1026 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

signal to the country? the signal is heard by the other 12 municipalities and they respond accordingly.

[Mike K.]

That’s not quite true. Sooke has established a shelter for its homeless population.

I’m not sure what the end game is for them, though. There doesn’t seem to be anything in the works.

[Mike K.]

The TC's article on the economics of the West Shore, and how the Greater Victoria Builders Association says the West Shore is booming on that front but the core isn't, appears to have struck a nerve at the South Island Prosperity Project going by several Twitter exchanges.

 

Dean Jantzen of Colwood wrote "Love this story! The Westshore will drive regional recovery post virus! Can’t remember last time I went downtown for anything, other than to walk the harbour. So exciting!!" - https://twitter.com/...6231222273?s=20

 

The response that followed from SIPP's Dallas Gislason was "There’s nothing exciting about the economic crisis we’re in. Many businesses and incomes are being impacted, regardless of how much construction we can spark. Recovery will need to be collaborative, region-wide and all-hands-on-deck."

 

I'm not too involved in the politics of various business organizations, like the chambers, SIPP, other economic groups and industry lobbyists, but this exchange struck me as noteworthy.

 

We have the West Shore firing on all cylinders, which I think if polled, most would say that's the result of a very different political outlook and agenda. And then you have SIPP, which is very much pro-Victoria/core saying the West Shore shouldn't get too excited by its advances because Victoria/core are experiencing economic woes.

 

Maybe I'm reading into this a little too much, but it feels like battle lines are being drawn by one side of the equation (the West Shore doesn't seem to care what the core does or doesn't do, it just plugs along and dances to its own tune).

 

Anyways, councillor Gordie Logan replied to Gislason: "No doubt about it Dallas. However, the more construction we can keep going, the more people that are employed and the more disposable income there is to support #business. Not to mention the revenue that comes to municipalities. It’s a win win."

 

Then Lorne Daniel, former Monday Magazine editor and cup half-empty commentator, added his two bits: "Can’t remember the last time I went to Colwood for anything, but I’m sure they are going to win the pandemic boosterism button!!"

 

Gislason then went on to say: "Another unfortunate impact of this pandemic so far is that it is disproportionately affecting low-wage and part-time workers (which are temporarily helped by CERB of course, but that cannot go on too much longer). Because ~many~ of us have not lost our incomes, we assume... ..that the economy will be fine in short order. We’re ignoring the interconnectedness of local/regional economies. All sectors must recover in order to have “full” recovery. Our source markets for trade are hurting as much or worse than us, so this by-product of this will be... ..a global recession. This will happen regardless of whether or not we open up borders and bring tourists back here. Keep in mind tourism alone is $2+ billion of our regions $20B metro-GDP. And 9.1% of our entire workforce."

[tanker]

I think the core should focus on becoming the region's top destination for vagrants, drug addicts and other undesirables. It's a top notch destination for all that and will only become more and more welcoming to that element. Commerce, families and general well being should be the focus on the westshore.

[Mike K.]

In response to Gislason's three tweet response above, isn't the bigger issue that employers can't find workers because people who have lost their jobs or who have fewer hours in their existing job chose to be on CERB rather than go back to work? We keep hearing that from employers, but Gislason is not including that in his assessment.

 

Anyways, like I said above, maybe I'm reading into this too much, but something is up here.

[Mike K.]

Here's another twitter message from Gislason from that exchange: "One relatively easy way to counteract these global impacts would be to open domestic trade within Canada. Even if the agreements are temporary during a recession or recovery period. My bet would be that provincial decision-makers would quickly determine that upside exceeds down."

 

I'm not quite sure what that means.

[Victoria Watcher]

removing provincial trade barriers.

[spanky123]

removing provincial trade barriers.

 

So other Provinces buy more from us and we from them. Not sure that changes the net outcome for 99% of local businesses though.

Edited by spanky123, 13 July 2020 - 12:05 PM.

[spanky123]

Maybe I'm reading into this a little too much, but it feels like battle lines are being drawn by one side of the equation (the West Shore doesn't seem to care what the core does or doesn't do, it just plugs along and dances to its own tune).

 

Langford is one of the few munis that isn't a member of SIPP.

[A Girl is No one]

I think the core should focus on becoming the region's top destination for vagrants, drug addicts and other undesirables. It's a top notch destination for all that and will only become more and more welcoming to that element. Commerce, families and general well being should be the focus on the westshore.

You and the City of Victoria mayor and council

[Mike K.]

Langford is one of the few munis that isn't a member of SIPP.

Interesting. I believe Sooke recently committed money to SIPP, or at least there was a consideration for the monies.

I’m intrigued by this exchange. For the last decade Langford was so often fodder for ridicule, like “you’ll never get a government office, you backwater swamp,” or “have fun with your highways to nowhere,” that sort of thing. So Langford et al said alright, it’s all good, we’ll keep on keeping on.

Now that Victoria is facing a serious crisis, as government workers stay home, tourists have disappeared and tech has turned out to be less of an economic engine than it was marketed as being, SIPP is on the defensive and clearly not having the back patting the West Shore is giving itself.

At this juncture we sit back and watch.

[Casual Kev]

Core municipalities will have to reassess their "do nothing at all costs" attitude towards businesses now that they can't just lean on the status quo for continued prosperity. If the BC government shifts towards WFH across the board that's a big blow to downtown business and, to an extent, nearby housing demand. And of course it will take a while for tourists and international students to come back. The Westshore is going to hurt a lot less. 

[On the Level]

It should be interesting to see how each makes out financially.  Victoria relies on Businesses Property Taxes and non property tax streams like Parking, both of which are going to be hit from the Covid slowdown.  They generate very little from household property taxes.  

 

Langford also generates very little through residential taxation but instead relies on alternate streams of revenue (not related to property taxation) like development.  As long as they can keep development going they should be somewhat insulated from the slowdown.

 

 

 

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[Victoria Watcher]

but business property tax revenue will not really be impacted. it’s not like commercial landlords are going to default in any significant numbers.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 13 July 2020 - 04:42 PM.

[Mike K.]

Right. That’s what’s being poorly described by the press. If there’s no tenant, the landlord is on the hook for the property tax.

Now in some cases are there not vacant premises deductions or such?

[On the Level]

but business property tax revenue will not really be impacted. it’s not like commercial landlords are going to default in any significant numbers.

 

Good point.  I would assume some might be overextended but we'll see.

[Victoria Watcher]

Good point.  I would assume some might be overextended but we'll see.

 

some might be for sure.  they might need to re-finance.  or *gasp* use some savings to pay this years taxes.  or just default and pay the penalty 1 or 2 years down the road before the tax sale.  worst case scenario it goes to tax sale and they get all the proceeds less taxes owing.  if people have any sufficient equity in their commercial real estate they will refinance before letting it go to tax sale.  tax sale might be realistic in some remote parts of the province for some odd industrial contaminated property or the like, but it's not going to happen around here.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 14 July 2020 - 02:18 AM.

[amor de cosmos]

am i the only one who didn't know this? why are the only two options for fish & chips here usually cod & halibut? in other places it's common to have haddock just because that what lives in the area.
 

In the seaside village of Sointula on Malcolm Island that lies between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland, Cary Williams serves hake and eggs for breakfast. Williams caught the hake himself. He has fished hake for nearly 25 years off the west edge of Vancouver Island. The delicate, soft, white-fleshed, mild-tasting fish is the largest seafood catch in B.C.

“Pacific hake is the most abundant fish resource we have off the coast of Canada,” said Murdoch McAllister, an associate professor at the University of British Columbia’s department of oceans and fisheries. “It’s way, way larger than the salmon abundance.”

In 2017, 85,000 tonnes of hake were harvested off the B.C. coast, nearly six times the province’s wild salmon catch.

But there’s one more catch: not many others in B.C. are eating hake. Despite the unrivalled volume of the province’s hake catch, it’s unlikely to find hake on local restaurant menus or in supermarkets and grocery stores.

https://thetyee.ca/N...4/BC-Hake-Fish/

[Matt R.]

I’m not very familiar with hake, but it’s got a very poor shelf life, which wouldn’t work for food service very well.

Matt.

[Rob Randall]

^But it would work in a high-volume operation like fish and chips shops where your par levels are pretty consistent and there's little or nothing left over at the end of the night.