involvement in violent, property and public disorder offences, and aims to “help reduce street disorder and crimes targeting local businesses throughout B.C.,” according to a government press release. Bray also supports the City of Victoria’s $10.35-million investment in its Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan, implemented in 2025, that saw the hiring of 12 new bylaw officers and an increased Feet on the Street team. As part of the plan, the Victoria Police Department received $1.9 million in January 2026 that enabled the force to reboot the Beat Team, a relationship-based policing model aimed at building trust between police officers and Victoria’s street community (the team had been idle since 2022).

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BALANCING BUSINESS AND SOCIAL NEEDS

Bray says much work remains for downtown and the list of concerns is long. The provincial government’s refusal to mandate a return to office for civil servants since the COVID-19 pandemic continues to leave up to 150,000 square feet of taxpayer-funded office space vacant and is

R D F G R O U P. C A 2 5 0 . 3 8 3 . 9 8 6 6 S U P P O R T @ R D F G R O U P. C A

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Erin Boggs, a fourth-generation co-owner of Robinson’s Outdoor Store, says increased bylaw enforcement and police patrols are helping improve conditions downtown.

depriving businesses of core coffee break and lunchtime foot traffic. Bray believes the city should pump the brakes on dedicating more asphalt to bike lanes until traffic flow and parking headaches are addressed. A perennial point of controversy is the downtown concentration of services for the unhoused, drug addicted and urban poor, among them Our Place Society on Pandora Avenue and AVI Health and Community Services on Johnson Street. It’s putting a disproportionate social burden and cost on downtown business owners and their customers, according to Bray. “Why is the commercial district the best place for these services? I walked to work this morning and saw 15 people doing drugs in the back alley,” he says, adding that it’s time to seek alternative locations for these services. Other Capital Regional District communities have stepped up on the social service front. In the past two years, the District of Saanich and the Town of Sidney both approved extreme weather shelters. However, a redistribution of Victoria’s nonprofit operated service organizations would likely be a tough sell for the city’s municipal neighbours. Julian Daly, CEO of Our Place Society, hears this argument a lot and says he understands why many people are at the end of their tethers with downtown social issues that can at times seem intractable. He knows that open drug use is concerning and frightening for citizens, but says 26

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it’s feeding a false narrative that public disorder is a product of Our Place Society and other service organizations. “We didn’t create the need. We are meeting the need,” Daly says. “The idea that moving these services somewhere else will return Victoria to some halcyon era is frankly naïve. We give shelter to 500 people a night, serve more than 1,200 meals every day and have around 50 people in treatment and recovery. If we close our doors, most of those people will be back on the street.” Daly has seen a decline in open drug use on Pandora Avenue with the return of VicPD’s Beat Team, and that’s a win. So, too, are the personal victories he witnesses at Our Place when someone gets off the street and into shelter, treatment and eventually back into employment. Those are “beacons of hope,” he says. However, on a macro level, Daly says the needle is moving very slowly.

TWO VERSIONS OF DOWNTOWN

It’s hard to square these negatives with the glowing reviews that tourists give Victoria. If readers of the luxury travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler can be trusted, visitors love this city. In 2025, for the third consecutive year, more than 750,000 of them tapped Victoria for the Readers’ Choice award as the world’s best small city thanks to a walkable waterfront, diverse farm-to-table dining, First Nations heritage, historic architecture and gorgeous seaside setting. Despite downtown’s challenges, longtime

businesses and newcomers continue to invest in its future. Since 2025, many new businesses have opened in the area, including clothing retailer Key Vintage, home décor store Credo 75 and Vancouver-based denim brand DUER, which moved into a Johnson Street space formerly occupied by Lululemon. And this summer, Montreal-based real estate company Leyad acquired the Bay Centre, which could revitalize the nearly 40-yearold, 420,000-square-foot mall where vacant storefronts have become increasingly noticeable. Small business is the heart and soul of downtown, and is proving resilient and stoic in the face of the community’s social challenges, the tragic toxic drug crisis and plight of the unhoused. In May 2025, Artavi Skate and Snow, which first opened in 2013, moved from Quadra Street to a larger space on lower Johnson Street. Artavi’s Graceffo calls it a good move marked by a dip in shoplifting, more foot traffic and an uptick in sales. “You know homeless people just need a place to sleep and some clothing. I have a lot of great interactions so I’m sympathetic to them,” says Graceffo, adding that he hasn’t noticed a big difference in the streets, despite increased police foot patrols and bylaw officer presence. “You still get people blowing crystal meth smoke in your face. I don’t know what the solution is.” Twenty-two-year-old Saanich resident Brady O’Neill, cofounder of Key Vintage on Johnson Street, says he and his two business partners Gideon Aspler and Daniel Whelon had their eyes wide open when they signed a lease for a 400-square-foot Johnson Street space for their vintage clothing store more than a year ago. Barely out of his teens, O’Neill worked at Victoria Vintage and ran pop-up stores with Aspler prior to going it alone with Key Vintage. They were no strangers to shoplifting and the city core’s social challenges. O’Neill calls it a cost of doing business. To be fair, theft is not just a Victoria problem. In a 2025 study, the Retail Council of Canada found that more than threequarters of retailers reported an increase in violent theft-related incidents and that repeat offenders accounted for almost 18 per cent of these incidents. When you pile shoplifting on top of troubling personal encounters and vandalism (the shop’s wooden sign has been stolen and recovered twice) it can test the resolve of even the most empathetic person. Despite this, after more than a year, the young entrepreneurs behind Key Vintage have no regrets. O’Neill says business is good and growing, and they’ve had no problems paying their bills and a $6,000-per-month lease.

O’Neill calls the downtown social issues “mostly just sad.” “I feel like we have to take justice into our own hands sometimes. I don’t judge people, and I never get physical or threaten. Sometimes we will give people clothes,” he says. “I had one guy ask me if I was willing to die over a shirt that he was trying to steal, and of course the answer was ‘No.’ ”

A COMPLEX PROBLEM

Robinson’s Outdoor Store is the definition of downtown Victoria longevity. The store opened its doors in 1929, on the eve of the Great Depression, and has been a bedrock family-run downtown retailer ever since. Erin Boggs, the fourth generation of the family to manage the business, says up to 90 per cent of their customers are Greater Victoria residents. She calls Robinson’s a “destination,” even for people who wouldn’t otherwise venture downtown. She became a DVBA board member to better understand the community’s social and business challenges and says downtown is moving in the right direction with increased bylaw and police patrols. “But there’s only so much the city can do,” she says over the phone from their Broad Street location, a block and a half away from troubled Pandora Avenue. Boggs knows there’s no magic-bullet solution. Most people agree that addressing affordability, addiction, mental health and crime will require funding and multipronged commitment from all levels of governments — municipal, provincial and federal. Another fact most people agree on is that, so far, real progress has moved at a glacial pace. Victoria is not alone. In a June 2026 media release, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities says record breaking homelessness “signals a broken social safety net” that is undermining investor confidence in downtowns across Canada. The organization is calling on the feds to invest $3.5 billion toward cutting homelessness in half by 2030. It’s not just about economics. As Our Place Society’s Daly says, it’s also a human tragedy unfolding on the sidewalks and streets and he realizes how hard that is for businesses on a daily basis. Boggs says having a team of staff and support behind her makes all the difference. That’s why she feels for downtown sole proprietors and owneroperators who have to face some of these difficult challenges alone, whether it’s cleaning up feces in the morning or confronting a shoplifter high on drugs. Even if patience wears thin at times, compassion for the suffering on streets is almost a prerequisite for doing business in the heart of the provincial capital. “I have to say, not all encounters I have

with unhoused people are negative,” says Boggs. “I was cleaning our entrance the other day after someone had slept there overnight and they asked if she could help sweep up.”

DOWNTOWN’S REALITY

There’s a lot to love about downtown Victoria: the heritage architecture, the walkable and bikeable waterfront, the funky boutiques and vintage shops, the restaurants and cafes, and the salty smell of sea in the air. But if you’re immersed in the inner city grind every day, worried about what you’ll

find and see when you go to work in the morning, pondering the safety and security of staff and customers, at times it can feel like five square city blocks of mayhem. Still, Boggs says downtown is home for Robinson’s. “We’ll never move our location. We have vandalism, we have bars on our windows and I wish that wasn’t the case,” she says. “But the positives outweigh the negatives. I just want our community to feel safe coming downtown.”

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BUSINESS PROFILE

DP World’s Salish Sea Gateway facility adjacent to its Vancouver terminal.

DP WORLD SALISH SEA GATEWAY Building a Stronger Trade Connection for Vancouver Island

or Vancouver Island, efficient goods movement is more than a logistics concern. It supports local business growth, connects producers with customers and strengthens the Island’s access to domestic and international markets. As the regional economy evolves, the infrastructure supporting it must evolve as well. At Duke Point in Nanaimo, DP World is investing $120 million to expand terminal capacity and strengthen Nanaimo’s role as a trade link between Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and global markets. The project is expected to triple terminal capacity by 2027, supporting both short-sea shipping and direct international service. That added capacity is particularly important for an Island economy without a fixed link to the mainland. Marine transportation is a core part of the region’s economic infrastructure, serving manufacturers, exporters, construction firms, forestry operations and other

trade-dependent industries that rely on predictable access to supply chains. The benefits are expected to extend beyond the terminal itself. According to a recent Port of Nanaimo economic-impact study, the Duke Point expansion is projected to generate 734 jobs, $232 million in economic output, $108 million in GDP and $54 million in labour income. The figures illustrate how trade infrastructure can do more than respond to growth; it can help create the conditions for it. The expansion also supports a broader shift toward more resilient, multimodal supply chains. This includes DP World’s Salish Sea Gateway, a new dedicated short sea shipping terminal adjacent to DP World’s Vancouver terminal. Due to start operations in the fourth quarter of this year, it will further strengthen coastal freight connections between DP World’s expanded Nanaimo terminal and the Lower Mainland, giving businesses an alternative to truck-

and-ferry routes by moving containers by water. This can add freight capacity, reduce pressure on road networks, and support more efficient goods movement. Sustainability is also part of the Nanaimo project’s design. Plans include replacing the existing diesel-powered quay crane with two fully electric cranes, alongside other upgrades intended to improve efficiency as cargo volumes grow. The project is advancing through a long-term partnership involving DP World, the Port of Nanaimo, Snuneymuxw First Nation and government partners. That collaboration reflects the wider role trade infrastructure can play when it is developed alongside the communities and businesses it serves. For Vancouver Island, the Duke Point expansion represents an investment in stronger market access, more resilient goods movement and the long-term competitiveness of Island businesses.

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BUSINESS PROFILE

David Webb, founder and president (third from left), with the Westcom team.

WESTCOM Why Managed IT Beats Break-Fix

fter many years working in IT, David Webb made a clear observation: “Most business owners underestimate how much time goes into chasing vendors until someone else takes it over. There are tons of businesses on Vancouver Island that don’t need a bigger IT budget, they just need a smarter one.” That’s why David founded Westcom, Victoria’s leading full-service IT partner, in 2018. Westcom is a managed service provider (MSP). Says David, “For most small to mid-sized businesses on Vancouver Island, an MSP is the stronger choice. You get access to a full team covering helpdesk, security, networking and strategic planning at a cost well below a single full-time IT salary.” Break-fix means paying to repair damage after it has already stopped your business, whereas managed IT keeps your systems

maintained, monitored and updated so most problems are caught before they cause downtime. Beyond the reliability difference, managed IT also gives you predictable monthly costs instead of unpredictable repair bills. The team at Westcom will build a custom quote based on your team size and needs, because hourly billing turns IT into a guessing game: by the time the invoice arrives, something unexpected has been added and your budget takes another hit. Most clients also find that unexpected outages drop significantly once proactive monitoring is in place, since issues get addressed at the source rather than after they’ve disrupted the workday. Another way Westcom helps clients avoid unexpected or unnecessary costs is through cloud services. Cloud services replace large upfront hardware purchases with predictable monthly costs, removing

the need to buy, maintain and eventually replace physical servers. Businesses also stop carrying the cost of hardware that sits underused, since cloud resources scale to what is actually needed. For most small to mid-sized businesses on Vancouver Island, the shift from capital expenses to operational costs is one of the most immediate financial benefits of moving to the cloud. On-premise hardware doesn’t warn you before it fails, so replacements, upgrades and failures all arrive as surprise expenses. “When hardware fails, recovery takes days your business doesn’t have,” says David. “The cloud instead turns that into one number you can plan around.” To date, the team at Westcom has 25-plus years of combined experience, 100-plus clients and 1,000-plus managed endpoints. See for yourself what predictable IT support looks like by booking a free consultation with Westcom.

612 Boleskine Road | westcom.it | 778-401-6160

BUILDING PATHWAYS TO

CANADA’S DEFENCE SUPPLY CHAIN BY ROBYN QUINN | RESEARCH BY JEANNETTE ALLAN

Halifax class frigate HMCS Montreal departs Bodø Norway in exercise Formidable Shield as part of Operation Reassurance in the North Sea. 30

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anada is about to spend more on defence than it has in generations. For most people, that might sound like a story about warships and fighter jets. But for small- and medium-sized businesses on Vancouver Island, it could mean the biggest opportunity in decades. Welcome to Canada’s new and improved defence industry. If you’ve been paying attention to the ongoing news about our country’s failing grade on our North Atlantic Treaty Organization obligations, you know decisions were made to fix that situation — and at a speed never before seen at this level of policy or procurement. With CFB Esquimalt, CFB Comox and a growing network of marine, aerospace and technology companies already in place, Vancouver Island is unusually well positioned to benefit from this new strategy.

CORPORAL MORGAN LEBLANC

Canada’s new military defence strategy is creating unexpected opportunities for Vancouver Island businesses — and they don’t need to be submarine builders.

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JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

Pictured at Titan Boats in Sidney, Alex Rueben, executive director of the Association of British Columbia Defence and Marine Industries, says Canada’s defence industrial strategy “presents a tidal wave of opportunity for our businesses.”

We may be an island, but we host two military bases and they provide ideal user testing. Victoria is the headquarters for our Canadian Pacific Fleet, largely operating below the radar. Despite the Armed Forces being underfunded for decades, the base still represents an impressive contribution to the local economy. Being home base to a dozen new submarines, once they’re built, will generate millions in Greater Victoria beyond direct defence contracts. The eventual successful bid to build those submarines was ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and they have an established domestic subsidiary based in Saanich. This facility handles high-tech maritime solutions and will be integral to the delivery and engineering of systems for the new fleet. Drive four hours up-Island and Comox Air Force Base ramps up its own contributions to the Island economy, with $96 million in construction planned and using new technology to support Arctic sovereignty. What’s changed? And how do small-

Non-Dilutive Capital: R&D Without Losing Control

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and medium-sized enterprises (SME) on Vancouver Island position themselves to benefit?

Getting Defence Ready

We aren’t ready, but we can be. According to Canadian defence analysts and business leaders, our country finally met NATO’s defence spending requirement of two per cent of GDP in 2026. Hitting two per cent is the political threshold; the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) and the way it is being delivered on the ground through PacifiCan and the Defence Investment Agency (DIA) are where it becomes tangible for local businesses. DIA manages major procurements over $100 million, several of which directly impact Vancouver Island because of its role as a strategic naval hub and the rapidly expanding aerospace and tech sectors. Procurement is happening at a speed we’ve never seen before thanks to the ambitious goals of the long-awaited DIS announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney in March 2026. There is national

Landing a final federal contract might be the ultimate goal, but Island innovators are learning that surviving the journey requires a completely different financial strategy: securing grants and non-dilutive funding. For an agile SME, giving up equity to venture capitalists too early can dilute control and strip away long-term profits (intellectual property).

optimism about opportunities for SMEs to meet urgent needs of the Canadian Armed Forces (which now includes the Canadian Coast Guard). On the West Coast, PacifiCan is quietly becoming the matchmaker, helping Vancouver Island companies turn good ideas into actual defenceready capabilities instead of watching opportunity sail past them in a frigate headed out of Esquimalt.

What is a Dual-Use Opportunity?

Dual-Use refers to taking a product or service a business already sells to civilian customers and adapting it for the defence industry, using its expertise to serve both markets. In this way a company doesn’t have to abandon its existing business. Get used to hearing this catch-all term as everyone on the Island, from seasoned technical trainers to someone who measures fish sounds, understands the potential windfall and discovers they don’t have to navigate Ottawa alone. PacifiCan’s regional teams are already walking Island owners through what it

Instead, successful dual-use companies use government grants to fund their initial R&D and absorb the heavy cybersecurity compliance costs required by the military. By stacking non-dilutive programs like the National Research CouncilIndustrial Research Assistance Program, the B.C. Integrated Marketplace or federal IDEaS grants, local businesses can build, test

and validate their technology on the government’s dime. Using this strategy keeps their equity intact, stabilizes cash flow and extends their runway so they don’t run out of money before the final defence contract crosses the finish line. Business Development Bank of Canada has just launched a defence-specific financing platform as well.

takes to plug into defence supply chains, without abandoning the commercial customers that kept them alive in the lean years. According to Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), “Dual-use is fundamentally a business strategy, selling similar core technology, goods, services or software into defence and commercial markets.” Along with advisory services, BDC is closing a gap for small businesses that want to work with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). It delivers the critical capital they need to scale and stay solvent while they develop defence ideas and solutions.

Modernizing Defence Procurement

Timing is everything. No one knows that better than Alex Rueben, executive director of the Association of British Columbia Defence and Marine Industries (ABCDMI). Originally focused on mobilizing and raising awareness around the marine sector’s economic impact, ABCDMI expanded its name and mandate to include defence in 2026. That move proved well timed as Canada places renewed focus on sovereignty and defence. Rueben is passionate about what has changed and why it matters. “We now have a comprehensive Defence Industrial Strategy and a Defence Investment Agency that will pursue a build/partner/ buy procurement strategy focused on the Canadian defence industrial base. All of this presents a tidal wave of opportunity for our businesses.” But turning that opportunity into contracts hasn’t been easy for Canada. In reality, Canadian firms have rarely served as the prime contractor on major defence projects. Instead, foreign “primes” win the work and Canada relies on Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITBs) to make sure some of that value is reinvested here. ITBs require non-Canadian companies awarded eligible defence contracts to undertake business activity in Canada equal to the value of the contract — but the approval process has traditionally taken a long time. For SMEs, those delays can stall projects for months or years and make it hard to plan, hire or invest with any confidence.

New Rules, New Opportunities

The creation of the Defence Investment Agency in 2026 as a unified procurement authority marks the most significant modernization of the ITB policy in years. Timelines are faster, support is real. The DIA introduced a strict 90-day approval standard for ITB decisions to provide fast, predictable timelines for contractors and small businesses.

The reforms are already producing results. Meet Parksville-based Cota Aviation, a SME Vancouver Island prime contractor — not something expected through the old procurement channels. Working with defence dual-use consultant Scott Dewis, Cota CEO Kyle Kusznieryk successfully presented as a prime contractor for a naval project. Cota, as a prime, secured a lucrative contract using global defence company Babcock as one of its subcontractors on a galley improvement project. Cota Aviation is an anomaly, but an inspiring one. In the future, will local firms navigate the new procurement process and dual-use opportunities to become primes instead of low-margin subcontractors? That’s the hope. Kusznieryk is cautiously optimistic. Military procurement has historically been very difficult for Canadian SMEs and he expects progress to take time. He explained they still look to exports, but hopes “Canada will get better at supporting our own industry.” When asked for advice for new companies aiming for a similar win, Kusznieryk says: “Adjust your expectations; confirm who you are, raise your profile, keep meeting people and accept it’s going to take two or three times longer than you hoped for!” Ultimately there are impressive supply chain opportunities supporting primes. But as one seasoned subcontractor shared anonymously, “If you see an RFP, you already missed the chance. You need to be seen.”

Building Together

After 31 years in the navy, including five years as maritime operations chief at NORAD in Colorado Springs, Kurt Salchert sees a rare opportunity for Vancouver Island businesses in the dual-use and defence landscape. Now based in North Saanich, Salchert runs Beyond the Border Consulting and wants local SMEs to see themselves in bigger roles in the national push to build Canada’s sovereignty. “We need to think innovatively,” he says. “How do we connect SMEs to defence funding and contracts?” Salchert is particularly enthusiastic about a consortium called Team Vancouver Island. The plan is to gather leaders in manufacturing along with local government, Indigenous communities and SMEs to showcase the Island’s capabilities and raise its profile at key events like Canadian Security, or CANSEC, the country’s annual global defence and security trade show. This group has the potential to create the

Where to Start if You’re Defence‑Curious Going it alone isn’t smart. For Vancouver Island SMEs, there are practical entry points into the defence and dual‑use conversation and sometimes it’s just as useful to discover defence may not be a fit for every business. PACIFICAN – DEFENCE & ITB TEAM The regional development agency helps B.C. firms plug into defence and marine supply chains under the Defence Industrial Strategy and the Regional Defence Investment Initiative. vancouver.island.coast@pacifican.gc.ca PACIFICAN – RDII (REGIONAL DEFENCE INVESTMENT INITIATIVE) Defence‑focused repayable funding for commercialization, technology development, productivity upgrades and supply‑chain integration, up to 75 per cent of eligible project costs for B.C. companies. pacifican.RDII‑IRID@pacifican.gc.ca INDEPENDENT ADVISERS AND TRAINERS Local consultants (including communications and media‑training specialists) who understand Vancouver Island business culture and offer direct experience can help firms translate “defence‑speak” into practical strategy: assessing dual‑use potential, building a credible defence story and preparing leadership teams to show up in this space without tripping reputational landmines.

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Victoria-based Aluula Composites (above) makes ultralight, ultra-strong polyethylene composite fabrics that can be used in soldiers’ operational uniforms. As a prime contractor, Parksville-based Cota Aviation (right) is showing the way for other Vancouver Island businesses in defence.

Steps to Procurement While each procurement varies depending on the contract, the process follows a structured and increasingly transparent pathway. AT A HIGH LEVEL, COMPANIES CAN EXPECT TO: •

•

Identify opportunities through platforms like CanadaBuys

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Engage early through industry consultations and events

•

Submit bids in response to formal requirements

Recognizing that the system has historically been complex, the DIA says they are making efforts focused on simplifying participation through clearer guidance, better communication of upcoming opportunities and enhanced support services. The DIA is also working toward a more integrated, “singlewindow” interface so businesses can more easily navigate defence procurement. For information on how your business can bid for defence contracts in Canada, visit canadabuys.canada.ca to register and find open tenders.

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right ecosystem and help SMEs navigate the Defence Investment Agency procurement process. “We are the gateway to AsiaPacific, the world is on our doorstep, but that value isn’t being championed or communicated,” he says. Salchert believes Team Vancouver Island will guide SMEs. “We will help them avoid managing the complex DND procurement process while trying to maintain day-to-day operations. That’s a death spiral for small businesses without lining up the capital they need to scale. Good advisers can stop that from happening.” Some Island companies are already demonstrating what the future could look like. Sidney-based EMCS Industries invented anti-corrosion and anti-marine growth coating used around the world, and positioned itself as the best supplier. Its 24/7 global service gives it an edge over competitors. Executive chairman Trevor Tasker wants the Canadian defence industry to see just how strong Vancouver Island’s supplier base is and recognize the quality those companies bring to Canada’s defence ecosystem. Hanwha Ocean (South Korea) recently signed a memorandum of understanding with EMCS. Tasker says relationships like this — with one of the world’s largest builders of ships and submarines — provide economic impact beyond his own business. “Although 90 per cent of our business is outside Canada, we manufacture here. We are 100-per-cent Canadian owned and recognize this huge opportunity to grow through defence dual-use focus,” he says.

His advice to companies who want to enter this market as a Canadian SME is blunt. “Just because you’re a small Canadian or Vancouver Island company, don’t expect to win. You need to be super competitive. Be their first choice because you’re the best.”

From Innovation to Service

Some Vancouver Island companies are successfully plugged in through the legacy defence procurement system, but many promising technologies have struggled to move from innovation to long-term contract. The new, revamped process offers a rare opportunity to fix commercialization gaps and create a new generation of Islandbased defence suppliers. RaceRocks CEO Anita Pawluk leads an Indigenous-owned, woman-led training technology company with over a decade of experience in the defence sector. “We have delivered more than $20 million in training systems for the Royal Canadian Navy and generated over $40 million in industrial technological benefits with major defence primes,” Pawluk told the House of Commons standing committee on science and research in May. Like most small enterprises, she sees gaps that must be addressed if we want to truly encourage sovereign capacity. To show how Indigenous-led SMEs come up short when real investment is needed, Pawluk highlighted one project: RaceRocks delivered a fast-boat fullmotion simulator with VR headset to

the Royal Canadian Navy through the Innovations Solutions Canada Testing Stream, a federal procurement program for prototypes from Canadian SMEs. The Navy, in turn, rated it five out of five stars; it was validated and is still in use today. As Pawluk explains, “The Navy had no procurement budget, and without a contract to purchase the technology, commercialization could not proceed. That’s not a technology gap; it is a systems design gap. And it is costing Canada the sovereign industrial capacity it is trying to build. Canada cannot meet its NATO commitments through large primes alone.”

Follow the Money

From his office in Spain, defence procurement consultant Vincent Marmion helps Canadian firms build relationships with European defence companies that want to enter the Canadian market. He sees two near-term opportunities for Vancouver Island SMEs: construction and technology. The federal government has committed $96 million for substantial infrastructure work directly at CFB Comox. Both CFB Esquimalt and Comox expect investment in base upgrades and retrofits, including new residential housing aimed at supporting an influx of personnel. That investment will create demand well beyond construction. Thousands of new military members recruited from across the country will require housing, training, uniforms, equipment and sites to carry out their duties — areas where local businesses may already have relevant expertise. Those construction and technology projects are only the first wave; Island SMEs that already build, wire and maintain physical infrastructure or technology-based systems should be scanning hard for where their skills fit next. Sometimes the best strategy is to become the preferred supplier for a prime. Victoria-based Aluula Composites developed revolutionary ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene composite fabrics. The company engineers ultra-light materials eight times stronger than steel by weight, without using heavy adhesives. Aluula is aggressively targeting Canadian and U.S. Special Forces for their elite operations. Their strategy relies on enduser word of mouth — operators who will demand this specific material. Sage Berryman, CEO and president, wishes there was more government

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support for small, innovative businesses, but believes that contracts with primes will help build their reputation in other countries. She is reaching out to potential partners in Canada, too. “Most of our revenue is generated outside Canada, but supply-chain sovereignty matters in the current geopolitical climate and I’m optimistic,” she says.

Trade. Jobs. Resilience.

Rooted on VancouverTrade. Island. Connected to the world. Jobs. Resilience. Rooted on Vancouver Island. Connected to the world.

$2.4 $2.4 BILLION BILLION BILLION

ECONOMIC OUTPUT (2025) ECONOMIC OUTPUT (2025)

The Island’sgateway gatewaytoto global ThePort PortofofNanaimo Nanaimo is is Vancouver Vancouver Island’s global trade, connecting Canadian businesses to international trade, connecting Canadian businesses to international markets infrastructure,multimodal multimodal marketsthrough through strategic strategic infrastructure, transportation networks, and responsible port development. transportation networks, and responsible port development.

2025 IMPACT 2025 ECONOMIC ECONOMIC IMPACT

GDP GDP

Jobs Jobs

8,073 $1,138M 8,073 $1,138M

Wages Wages

$557M $557M

Access the full Economic Access the Impact Study

full Economic Impact Study

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Ottawa is fundamentally changing how it buys technology to ensure domestic innovators aren’t squeezed out by global giants. As consultant Dewis points out, this moment presents a rare opportunity for local businesses building commercially relevant technology and expanded services to “win alongside, not just in, defence” by embedding themselves directly into public supply chains. Ottawa is fundamentally changing how it buys technology to ensure domestic innovators aren’t squeezed out by global giants.

Coding the Defence Fabric

Simultaneously, Vancouver Island’s tech sector is uniquely positioned to answer the call for innovation. The modern military depends on data, making predictive maintenance, drone analytics, remote sensing and cyber resilience foundational needs. Crucially, the DIA is moving away from massive, monolithic tech contracts to engage smaller, more nimble developers and founders. For a tech firm in Victoria, Courtenay or Nanaimo, an AI-based equipment repair tool, civilian data-tracking platform or remote sensor may have applications far beyond the commercial market; it can become a strategic asset for Arctic sovereignty and military surveillance. Regional SMEs can build a resilient, dualrevenue business model that spans civilian and defence applications. Construction and technology are just the beginning; smart Island SMEs will treat today’s projects as a signal to start mapping where they plug in next. For Vancouver Island’s innovators, the real question isn’t whether defence is ready for them — it’s whether they are ready to pursue the opportunities emerging in Canada’s new defence economy.

DOUGLAS SPECIAL SECTION

meetings +retreats

What are attendees looking for from corporate meetings today? We look at the latest event trends, the experiences people remember (and how to deliver them), plus the details that make a difference, like finding the right emcee. We have the ideas to get your planning started.

38 Meeting Trends 44 The Guest Experience 48 Finding an Emcee for your Event

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Trend Watch MEETING EDITION

Turn your next meeting into an experience using the latest tips and trends. BY CAROLYN CAMILLERI With technology settling into place as tools to make tasks more efficient and experiences richer, the focus is back on humans — how they show up, how they feel and how they connect. Trend reports are peppered with phrases like “building worlds,” “designing journeys” and “audience first,” and with the support of technology, meeting attendees are more engaged than ever. That’s a good thing, because audiences — and their expectations — have changed.

MOVING FROM BROADCAST TO PARTICIPATION

GAMIFICATION AS AN ENGAGEMENT BOOSTER

A shift in the way speakers deliver content is underway, and it is happening because the audiences have changed. Traditional presentations are “stage at the front” with a scripted program delivered to a seated audience. Communication is one way with minimal interruption and deviation. It’s a format that signals power dynamics. However, today’s audiences live in a participation culture and their expectations are different. Physical presence does not guarantee focus. “Gen Z grew up in a world where attention is currency and everything competes for it,” says Attitude/C blogger Henri-Léonard Fabien. “Notifications interrupt. Feeds refresh endlessly. Short-form video resets stimulation every few seconds. Their attention is not passive. It is trained to evaluate, filter and move on. This does not mean they cannot focus. It means they refuse to waste it.” This is not a rejection of in-person experiences, but rather a redefinition in favour of connection and engagement. “What they reject is wasted time, forced formality and experiences that feel performative instead of participatory.”

Let’s face it: attending meetings means absorbing a lot of new information and understanding changing processes or structures. It can be intense. Counter that intensity with low-stakes challenges as a way to keep people alert and interested. Not everyone is comfortable with games where you are on the spot or (yikes!) on stage. Establish psychological safety so attendees are on equal footing and less anxious about public displays. For example, ice-breaker games and quizzes allow people to participate using their phones. Use real-time digital polls, progress trackers and leaderboards and provide immediate feedback and rewards. Gamification is everywhere and being incorporated into individual meeting sessions (live polls, quizzes, puzzles, bingo) or the entire event (challenges for attending exhibitor booths or sessions, contributing to a social media wall or a photo contest, completing surveys and networking). Reward success with badges and prizes.

THINK IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES In keeping with the connection and participation theme, trends are leaning heavily toward meetings that are not just attended but experienced, lived and felt. “Audiences aren’t passive anymore — they’re participants, co-creators and sometimes even the main character,” says Alex Stonall for U.K.-based First Event. “We’re heading into a world where events stop looking like ‘programs’ and start feeling like living environments.” For example, holographic setups for remote speakers rather than flat video feeds, or ambient interfaces where walls become interactive touchpoints used as tools to make meetings better. “Event technology is quietly rewriting everything, not in a flashy tech for tech’s sake way, but in a way that makes experiences feel more human, not less.”

HUMAN INTERACTION IS BACK BUT IT’S DIFFERENT While AI and screens are part of the world we live in and that isn’t changing, the pendulum is swinging back in favour of in-person connection, but in a refined way. Boutique micro events, niche gatherings and curated experiences are replacing large, impersonal gatherings where attendees are expected to sit, listen and absorb information passively. Technology plays a supportive role with meeting apps that allow attendees to select their activities, connect with peers, arrange meetings and set schedules. Sessions may include holographic telepresence, augmented reality, interactive smart surfaces, personalized content, gamification and more — not as replacements for humans but to support interaction. And it’s all blended seamlessly with the human components, whether the audience and speakers are attending in-person or virtually.

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Instead of building an event budget based on past spending, base it on attendee expectation and the goal of your event. There is a difference between what matters to an executive audience and what matters to a sales team or customer base. Those differences affect food and beverage (healthy grab-and-go vs. full meals), how much printed material you need (especially if you have a conference app) and even décor. WEST COAST GIFT BASKETS

AI AS A TOOL While AI continues to be a hot topic in terms of privacy, information storage and the environment (AI data centres), there’s no question that AI is also being recognized for its usefulness. AI-driven mobile apps for conferences work like a personal concierge. “From the personalized recommendation of content for participants to the optimization of the user journey on platforms, [AI] allows the experience to be refined without replacing it,” says Attitude/C blogger Alexis Guillemette. “Concretely, AI can analyze profiles, interests and behaviours in real time to suggest targeted conferences, workshops or meetings, adapt notifications, streamline orientation on site and online or even adjust the digital scenography according to the key moments of the day. It does not replace our event strategies; it improves our proactivity and our organizational efficiency.” Behind the scenes, AI is very handy for managing registrations, forecasting flows, optimizing transport and catering as well as measuring the environmental footprint. Better decisions faster — who doesn’t like that? Of course, you do have to do your due diligence regarding privacy and personal information.

THE BUY LOCAL MOVEMENT IS STRONGER THAN EVER The buy local movement is not new, especially in B.C., but it is more important than ever with people reading the fine print on labels and getting a grasp of how big corporations work. Supporting local businesses and suppliers has become a movement that other countries have adopted because, well, you know why. Don’t be shy about labelling and let people know you are buying local because they are paying attention.

MICRO-OFFSITES ON THE RISE SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ARE STANDARD Zero-waste venues, local sourcing and carbon footprint tracking is expected from start to finish. So how do you share your sustainability efforts when everyone expects it? On a real-time dashboard that tracks resource waste, carbon footprints and energy use seamlessly while giving you a report to prove you met your targets. By the same token, social responsibility has become just as important. Partnering with a charity or community project could be about promotion, donations or volunteer opportunities.

Described as short, intentional meetings focused on a specific objective usually for 15 or fewer people, micro-offsites are becoming increasingly popular. Perfect for planning sessions, project kickoffs, brainstorming, training or onboarding, micro-offsites are shifting spending from large meetings for everyone to more frequent, smaller trips distributed across more than one department or team. This way, businesses can have in-person meetings and team-building activities but on a smaller scale and without the cost and complexity of a large gathering. “Rather than organizing a meeting because ‘it is time to get everyone together,’ microoffsites are tied to a clear need: a decision, a project, or a key relationship,” says travel writer Heather Singh.

WELLNESS BUILT RIGHT IN While the wellness trend is not new for meetings, what has changed is that it is no longer an option — it is integrated into the schedule. Now quiet/recovery rooms, psychological safety, midday resets and relaxation/decompression time are part of the event structure. This is part of larger trends where offline is balanced with screen time, attention spans are respected and being overly busy is recognized as the path to burnout. GEOFF HOWE PHOTOGRAPHY

Economic uncertainty, as well as rising fuel, hotel, food and beverage costs, are significantly affecting meeting budgets. While pressure is on the planner to meet a restricted budget, it’s also on attendees who also have to justify the expense of attending. In “Smarter Budgeting for Meetings and Events”, the authors offer a number of strategy tips for tightening budgets, and one that stands out is to understand your demographics.

M E E T I N G S + R E T R E AT S

TIGHTENING BUDGETS

MID-TIER DESTINATIONS CONTINUE TO IMPRESS While no one ever likes to think of their home city as anything but top tier when it comes to meetings, it is an advantage in these economically challenging times that Victoria isn’t Vancouver. Mid-tier destinations are considered more cost-effective than larger centres. The Victoria Conference Centre currently has a capacity of up to 2,000 delegates, and plans are under discussion to expand the facility and build new hotels. In the meantime, Victoria continues to be an excellent choice for smaller meetings and offers delegates an exceptional experience in a charming, walkable, year-round city with lots to see and do.

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One historic address. Endless ways to gather.

Make Your Next Meeting an Occasion Since 1879, the Union Club of British Columbia has welcomed Victoria’s business and social communities with timeless heritage, gracious hospitality, and a distinctly memorable setting. Just steps from the Inner Harbour, our versatile spaces make it easy to bring people together.

Central Location

22 Guest Rooms

In the heart of downtown Victoria, close to the Inner Harbour

Convenient overnight accommodation for meeting attendees and event guests

Flexible Meeting Spaces Three elegant meeting rooms accommodating groups from 10 to 60

Grand Ballroom From intimate gatherings to dinner and dance events for up to 200 guests

Onsite Catering Exceptional food and attentive service, from working lunches to catered celebrations

Inquiries: catering@unionclub.com 805 Gordon Street | unionclub.com 250 384 1151 | 1 800 808 2218

Event Planning Team Experienced professionals to help bring every detail together

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Heritage Atmosphere Beautiful period interiors and timeless character, equally suited to formal occasions and relaxed, casual gatherings

Something for Every Occasion Board meetings, corporate events, private dinners, staff parties, receptions, celebrations and more

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PLAN YOUR NEXT MEETING OR EVENT

Sally Chan | Director of Sales & Marketing sally.chan@westinbearmountain.com Kristina Alexander | Sales & Events Manager kristina.alexander@westinbearmountain.com

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THE WICKANINNISH INN Rustic Elegance on Nature’s Edge

erched between ancient temperate rainforest and the Pacific Ocean on Vancouver Island’s rugged west coast, the Wickaninnish Inn offers a meeting place far removed from the hurried rhythms of the city. Here, teams can step away from familiar surroundings, reconnect with one another, discover fresh perspectives and let ideas breathe. Located on Chesterman Beach in Tofino, British Columbia, the family-owned and operated Inn has welcomed guests for more than 30 years. Its intimate scale, thoughtful service and remarkable natural setting make it particularly well suited to executive retreats, leadership gatherings, incentive travel and small corporate groups seeking an experience with a genuine sense of place. Meetings unfold in spaces framed by ocean, forest and sky, with flexible

options for both focused discussion and more relaxed conversation. Beyond the meeting room, the surrounding landscape becomes part of the experience. A morning walk along Chesterman Beach, a guided excursion into Clayoquot Sound or time spent together around the table can offer as much opportunity for connection as the day’s formal agenda. Dining is an integral part of any gathering at the Wickaninnish Inn. The Pointe Restaurant celebrates the ingredients and character of coastal British Columbia, with menus shaped by the seasons and relationships with local growers, fishers and producers. From working lunches to celebratory dinners and private culinary experiences, meals provide a natural opportunity for teams to gather and connect.

500 Osprey Lane, Tofino | wickinn.com | 250-725-3100

Groups can also incorporate restorative time at Ancient Cedars Spa, explore the coastline by bicycle, wander nearby rainforest trails or simply leave room in the itinerary to experience the changing weather and wild beauty for which Tofino is known. With 75 guest rooms, all with views of the Pacific Ocean or Chesterman Beach, a collection of intimate meeting and event spaces, and a team experienced in tailoring gatherings to the needs of each group, the Wickaninnish Inn offers an alternative to the conventional corporate retreat. It is a place to gather with intention, exchange ideas and celebrate achievements — then return home with fresh perspective, stronger connections and the lingering reminder that sometimes stepping away is what brings everything into focus.

TREVOR BALL

M E E T I N G S + R E T R E AT S

Guest Experience The

A successful corporate event goes beyond what happens on the schedule, and hospitality has become a much bigger part of the corporate event experience. Ample food and adequately sized venues are no longer enough. Guests remember the atmosphere, the welcome they receive, the food, entertainment and unexpected touches. These hospitality details can have just as much impact as the formal business content.

White Rabbit Media brings its projection mapping artistry to recent VIATEC Awards at the Victoria Conference Centre.

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From food and entertainment to venue and vibe, the hospitality touches that are changing corporate events.

PHOTOS THIS PAGE: GEOFF HOWE PHOTOGRAPHY

M E E T I N G S + R E T R E AT S

FOOD AS A FEATURE Food is more than a logistical requirement. It is one of the most visible (and highly anticipated) parts of an event, and choice is important. Interactive food stations, live cooking, chef interactions, tasting menus and tableside preparation can turn the dinner rush into an experience of its own. People also care about quality ingredients, locally sourced products and thoughtful presentation. Create a signature cocktail for your walk-up bar or include craft cocktails, local wines or spirits and creative mocktails on your menu. Invite a local brewery or distillery to become part of the event and add some local interest. Non-alcoholic options are equally important, particularly when they are treated as a feature rather than an afterthought.

ENTERTAIN WITH PURPOSE Entertainment remains an important part of corporate hospitality. Inviting live artists, musicians, comedians

and immersive performers can create moments that guests experience together rather than simply watching from a distance. A magician wandering through the crowd or a circus performance can add something unexpected and fun. The right entertainment creates energy in the room and becomes one of the moments guests will remember.

CREATE A VIBE A great event can be undermined by an uninspiring environment. Lighting, music, furniture, decor, table settings and even the way guests move through the space all contribute to how an event feels. A welcome cocktail reception will require a very different atmosphere from a formal dinner, just as a lively launch event will call for a different energy than an intimate fireside chat. The environment should support the mood the host wants to create.

THE RIGHT VENUE Where an event takes place can have just as much impact as what happened

inside. Unique restaurants, galleries, historic buildings, rooftops, private clubs and outdoor spaces can provide an atmosphere that a traditional conference room cannot. But don’t abandon the conference space yet. The benefit of a conference centre is that they are a convenient one-stop shop, with all amenities in house. Most venues have incorporated elements such as coordinated lighting, linens and decor that reflect a company’s branding or theme of the event. For events that bring people into the region, the venue can also help create a stronger connection to the destination. Incorporating local food, culture, entertainment and design can make the experience feel more distinctive.

DETAIL MATTERS Good corporate hospitality comes down to how an event makes people feel. Guests notice when an event has been carefully planned. They notice the quality of the food, the warm welcome, the comfort of the space and small details that make their day easier and enjoyable. D O U G L AS

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STRAIGHT TO THE POINT:

Meetings that get people talking. You come here to connect and to inspire. Inn at Laurel Point oﬀers one-of-a-kind meeting spaces that enhance team communication. With bright, open view rooms and connected break areas, our spaces facilitate productivity and relaxation at the same time - and don’t get us started on our homemade pastries. Plan to get them talking, today.

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Finding an

Emcee Event FOR YOUR

Where to look and what to look for when you need someone to keep the program moving and the audience engaged. You built the program, prepared the presentations, lined up the speakers, confirmed catering and even brought in an ice cream cart. All the major pieces are in place. Now you need the one person who can pull it all together, keep the energy moving and make the whole event feel seamless: your emcee. Finding one may sound simple: find someone who can talk, hand them a microphone and on with the show. But finding the right emcee is a big responsibility. You are looking for someone with the right mix of confidence, charisma and, perhaps most importantly, the ability to remain cool should something go sideways.

So Who Gets the Microphone? Finding an emcee is one thing. Finding the right one is another. Here’s what to consider before handing over the mic. Not everyone who loves a microphone should be given one. And someone who is excellent on a stage in one setting may not be right for your particular event. The person who can bring down the house at a comedy club might not be the best choice for a formal gala … or maybe they are.

MATCH THE MIC TO THE MOMENT

Hosting an awards ceremony may call for a different energy and set of responsibilities than hosting a community fundraiser. Think about your audience and what you want them to experience. A room full of business owners, a group of nonprofit volunteers and the crowd at a community celebration may all respond differently. The best emcees notice that.

READ THE ROOM

Think back to the last fun event you attended. The emcee knew when the audience needed a laugh, when to move things along and when to get out of the way. They could introduce a speaker without sounding like they were reading a set of instructions, they could make the audience laugh without turning the event into their own comedy special, and they knew enough people in the room to get away with some good-natured heckling. And they knew when to stop. The ability to pick up on signals in the room, step in and keep things moving is a skill that makes all the difference in your event.

WHEN IT HITS A SNAG

Because something always will. The microphone stops working, a speaker is 10 minutes late, a presentation

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won’t load or the AV team needs four minutes to fix a technical issue. The right emcee will fill the gap without the audience feeling like there is a gap. They can tell a story, engage the audience and roll with it until the problem is solved. Snafus happen, but the audience doesn’t need to watch them unfold.

WHERE TO LOOK

Before you hire a professional emcee, look at the people already in your community. Think about who you’ve seen hosting local events, who emceed that fundraiser last year or who hosted the last chamber event.

CHECK

Local business and nonprofit leaders, media personalities, educators, elected officials and community volunteers can all be great possibilities.

CONSIDER THE AUDIENCE

The right emcee should feel like they belong in the room. That doesn’t mean they have to be from the same industry or know everyone personally. But they should understand who they are talking to and have the personality and experience to connect with your audience. If you are hosting a conference for sales professionals, for example, an emcee with a background in sales may have a better understanding of your audience. They know the language, the challenges and probably a few of the jokes. That familiarity can make an audience feel like the emcee is one of them, and not just someone with a microphone and script. Ultimately, you are looking for an emcee you can trust with the room. One that is comfortable enough on stage to make everyone else feel comfortable. They can welcome a room, keep the program moving and adapt to any unexpected glitches. And most importantly, someone who knows when to give the microphone back.

ASK AROUND

Talk to people who work with emcees on a regular basis. They may know of someone who doesn’t formally promote themselves as an emcee but has become the person everyone calls when an event needs a host.

CHECK

Venue managers, event planners, nonprofit organizers, business associations, colleagues and people who regularly attend or organize local events can all be excellent sources.

SEARCH BEYOND YOUR CIRCLE

If your casual contacts aren’t turning up the right person or the popular emcee is already booked, broaden your search.

CHECK

Local media personalities like broadcasters or journalists, public speakers and entertainers may have the skills and intrigue you are looking for.

Meetings That Matter Host your next event at the Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour, featuring five flexible venues and over 5,000 sq. ft. of versatile event space. We provide the idyllic setting for conferences of up to 200 guests in our elegant Pacific Ballroom and executive retreats in our Humboldt Room, elevated by floor-to-ceiling windows and an abundance of natural light. Our tranquil Outdoor Terrace is perfect for cocktail receptions and networking events. All venues are pillarfree, spacious and fully-equipped, ensuring a seamless and memorable experience. 728 Humboldt Street, Victoria 250-480-3817 | sales@victoriamarriott.com victoriamarriott.com

Business with a better view Bring your next client lunch, leadership meeting or business dinner to Aura Waterfront Restaurant + Patio. Our private Cove and Inlet rooms offer an intimate setting for groups of up to 12, with thoughtful menus, attentive service and Inner Harbour views. The Inlet also features a 60″ flatscreen, making it ideal for presentations or collaborative discussions. When the conversation matters, choose a setting designed to bring people together. 680 Montreal Street | Inn at Laurel Point 250-414-6739 | info@aurarestaurantca aurarestaurant.ca

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the new TRAIL economy From fringe sport to community asset: How the mountain biking industry is helping Vancouver Island communities attract visitors and grow local businesses. BY ANDREW FINDLAY

he espresso machine is working overtime. In the shop next door, two mechanics are busy wrenching on bikes. Outside on this sunny, late summer day, the parking lot at the Jordie Lunn Bike Park and Gravity Zone is already full. Give a mountain biker a pencil and ask them to sketch their ideal suburban mountain bike park, and it could very well look like this. The bike park, a six-kilometre dirt and rock trail network that climbs and descends through 32 hectares of public and privately leased lands in Langford, features a jump line, pump track and skills park. The adjacent city-owned clubhouse leases space to Rhino Café, Broad Street Cycles, Cycling B.C. and Patrick Nolan Riding, a mountain bike coaching and guiding company. Yari Nielsen, Langford’s director of parks, recreation and facilities, credits successive

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Langford city councils for investing in and supporting recreation, as well as a funding model that puts a very small burden on property taxpayers. Development cost charges (onetime fees charged to developers to support community growth and infrastructure) pay for trail development while the city’s capital reserves financed construction of the parking lot and clubhouse. Taxes pay for maintenance of the Jordie Lunn Bike Park and Gravity Zone, which in 2026 was budgeted at a modest $189,000. Nielsen was a technician in the parks and recreation department when the city contracted Swiss-based Velosolutions in 2019 to build the asphalt pump track. That was the starting point. Langford then brought in dirt jump builder JD Parks, a company cofounded by Vancouver Island pro mountain bikers Darren Berrecloth and the

DENIZ MERDANO/BC BIKE RACE

Mountain biking contributes an estimated $300 million to British Columbia’s $4.8-billion adventure tourism economy. late Jordie Lunn, a Langford-born and raised Canadian downhill champion and free-riding legend who died in a 2019 crash while biking in Mexico. With the support of Lunn’s family, the city named the bike park in his honour. “Communities need to be willing to approach private landowners, regional park operators and the province to create leases and agreements for land and be willing to fund the ongoing maintenance from taxation or grants,” says Nielsen. In less than a decade, the City of Langford has turned this chunk of forest sandwiched between the burgeoning Westhills community and Mount Wells Regional Park into a recreation amenity that is the envy of other growing municipalities. It could just as easily have been clear cut, paved over and turned into another patch of suburbia.

A new model for recreation

Langford’s success reflects a larger story unfolding across the province, where mountain biking has become both a recreation amenity and an economic driver. Though Langford has yet to put numbers on annual visits to the Jordie Lunn Bike Park and Gravity Zone, the businesses located at the trailhead of the carefully conceived compact network of trails for all abilities and styles of mountain bikers reflect the evolution of the sport from a fringe activity for the few to a mainstream activity for the many. Mountain biking contributes an estimated $300 million to British Columbia’s $4.8-billion adventure tourism economy. More and more communities are catching on, following the lead of destinations like Squamish where mountain

A competitor guts it out on the B.C. Bike Race near Cumberland, a North Central Island village of 5,000 people that has hosted the annual event for years.

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VINCE KLASSEN

The Jordie Lunn Bike Park, named after the late Langford-born freeriding legend, is designed for riders of all ages and abilities.

bike visitor spending jumped from $9.9 million in 2016 to $26 million in 2023, according to a Larose Strategy and Research economic impact study. The same consulting firm also unpacked the numbers for Kamloops and found that mountain biking tourism poured $11 million into that Interior city’s local economy. These are the kinds of dollar figures that mountain biking advocates and related businesses can leverage to support trail development and trail access.

Measuring the Impact

THE B.C. BIKE RACE’S 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION WAS an ALL-VANCOUVER ISLAND AFFAIR, STARTING IN CUMBERLAND AND FINISHING IN THE COWICHAN VALLEY.

DENIZ MERDANO/BC BIKE RACE

While communities such as Squamish and Kamloops have research showing the sport’s economic impact, Vancouver Island has yet to conduct any similar comprehensive studies. But automatic trail counters, anecdotal evidence and some cursory industry scans suggest that the sport is making a significant contribution to local economies, as well as lifestyle. Mountain biking and cycling in general supports dozens of locally owned bike

shops and hundreds of bike sales and mechanic jobs. Greater Victoria alone has close to 50 bike-related shops, while the Comox Valley’s population of roughly 80,000 supports six bike shops, keeping them busy year round. Boutique gear businesses have sprouted up around the sport including Naked Bicycles & Design on Quadra Island, Forbidden Bike Company and NOBL Wheels in Cumberland, and Langford’s Full On Lighting, a high-end bike light maker that made Douglas magazine’s 10 to Watch list for 2026.

Registration day at this summer’s B.C. Bike Race in Cumberland.

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Growing the riding culture

Andreas Hestler knows the Vancouver Island mountain biking scene well. He grew up riding his bike in Victoria before becoming a bike courier in Vancouver. He went on to compete on the World Cup circuit for 13 years and raced in mountain biking’s Olympic debut at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. He’s been a longtime ambassador and athlete for bike maker Rocky Mountain Bicycles and cofounded the B.C. Bike Race, a seven-day mountain bike stage race that attracts competitors from around the world. When more than 500 B.C. Bike competitors, along with the staff and volunteers required to put on the event, roll through a town, it’s hard not to notice. Hestler and his business partner Dean Payne knew it was important to demonstrate that the B.C. Bike Race brought dollars and not just crowds and trail impacts to the communities it visited. A 2013 independent consultant’s report showed that the event generated $3.4 million in economic activity, two-thirds of which was channelled into host communities. This past summer, the B.C. Bike Race celebrated its 20th anniversary with an all-Vancouver Island edition. Hestler says the event needs two things to happen: good trails and local communities willing to have them. “Vancouver Island towns have grown and changed,” says Hestler. “Ladysmith is working on sanctioning trails. Nanaimo is incredible. The Cowichan Valley is getting deep into their cycling right now and how they can bring the Cowichan Valley to life for cycling, for gravel, for bikepacking, and for mountain biking. Then there’s Campbell River and the Snowden Forest trails.” Cumberland has hosted the B.C. Bike Race for years. Hestler calls this village of 5,000 residents the “shining example” of how cycling can help transform a raw resource community like Cumberland that languished for decades on the brink of

destitution in the post-coal mining boom era. While the Jordie Lunn Bike Park is an impressive example of municipal government recreation leadership, Cumberland shows what can happen when citizens lead.

Trail-powered transformation

With the current buzz of rider activity in Cumberland, it’s hard to imagine what the town was like just a few decades earlier. Martin Ready, owner and operator of the guiding company Island Mountain Rides, remembers driving from his hometown of Campbell River to Cumberland in the mid-1990s for a mountain bike race. The streets were cratered with potholes. Dunsmuir Avenue, running through town, was sandwiched between mostly vacant storefronts and century-old heritage homes in need of some love that were selling for under $60,000. However, Ready sensed something special among the small cadre of trail builders scratching out nonsanctioned trails in the privately owned forest surrounding a village as gritty as sandpaper. He was right. Today, Cumberland has a trail network of 200 kilometres and growing. The non-profit United Riders of Cumberland manages an official land access agreement with Mosaic Forest Management that has become a model for other communities wanting to navigate the complexities of working with private forest owners. On any given weekend or mid-week summer day, the Cumberland trailhead parking lot is full of vehicles with bike racks, an increasing number of them sporting licence plates from across Canada and the U.S. In the afternoons, Cumberland Brewing Company, across Dunsmuir Avenue and down the street from the Ridin’ Fool Hostel, overflows with thirsty riders. In 2009, Ready decided to turn a lifelong passion for mountain biking into a job and launched his company offering tours of the Cumberland trails, Hornby Island and Campbell River’s sprawling Snowden Forest network. His clients come from across Western Canada, the Pacific Northwest and European countries like Switzerland and Germany. “They know about Cumberland. They’ve done their research,” Ready says. “Cumberland is unique. It’s one of the only communities where the trails are literally minutes away from downtown.” The village’s booming mountain biking scene attracted both NOBL Wheels and Forbidden Bike Company to set up shop there. Surprisingly, Cumberland has never completed a full economic impact study. The only published numbers come from

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Cumberland’s multi-use trails start and finish literally steps and pedal strokes away from local businesses.

Cyclists enjoy a post-ride social at Cumberland Brewing Company. Village businesses are surrounded by a trail network of 200 kilometres and growing.

a 2026 provincial government-sponsored industry scan called the Mountain Biking B.C. Community Insights Survey that pegged annual trail visits at 10,000 and direct spending of $870,000. “That’s their estimation of visitors versus local. I think that number is inaccurate,” says Dougal Browne, executive director of the United Riders of Cumberland. According to Browne, trail counters at the network’s access points logged 340,000 uses in 2025.

Turning trails into tourism

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Cowichan Valley cycling advocates look toward Cumberland with some envy. It’s not because of a lack of trails. In fact, between the networks of Mount Tzouhalem, Maple Mountain, Mount Prevost and the Cowichan Valley Trail, part of the nationwide Trans Canada Trail, there’s a gold mine of cycling riches in the valley. Rick Martinson, president of the Cowichan Trail Stewardship Society (CTSS), is a late bloomer to mountain biking. He went on his first trail ride in his 60s after retiring from a career in accounting, mostly because he kept meeting other retirees who were avid riders. He has made numerous trips to ride the trails of Cumberland, often overnighting at the Riding Fool Hostel. “Yes, Cumberland is the model on Vancouver Island,” Martinson says. “But we also have amazing trails in the Cowichan Valley and you can ride them 12 months of the year.” The CTSS and Tourism Cowichan commissioned Vancouver Island University’s World Leisure Centre of Excellence to perform a trail use study asking who’s using the trails, where do they come from and what do they spend in the local economy? Last year, the researchers published the results of two months of trailhead surveys conducted in 2023. They found that 82 per cent of users come from the Cowichan region and the remainder from south of the Malahat. Trail users also highlighted the importance of trails in terms of public health and building community.

However, Martinson believes the Cowichan Valley is missing out on opportunities that Cumberland is capitalizing on. But comparing these communities isn’t a simple case of apples for apples. Cumberland’s multi-use trails start and finish literally steps and pedal strokes away from local businesses. The Cowichan’s distinct trail networks are dispersed throughout the valley and not always within easy pedalling distance. Still, when Martinson sees what mountain bikers are spending annually in places like Squamish, he thinks more cycling-friendly hotels and businesses could encourage visiting riders to stay and open their wallets. Brittany Taylor, a tourism development specialist with Tourism Cowichan, says there’s a lot of excitement and interest in growing mountain bike tourism. “In terms of a tourism product, it’s still early days,” she says.

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A thriving mountain bike economy

When it comes to mountain biking, there has always been an ethic of “build it and they will come.” Cumberland’s original grassroots trail builders scratched out trails for years in obscurity before anyone uttered the phrase “mountain bike tourism.” Now it’s a line item in tourism master plans. For Patrick Nolan, quitting his municipal government job managing programming for hockey rinks to start Nolan Riding in 2011 was a leap of faith. Now he supports his family, employs two full-time instructors year round along with a dozen part-time staff, and operates it all from the clubhouse at the Jordie Lunn Bike Park. On any given morning, the parking lot fills with vehicles carrying bikes, the cafe is busy fuelling riders with coffee and mechanics tune bikes for another day on the trails. The scene reflects just how far the mountain biking industry has come since Nolan launched his business 15 years ago. “To be honest, it has grown into something I never dreamed of.”

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BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

MANAGEMENT

INTEL

Mia Maki is an associate dean, faculty outreach, at the Gustavson School of Business at UVic; a professor of finance, accounting and entrepreneurship; and a principal at Quimper Consulting. Maki has helped raise over $50 million for international initiatives, including acquisitions, strategic partnerships and joint subsidiary creation projects.

The Strategy Behind Saying No For early entrepreneurs this can mean the loss of opportunity, so it’s important to assess when saying no is actually beneficial. I was startled by recent research on the power of saying no. Published in 2022, four sociology researchers set a target of saying no 100 times over the period of one year, documented each ask, each “no,” and how they felt about each rejection immediately afterwards, and again after some time had passed. The researchers found that these refusals resulted in zero negative professional consequences and allowed them to focus on meaningful tasks. With the benefit of time, they felt some guilt, but no regret. I wondered how this translates for business owners and entrepreneurs. I had a hypothesis: For entrepreneurs, saying “no” to opportunities is risky, a good way to lose opportunities and not as valuable as it was professionally to these researchers. To test this, I reached out to several entrepreneurs to get their perspectives.

The Early Days of Business – Yes

The consensus among the entrepreneurs is that defaulting to “yes” is a powerful and necessary strategy during the initial years of launching a business. In the early phases, entrepreneurs face massive uncertainty and do not yet know which ideas, markets or relationships will yield the highest returns. Saying “yes” is a discovery tool that increases the surface area of opportunity, helping founders test hypotheses, build a network and navigate what they “don’t know that they don’t know.” This open-door approach accelerates finding momentum and achieving product-market fit. “I think the real yes or no question sits one step earlier: Should this person be an entrepreneur at all?” says Rob Fraser, CEO of Outway. “If you dig honestly into most people’s motivation for starting a business, the answer is no. Most are chasing an idealized version of what entrepreneurship offers rather than the actual job, which is relentless problem-solving under uncertainty. The small group who genuinely have the gumption, and who are crystal clear on their North Star and desired outcome, default to yes in the early years. You don’t yet know what will compound, so the job is to generate enough signal to find out.”

The Transitioning Business – Strategic No

Once a business achieves product-market fit and

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establishes momentum, the strategy must flip from “yes” to “strategic no.” As a venture grows, the volume of opportunities can turn into destructive noise that dilutes focus. Operational maturity requires the discipline to filter out distractions so that scaling can be the focus, allowing the business to execute exceptionally well on fewer, higher-impact activities. Katie Gamble, CEO of Nature Bee, advises that as her company grew, “I realized that every ‘yes’ comes with a cost, whether it is time, money, energy or taking attention away from something more important. I now believe it is a good idea to say no when an opportunity does not align with your goals, values or current capacity. An opportunity can sound exciting and still not be the right opportunity for your business. Growth is not just about doing more; sometimes it comes from being disciplined enough to focus on fewer things and do them well.”

Frameworks for Evaluating Opportunities

As Gamble describes, she uses criteria, including goals, values and current capacity, to filter requests. Rob Bennett, COO at VIATEC, uses and advises entrepreneurs to use a three-part checklist to trigger a “no”: 1. If the request violates personal or corporate values; or, 2. If an unexplainable gut instinct warns against it; or, 3. If the concept remains confusing despite gathering outside advice. Ultimately, an opportunity can sound highly lucrative or exciting and still be the wrong move.

Tactic for Rejection Without Burning Bridges

But how do you say no? Linda Biggs, CEO at Joni, has some great advice. “It is important to remember, being kind is different than being nice. If you are more worried about upsetting people than not reaching your goals, you are going to burn out fast, or never get to where you want to go.” Biggs says she splits her time between herself, family, business and friends, and there is very little left over, so she needs to be certain that any “yes” aligns with her values and goals. “I don’t always get it right,

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“I now believe it is a good idea to say no when an opportunity does not align with your goals, values or current capacity. An opportunity can sound exciting and still not be the right opportunity for your business.” — Katie Gamble, CEO, Nature Bee.

but the more I practise, the better I get.” Expressing genuine appreciation, pointing out what would need to be true to say yes in the future, or referring the person to another contact, keeps the door open for future collaboration.

Mindset Shift Required

These perspectives illustrate that growing a business requires willingness and capacity to evolve psychologically from a predominant mindset of curiosity and “yes” to one of focus and curation, as the business matures. A business cannot scale if the founder is dedicated solely to the early-stage, essential habit of exploring opportunities. By grounding decisions in clear values, learning from the inevitable friction of bad commitments and mastering a respectful refusal, leaders can successfully grow their company. Far from a harbinger of an impending bureaucracy, a focus mindset ensures that you open the right doors, protect your time and drive scaling and impact for your business.

Running a successful business in Victoria brings unique challenges and opportunities. Our team lives and works in your community, so we understand what it takes to succeed here and wherever business takes you. Whether you’re growing, restructuring, or planning for the future, we’re here to support you from every angle. Let’s connect Scan the QR code to find a local advisor and learn how we can help.

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BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

TECHNOLOGY

INTEL

Clemens Rettich is an organizational consultant with Beaton Rettich Waters. Once and always a musician and an educator, he has spent over 30 years practising the art of management. Rettich also shares his passion for leadership and organizational behaviour with his students at the Peter. B. Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria.

Getting the right payoff from tech investments The real cost of technology isn’t the software. It’s the people, processes and systems you need to change around it. “That’s an easy configuration.” Those four words have cost businesses time, grief and money. You want to be more efficient, maybe automate some workflows. You’ve heard about a software package that looks like it could help, so you book a demo. Near the end of the call, when the “five minutes left in your meeting” timer has popped up, you ask the question that matters the most: “Does it handle our costing? We do it a bit differently.” The answer comes quickly and confidently, like the salesperson has answered it 300 times: “Absolutely. That’s an easy configuration.” So you take their word for it, sign the contract, pay for the setup, data migration and commit to the per-seat licensing fees. Nine months later the costing works. But the implementation took three times longer than promised and the whole project is 100 per cent over budget. You have no confidence your investment is going to pay off anytime soon, and your people are all but refusing to use the new system.

When technology gets complicated

Technology investments can pay off. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business surveyed 1,683 owners in 2025 and found that among those who put a number on it, every dollar spent on technology returned $1.60. For the businesses that integrated tools across all their core functions, that number is $2.40. But Oxford University professor Bent Flyvbjerg, who has measured the outcomes of large projects for decades, has a different number. The share that comes in on budget, on time and delivering what was promised is half of one per cent. How can both things be true? Does an investment in technology pay off or not? Two factors shape the answer. First, not all software is the same. There’s a huge difference between QuickBooks Online and an ERP system like Microsoft Dynamics or Epicor, or a $600,000 investment in robotics. The technologies referenced by the CFIB survey respondents are most likely at the lighter end. Second is what Erik Brynjolfsson, professor in the Department of Economics at Stanford University, calls the

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Productivity J-curve. Enterprise systems like ERPs pay off only if and after you have rebuilt almost everything around them (business processes, training, connected systems).

The real investment

For small- and medium-sized enterprises, that distinction shows up in two very different kinds of software investments: • The first is largely plug-and-play: accounting software, time tracking, cybersecurity, IT infrastructure or communication tools. • The other requires a BRD (business requirements document), an implementation partner and a long implementation arc. You sign a contract for seatbased licences. Someone (not you) has to translate your business requirements into the software’s capabilities. Go plug-and-play and the odds are with you. Almost anything is better than spreadsheets and shoeboxes of receipts. With configured systems and robotics the odds turn against you. Flyvbjerg’s half a per cent number starts to haunt the journey. That doesn’t need to be your story. The investments that determine the outcome are made long before you go live: who you trust, how early you involve your people, understanding how payoff actually happens and what needs to change in your organization for the technology to deliver. Getting the configuration right is just table stakes. Part of this is hard work, but it’s not complicated. Involve your people from the start; document your expectations meticulously; ask every annoying question you (collectively) can think of; get someone on your side who knows the space but is not paid to advocate for any one solution.

Making technology pay

Then there’s the stuff that the vendor won’t tell you about (because it’s expensive and complex). These are what Brynjolfsson calls complementary investments: process redesign, training, integration and rewriting your operations model, or how work moves through the building and the organization. Brynjolfsson’s J-curve maps the shape of those costs:

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Involve your people from the start; document your expectations meticulously; ask every annoying question you (collectively) can think of; get someone on your side who knows the space but is not paid to advocate for any one solution.

hundreds of hours of your people’s time, hours that come out of making, selling, processing and serving. Hours we rarely see on a budget. But get that part right and you climb out of the dip “up and to the right.” Get the right technology, the right scale, the right fit solving the right problems. Software licences are typically a quarter to a third of what these systems cost over five years. Budget roughly three times the licence for the complementary investments. There’s a bonus for many leaders reading this: complementary investment is where being small is an advantage. An MIT study of AI deployments in 2025 found the fastest mid-size firms scaling a successful pilot in about 90 days; large enterprises took nine months or longer. The advantage is the ability to get everyone in the room and coordinated early: smaller organizations can be both very inclusive and fast. Technology investments can pay off. We just need to understand that the investment is in so much more than a software licence.

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GREY AREA

The subtle suit that is trending for fall.

A classic business staple is making it past corporate headquarters and onto the runways. The grey suit was everywhere on the Fall 2026 runways. Not the grey of fluorescent office lights or expense reports and quarterly meetings. Rather, soft flannel greys, medium greys and charcoal with fine tailoring, oversized fits and interesting textures are turning a once-forgettable colour into the season’s most unexpected statement. For decades, the grey suit was the dependable understudy, second to black. It was the uniform for corporate sensibility that was reliable, respectable and a bit forgettable. Now it’s the coolest thing in the closet. Fall typically belongs to rich jewel tones, earthy browns, chunky knits and layers. This year, designers are embracing a different mood dominating collections in New York, Milan and Paris, arriving with softer construction, relaxed proportions and, above all, grey. Designers seem to be leaning into grey for its versatility and understated refinement. Grey doesn’t compete for attention, it’s merely the backdrop that gives everything around it permission to shine. A burgundy knit suddenly looks richer, a butter yellow tie feels more sophisticated and even a graphic tee feels intentional. In an industry built on constant reinvention, the colour of the moment isn’t the loudest in the room. It’s the shade that just does everything well. And it’s the season’s biggest fashion statement that spent decades trying not to be one.

TIE ONE ON KEEP IT CLASSIC: A black or charcoal tie is a sharp look that’s impossible to get wrong. For a monochromatic look, swap your white shirt for black. ADD TEXTURE, NOT NOISE: Instead of bold prints, look for subtle patterns like polka dots, small checks or herringbone. They add depth without being distracting. LIGHT GREY SUIT: Soft colours like silver, pale blue, butter yellow and blush pink all complement lighter shades of grey, creating a fresh, contemporary vibe. MEDIUM-GREY SUIT: Warm tones like coral, burnt orange or mustard yellow work well as the weather cools. DARK CHARCOAL SUIT: Jewel tones like emerald green, royal purple and sapphire blue pop against a dark suit. In spring, try pairing with soft lavender or icy blue options.

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The beauty of the grey suit is that it doesn’t compete. It acts as a neutral canvas that lets your tie and accessories steal the show.

WILDPLAY

OUT ON A LIMB Adventure-based team building that won’t always make you feel grounded. When you’re team building 30 feet above the forest floor, trust, communication and problem-solving become more than workplace buzzwords. For businesses looking to reconnect employees in a memorable way, WildPlay Element Parks’ team-building experience offers a different kind of company retreat. WildPlay, an outdoor adventure park company, offers team building via treetop obstacle courses, ziplines, bungy jumping, axe throwing and freefall jumps. Located in B.C. parks around Victoria, Nanaimo and Maple Ridge, the company works with groups using adventure-based activities designed to encourage collaboration and connection. Trading presentations and PowerPoints for hands-on challenges and adrenalin, it’s a team-building experience where the only thing getting suspended is the obstacle course. Fully harnessed team members may conquer unstable bridges, cargo nets, rope swings and ziplines from high above the ground. Each WildPlay experience is customized around what participants hope to achieve. Facilitators design activities to support those goals with longer sessions allowing teams to dig deeper, build skills and leave feeling engaged and energized. If your business is looking to shake things up and challenge your team, take to the trees and have some fun.

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SANDWICH REVIVAL JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

A fresh batch of shops turn the ho-hum handheld into a delicious showpiece. When it comes to lunch, Victoria has no shortage of options. But lately, the city has been rediscovering the simple pleasure of a great sandwich. The kind that requires both hands, a handful of napkins and maybe a pause to reflect after you take the first bite. A new wave of sandwich shops is showing that this humble lunchtime classic still has plenty to get excited about. Otto Sandwiches on Fort Street is stacking mortadella and muffuletta-style creations on soft focaccia bread and brioche buns, while Hero Sandwich Bar in Quadra Village serves an Italian-inspired approach to the sandwich stack. Meat & Bread has returned with a menu of freshly carved sandwiches including its signature piledhigh porchetta and flavour-packed buffalo chicken. So the next time you forget your lunch or meal prep goes sideways, instead of a sad desk salad join the renaissance and never be disappointed by a sandwich again. Otto Charcuterie turned a popular weekly sandwich pop-up last year into Otto Sandwiches shop on Fort Street.

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D I D YO U K N O W

HOW WE ROLL DOWNTOWN Every customer, employee and visitor starts their downtown experience in the same way: by getting there. Whether it’s by car, transit, bike or on foot, each trip represents an opportunity for the retailers, restaurants and services that help bring Victoria’s downtown core to life. Each commuter, and how he or she got there, also influences everything from parking and transit planning to how businesses connect with their customers. The Downtown Victoria Business Association’s 2026 Annual Report on Downtown found that more than 44 million visits were made to the city’s core in 2025. So how did all those people arrive? Source: Downtown Victoria Business Association

ANNUAL VISITS

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TRANSPORTATION SPLIT: Breaking down how 44 million-plus visits were made to downtown Victoria in 2025.

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Auto Passenger

Other

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Vehicle images for illustration purposes only. Retailers are free to set individual prices and charge administration fees, which may change the APR or the price of the vehicle. *Available at price based on the 2026 Volvo XC60 Mild Hybrid Core B5 with vehicle price of $61,395 and includes freight & PDI ($3,295). Doc ($495), environmental levy ($100), VSA levy ($10), tire levy ($32.50), PPSA (up to $155), registration, insurance and similar taxes levied on the manufacturer (if charged by the retailer) extra. See Volvo Cars Victoria for complete details. Offer ends December 31, 2026 and is subject to change or cancellation without notice. Features, specifications and equipment may vary in Canada. Visit volvocars.ca for more information on Canadian models and features. ©2026 Volvo Car Canada Ltd. Always remember to wear your seat belt. DL4891 #41497