For those who want to stay right up to date with what’s happening in the City on COVID-19, please join me daily on the City of Victoria’s Facebook page at 2:30pm. And please share this link and information with your friends and neighbours. We’re getting lots of emails with lots of questions and we’ll do our best to keep you and the media up to date with these live daily updates. I’ll also put the videos up here from now on. This video is my address from Friday. We’ll be back Monday at 2:30pm.
This morning, for the first time in a long time, 21 people woke up inside, in hotel rooms rented through Emergency Management BC. And when they did, there was a warm meal waiting for them from the Boxes of Hope Program.
I love this program and the innovative partnerships through which it was created. In the face of unprecedented challenges to their own businesses, several local Victoria restaurants, the Jawl Family Foundation, the Coalition to End Homelessness and the Downtown Victoria Business Association are pulling together to help others in need and to keep local restaurant kitchens open. And we need your help.
For every $10 you donate here you will be providing a warm healthy meal to someone in need, AND supporting our local restaurant community and helping to keep restaurant staff employed. We know there are many people in our community hit hard right now and who don’t have any funds to spare. We also know there are others who do. For those who can, please help us nourish Victorians one meal at a time.
Federal government news
On Friday the Prime Minister announced a new $40,000 loan for small business, interest free for one year, and up to $10,000 will be forgivable in some cases. In order to qualify, a business’s payroll must be between $50,000 and $1 million in 2019. This will help all businesses in Victoria, even really small ones – we’re so grateful to see this wide net cast. A lot of our businesses in Victoria are very small business. This loan also applies to non-profits of the same size.
Trudeau also announced a subsidy to cover 75% of wages for qualifying small and media businesses – this is up from the previously announced 10%. It’s great to see that the federal government is responsive to changing needs and to the advocacy of our very own Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Victoria Business Association and Destination Greater Victoria.
GST and HST payments as well as duties for small and medium sized businesses have been deferred to June. The federal government will announce more details of new small business plan on Monday.
Provincial government news
On Thursday the provincial government announced expanded BC 211 services. If you are a senior, you can call 211 to be matched with a service or with a volunteer who can help you get groceries, medications, and stay connected. If there is a senior in your life that could benefit from this service, please pass on this new 211 information line. If you want to volunteer to help with these efforts you can call 211 or visit the BC 211 website.
On Friday Dr. Bonnie Henry told us if we keep following her orders, keep up the social distancing measures, stay at home, wash our hands, we’ll flatten the curve. She is cautiously optimistic. Victorians, let’s make her proud! Keep going! What we’re doing is working. I know it’s hard, but we’re flattening curve.
News from the City
Effective immediately, all Development and Building Permit Applications for the City of Victoria can now be accepted online. I am so impressed by our planning staff department for making this transition so quickly. This includes rezonings, development permit, heritage alteration permit, temporary use permit, and variance applications as well as building, plumbing, electrical and sign permit applications. More information here. This online processing of application will not only help building in the city continue, it will also help tradespeople to keep their jobs.
Feedback from you!
I received an e-mail from a community member who has been watching my daily updates. She wrote in response to the 7pm challenge to get out there and cheer for our front-line workers every night. She says:
“Thank you for the challenge at 7 PM every night to make a ruckus in tribute of our Frontline workers. I live on Foul Bay Road. Tonight is the second night I went out and both nights I have heard at least one other home joining me in making noise. (All The passerby’s think I am a nut case). I have faith in all of us – our greater community in the days to come.
If I was not on long term disability, I would be also one of those front-line workers so I am going outside of my door every night at seven in tribute to my colleagues. I would give anything to be able to be working right now.”
Thanks for writing in and sharing your story!
Please do get outside at 7pm and keep cheering on all our front line workers. Please share your stories with us on the Facebook video where our daily video is posted. And please look after each other, and stay connected over the weekend.