175 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

If you are a great worker, just go somewhere else where they will pay you better.

Unions are stupid, for the best workers.

[AllseeingEye]

/\ Dunno about that; IMO attitudes towards unions from the worker standpoint change over time especially as you age out toward retirement. Certainly been the case for me...

 

I was raised in a staunchly Tory household where no parent or grandparent ever worked in a union or voted anything other than conservative. My grandfather in fact was in the RCMP Security Service after the war and was engaged in undercover espionage against one particular radical, very marxist-oriented union in Vancouver. When I was younger, fresh out of university and focused on climbing the corporate ladder unions were far more political still trending towards the (very) far left in some cases. One union which I'm not going to name even went so far some years ago to include all sorts of anti-Israeli garbage buried deep in its constitution. You had to look hard on the website to find it, but some very obviously "hard Red" language was there until someone in the union actually publicly called them out on it. One day I went back to look for it and not coincidentally the offending language had been removed.

 

That was then however and this is now; after getting to the level of director in two non union very high profile environments and getting torpedoed both times - the higher you advance the bigger the bullseye on your back, after all - by the time I landed at my current position I was a Caucasian mid-50's male, not exactly a prime candidate for hiring managers by that time.

 

Fortunately I got my current gig which, due to the nature of the contract with the client, required membership in the BCGEU. I must say in a time when covid was wreaking havoc on global economies causing great uncertainly and stress and people were losing jobs left, right and center while the cost of living was (and is) spiralling out of control, I was/am very grateful for the fact I actually rode out the chaos of the last 3 years not only unscathed but actually very comfortably. Benefits and pension intact, great job security, flex days, very good vacation time off, bi-annual raises....life was and is good.

 

Combined with my wife's health plan I literally have platinum-level benefits, a good pension waiting when I call it quits, and unparalleled job security. I can't lose my job because, for example, senior C-level people retire or quit causing multiple chain reactions below them resulting in losing my position, which was one scenario I experienced at the director-level in the corporate world. Lots and lots of folks in the private sector can't claim to have all of that.

 

The union today also is a very different animal than during my time in my first director stint where I managed union staff. A complete 180 degree about-face in terms of attitudes especially in fact - I think due in no small part to old boomers retiring and taking certain outmoded and frankly unproductive even confrontational mind-sets with them (thankfully).

 

In that particular environment one union member was on the cusp of retirement after 37 years, having joined the BCG right out of high school in the early 70's, which was common especially in this town. I casually inquired what he was most proud of and what accomplishment he thought would be his legacy - his response: ".....I currently have six grievances filed with the union and HR...hahaha!". He thought that was just hilarious because he was driving HR literally up the wall. Fast forward to now and I see nothing like that, just very good folks doing their jobs and with a distinct absence of the old highly political and inflammatory "us vs them" mentality of yesteryear. 

 

That all said for a younger person just starting out with maybe an entrepreneurial bent, the education, requisite smarts and desire, certainly the $ rewards can be far greater in a non-union market environment, obviously, due to the possibilities of generally higher salaries, bonuses, stock options etc which are generally absent in the public sector. Hell my bonuses in financial services, paid quarterly, exceeded $40k annually after only 4.5 years. On top of my very generous salary. Prior to that stock options from a US Fortune 100 tech giant I worked for financed the purchase of my first condo.

 

So...yeah....definitely a different world but one as I found out where, in spite of financial possibilities, any combination of internal politics, conflicting personalities or economic factors beyond anyone's control can pooch a career in the corporate world faster than you can say your name. So as I approach retirement I am extremely grateful where I am, where I work and the collective environment in which I function. Others will have different views but I wouldn't call the environment stupid, quite the opposite in fact - depending on your circumstances, age and goals.

Edited by AllseeingEye, 24 April 2023 - 09:02 PM.

[Citified.ca]

Gorge Road's Travelodge turned-COVID-era housing facility back to hotel operations as 'The Vic'

https://victoria.cit...ations-the-vic/

[Matt R.]

Some family stayed here when they came to visit, looked very nice! Probably affordable, too.

[Victoria Watcher]

$2,999,000

 

 

https://www.realtor....-malahat-proper

 

 

This is a tremendous opportunity to acquire a highway-side motel that has been operating successfully for years. Situated on 3.53 acres near the top of the Malahat and across from the Moon Over Water Lodge. The property features a single-family home with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and 2862 sq/ft. Built in 1974 and well maintained. The house also features a reception area to welcome guests. Across the rest of the property you will find 11 bungalows totally 17 nightly suites. With a range from studios up to 2 bedrooms there are accommodations for all types of travelers. The well maintained grounds feature a bbq area, small pond and recreation area for guests to unwind. This business has been well cared for by the owners for many years and now it's time for them to step aside. Come have a look and bring your ideas for the future of the Malahat Bungalows.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 20 September 2024 - 04:16 AM.

[Citified.ca]

399 hotel rooms are under construction in Greater Victoria, but supply pipeline pales to thousands of units lost since 1990s

https://victoria.cit...st-since-1990s/

[Victoria Watcher]

Interesting.

 

 

Collectively, the estimated reduction in hotel inventory has amounted to more than two thousand rooms lost over 30 years, a startling figure in its own right, but the effects of which were tempered for a while by the growth in short-term vacation rentals, commonly known as AirBnBs. The provincial government, however, has significantly restricted how AirBnBs can operate, leading many operators to abandon the industry and sell their holdings or provide them to the long-term rental market.

 

 

AI:

 

• Over 900 listings: A July 2024 review by the BC Ministry of Housing found more than 900 listings in Victoria.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 30 October 2025 - 10:25 AM.

[Mike K.]

Consider the vast empire of motels along Gorge Road that have mostly been converted to housing.

Then all the Travellers Inns along Douglas, many no longer operating as motels or hotels.

City Centre Hotel
Paul’s
Comfort Inn
Admiral Inn
Queen Victoria Inn
Harbour Towers
Dominion
Victoria Plaza
Tally-Ho
Super 8

And that’s just the beginning of the list.

All gone.

[Victoria Watcher]

Then all the Travellers Inns along Douglas, many no longer operating as motels or hotels.

 

Not a single one left as a hotel, no?

 

Oh, 1850 Douglas maybe.  Kitty coner to the former White Spot site.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 30 October 2025 - 10:31 AM.

[Mike K.]

And I believe the Arbutus Inn, still operating on Douglas at Burnside, was a Travellers Inn.

[Mike K.]

Not good. This is an originally Canadian-based chain of hotels, but eventually HQ’d from the US.

Guests at Sonder properties from New York to France say they were asked to leave their hotels abruptly after the company defaulted on payments, causing global chain Marriott to end a licensing deal it had with Sonder.

Sonder, which operated about 9,000 short-term rental and boutique hotel units in over 40 cities across the world — including Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, where it was founded — announced on Monday it would be winding down operations and liquidating immediately.

- https://www.cbc.ca/n...uptcy-9.6976737

Marriott had an agreement with Sonder to market their properties.

[Hotel Mike]

Damn. We've used Sonder over the past several years and love the concept. That's really a shame.

[LJ]

Never heard of them.

[Matt R.]

Me neither. I wondered if they were operating Marriott branded hotels, like Atlific does for the Marriott inner harbour. No one’s ever heard of Atlific either.

[vortoozo]

Me neither. I wondered if they were operating Marriott branded hotels, like Atlific does for the Marriott inner harbour. No one’s ever heard of Atlific either.

 

Sonder properties had their own distinct brand, Sonder by Marriott, which was a licensing agreement to allow Sonder to plug into Marriott's reservation and rewards systems. The properties operated without a front desk, kind of like a vacation rental, with keycode access and limited services. You could go on marriott.com and reserve a room using cash or Marriott Bonvoy points, but beyond that Marriott's function was to transfer the reservation over to Sonder which was the operator & brand.

 

Atlific is a management company that asset owners hire to staff and run their properties. They franchise multiple brands, and also manage independent properties on behalf of their owners, such as the Magnolia.

[Citified.ca]

South Island's newest hotel to open soon at Victoria's airport near downtown Sidney

https://victoria.cit...airport-sidney/