Douglas magazine Jun/July 2024

POW ER POW ER ISSUE

The humble hero: Levi Sampson, the Victoria entrepreneur who turns employees into owners

The New GLC Coupe

Terry Calveley

Anna Sterloff

Michael Tourigny

Lisa Williams Logan Wilson Sean Farrell

Jon Baker Kirsten MacLeod

Harley Shim

Dean Innes Glynis MacLeod

D’Arcy Harris

Brayden Klein

Maclaren

Maxwell

Andrew Hobbs

Grace Shin

Brian Danyliw

Beth Hayhurst

Andy Stephenson

Jacob Garrett

Samantha Jensson

Shaelyn Mattix

Robyn Wildman

Sandy Berry

Peter Crichton Myrtha Deschamps Niko Mavrikos

18

The Humble Hero

Levi Sampson helped save both a pulp mill and a TV station by turning employees into owners.

BY DAVID LENNAM

22

The Permit Game

Starting a business in Greater Victoria? Here’s how to play the game — and keep your sanity.

BY KEN WINCHESTER

26

Decision Makers You Need to Know

Meet five leaders who wield power and influence by flying under the radar.

BY SHANNON MONEO

38

Missed Connections

Moving people and goods around Vancouver Island isn't easy. Here's what is being done about it.

BY ANDREW FINDLAY

48

A Guide to Networking

Go beyond the handshake to make real, lasting connections.

BY LIAM RAZZELL

8 NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

13 IN THE KNOW

Making safe streets cool; looking for fungi in all the right places; Island women in science and technology welcome others into their tech sisterhood; after 20 long years Vic West’s Roundhouse project gets the green light.

50 INTEL

50 WHEN EMPLOYEES ARE TOUGH TO MANAGE Problem employees can often be rehabilitated. Tips for leading the unleadable. BY INGRID VAUGHAN

52 MAKE STRESS WORK FOR YOU Stress can be useful in business, or it can be painful. Do you recognize the difference?

BY DANIELLE SMELTZER

54 THE POWER OF WALKING AWAY

A founder's lesson in leaving: when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. BY JILL VAN GYN-CARR

56 LIFE + STYLE

Which watch? We pick five that make a luxe statement; trail running offers picturesque scenery and a softer landing for creaky knees; Rudi presents an eclectic, West Coast take on European cuisine.

58 DID YOU KNOW Scams, cons and frauds by the numbers.

10 TO WATCH AWARDS 2024

A snapshot of Douglas magazine’s 10 to Watch gala for 2024, celebrating entrepreneurship in Victoria’s vibrant business community. Many thanks to event sponsor Odlum Brown and Mark Mawhinney, portfolio manager and all our event sponsors!

IN PLANNING THIS ISSUE, the team at Douglas had several, well, lively discussions about what exactly is power in the context of doing business in Victoria. We concluded that it’s not notoriety or fame, it’s not rank or position on an org chart, but rather the ability to influence people and progress.

To that end we’ve profiled five must-know movers and shakers in our community. These successful leaders come from diverse fields, ranging from a union head to an Indigenous doctor to the keeper of 650,000 B.C. pensions. They’re certainly not household names, even in a small business community like ours, but they have larger-thanlife influence over how we live and work in Victoria.

So what does it take to wield power? A lot of passion, for sure. But other key ingredients are the clarity and self-discipline, knowledge and perseverance that allow an individual to lead by example. In this issue we spotlight all of these qualities with success stories on transportation, networking know-how and a guide to starting a business in Victoria without tearing your hair out. We also profile angel investor Levi Sampson, who has helped to save several foundering businesses by turning employees into owners.

for a total wealth strategy that addresses the entirety of your life.

C.P. (Chuck) McNaughton, PFP

Senior Wealth Advisor

250.654.3342 charles.mcnaughton@scotiawealth.com themcnaughtongroup.ca

The most powerful leaders have clarity and self-discipline, knowledge and perseverance. This allows them to lead by example.

We also cover the ambitious Roundhouse Project in Vic West, women in science and technology, the underground business of mushroom foraging and how to build a second brain.

There is practical advice on dealing with difficult employees, managing stress in the workplace and when it’s time for a business owner to either try, try again or just fold your cards.

In short, this issue will empower you in your own workplace, through communication, policies and action.•

— Ken Winchester, Editor

Together, Protecting What You Love.

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BRETT JONES & FLORA STANLEY

BRETT JONES & FLORA STANLEY

RENNIE ADVISORS - VICTORIA

RENNIE ADVISORS - VICTORIA

VOLUME 18 NUMBER 3

PUBLISHERS Lise Gyorkos, Georgina Camilleri

EDITOR IN CHIEF Joanne Sasvari

EDITOR Ken Winchester

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Jeffrey Bosdet

LEAD GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kelly Hamilton

ASSOCIATE GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Janice Hildybrant, Caroline Segonnes

ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS Deana Brown, Will Gillis, Cynthia Hanischuk, Brenda Knapik

ADVERTISING CO-ORDINATOR Rebecca Juetten

MARKETING CONSULTANT Amanda Wilson

DIGITAL MARKETING CO-ORDINATOR Claire Villaraza

MARKETING & EVENTS

CO-ORDINATOR Lauren Ingle

STAFF WRITER Liam Razzell

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Andrew Findlay, David Lennam Shannon Moneo, Danielle Smeltzer, Jill Van Gyn-Carr, Ingrid Vaughan

PROOFREADER Lionel Wild

CONTRIBUTING AGENCIES Getty Images p. 22, 23, 50, 57

GENERAL INQUIRIES info@douglasmagazine.com

SEND PRESS RELEASES TO editor@douglasmagazine.com

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR letters@douglasmagazine.com TO SUBSCRIBE TO DOUGLAS subscriptions@ douglasmagazine.com

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES marketinginfo@douglasmagazine.com

ONLINE douglasmagazine.com

FACEBOOK DouglasMagazineVictoria X @Douglasmagazine

INSTAGRAM @douglas_magazine

COVER Levi Sampson

Photo by Jeffrey Bosdet

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 British Columbia by Mitchell Press.

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.

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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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Douglas is a premium magazine dedicated to innovation, leadership and business lifestyle. Established in 2006, Douglas is the first choice for business leaders and achievers. Align your business with Douglas For more information or to request an advertising rate card, please call us at 250.595.7243 or email us at marketinginfo@douglasmagazine.com.

BRAWNY BOLLARDS

Making public safety look good enough to stop traffic.

BY LIAM RAZZELL

From their roots as 19th-century ship-mooring posts, bollards have evolved into ubiquitous urban security fixtures.

IN THE KNOW

Reliance Foundry produces everything from park benches to bike racks. The company’s core products, though, are architectural features called bollards. Used to divert vehicular and pedestrian traffic, these stout, vertical posts stand guard outside hospitals, businesses, government buildings and schools.

The term “bollard” first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1844, describing a post used to attach a maritime vessel’s mooring line. The demand for bollards rose dramatically after 9/11, and continues as cities cope with traffic and pedestrian safety. Today the market is worth $400 million in North America alone. It’s why a 90-year-old foundry, led by third-generation owners, took the chance to retool to meet this demand.

“Cities have become more dense and there’s a lot more interaction between cars, bikes and pedestrians,” says Reliance’s chief marketing officer Michael Dalzell. “A lot of cities around the world are now mandating bollards to separate vehicles and streets from bike lanes, sidewalks and pedestrian areas.”

The problem is that most bollards are useful but ugly and can detract from the esthetics of a place. To remedy this, Reliance offers an array of decorative and custom covers, so the installations blend into, and even complement the spaces they’re protecting.

Security concerns have also spurred bollard demand. Companies and private owners are looking for more ways to protect their property, says vice-president Shane Kramps. “They’re worried about cars being used as weapons.”

Some of the company’s bollards can stop a one-tonne car travelling at 16 km/h, while the strongest models can stop a 15,000-pound truck barreling at 80 km/h.

Since 2000, Reliance has sold some 200,000 bollards. Today, the company offers some 350 models and accounts for approximately five per cent of the North American market. It hopes to gain another five per cent in the next three years.

The foundry’s prominent bollard installations include Fenway Park, the Pentagon and Apple’s Silicon Valley headquarters. Locally, they stand outside St. Michael’s University School and Royal Jubilee Hospital.

FORAGING FOR FUNGI

Hunting the wily mushroom is fuelling a thriving underground business.

BY LIAM RAZZELL

of the 3,000 mushroom varieties that grow in Vancouver Island’s forests, those in most demand are chanterelle, oyster, lobster, porcini, matsutake and morel. Every year, mycology-savvy entrepreneurs can earn cash sometimes lots of it by picking and selling these delicacies. For primecondition edible mushrooms, chefs and groceries are paying as much per pound for a filet mignon.

There are no foraging restrictions on Crown land in B.C. Picking everywhere else requires permission. Foragers don’t need a permit, and there are no rules about who can buy foraged mushrooms. “It’s an underground industry,” says Bill Jones, a Cowichan-based chef and cookbook author, who also teaches guests at his Deerholme Farm how to forage for

mushrooms. “The government has zero control.”

Unwritten rules govern the act of foraging. For example, the first to arrive at a patch a place where mushrooms grow in abundance has priority. Foraging can be highly competitive and, at times, confrontational. “Any job that pays piecerate and not hourly always triggers some weird behaviour,” says Benjamin Patarin, who co-founded Port Alberni-based foraged foods company Forest for Dinner with his wife Célia Auclair. He’s heard of people arguing and fighting over mushrooms, even slashing tires.

Many foragers sell their haul directly to restaurants. However, Patarin estimates that most of foraged mushrooms are sold to brokers. Stable brokers base themselves in places where foragers work the

Fresh, wild-gathered morels dry at Port Alberni’s Forest for Dinner. Morels are highly desired by chefs for their earthy, nutty flavour and the fact that they only grow in the wild.

Cowichan Valley is a prime spot. Mobile brokers move from place to place buying mushrooms. These middlemen can shell out thousands of dollars a day in cash Patarin has seen foragers make $1,500 in one day of picking morels and robberies aren’t unheard of. Brokers ship purchased mushrooms to wild-food companies, which package and prepare them for sale in Canada and abroad.

Because it’s cash-based, it can be hard to quantify the size of the industry. Jones estimates there are hundreds of foragers on the Island. On the mainland, the industry is even larger. In 2019, Patarin estimates that Canada exported about 25 to 30 tonnes of dried morels to France alone. Fresh, that’s about 300 tonnes. At an average price of $6 a pound, that amounts to $4 million to $5 million distributed among 1,500 to 2,000 pickers.

DEFUSING Disputes

How the BBB works for both businesses and their customers.

Ever written a complaint about a business? Ever had a complaint filed against yours? In either case the Better Business Bureau likely was involved. Every year, Canada’s BBB handles some 36,000 complaints. Notably there are always a few submissions that take them by surprise:

• A customer demanded a refund for a single frozen microwave dinner because it was spicier than advertised.

• A customer wanted BBB to force a business to honour an advertised discount on a television months after the sale ended.

• A customer wanted a refund for food that spoiled after the freezer they bought from a big-box store broke down.

• A customer filed a complaint against a popular grocery store because they had to wait too long for the bathroom.

In B.C., BBB offers conciliation as the main strategy to help resolve a dispute before going to court. The process is user-friendly and informal and helps to

READS

resolve the majority of complaints. In conciliation, BBB acts as a mediator between business and customers to assist in settling the dispute. It’s all about communication. BBB staff present both the customer’s and business’s side of the story without taking sides. The process usually settles the matter simply and quickly within a week or two.

For over 110 years, BBB has been helping consumers find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. Annually in Canada and the U.S., people turned to BBB more than 250 million times for business profiles on more than five million businesses, and charity reports on some 12,000 nonprofits.

Resources:

To submit a complaint to BBB: bbb.org/file-a-complaint

To submit a report to Scam Tracker: bbb.org/scamtracker (also see page 58)

On Vancouver Island: www.bbb.org/local-bbb/bbb-serving-vancouverisland

For the first time in history, we have instantaneous access to the world’s knowledge. Yet, rather than feeling empowered, we’re often left feeling overwhelmed by this flood of information, like drinking from a firehose. The very knowledge that was supposed to set us free often leads to the paralyzing stress of believing we’ll never know or remember enough.

In Building a Second Brain , author Tiago Forte shows you how to create a personal system for knowledge management. The author is a foremost expert on productivity, whose approach is to marry traditional thought processes with modern technology.

A “second brain” is simply the name for a trusted place outside your head where you can collect and organize your most important ideas and insights (while filtering out the junk). As a trusted and organized digital bank, it syncs your insights, notes and creative ideas across all your devices and platforms, giving you the confidence to tackle important projects and ambitious goals.

Sources: BBB, Statistics Canada

DOUGLAS

FOREST FOR DINNER

Roundhouse Redux

A contentious project 20 years in the making gets a green light.

BY SHANNON MONEO

If Ken Mariash has his way, a pivotal piece of Vic West property will join his existing Bayview development, morphing into the long-talkedabout Roundhouse at Bayview Place.

“We started this in the late ’90s. I knew it was a dangerous proposition,” recalls the Saskatchewan-born developer and Focus Equities owner. “Behind the scenes, it’s been a nightmare.” That’s due to vocal public skepticism, and city demands that led to many iterations and a revolving door of designers and architects. But in late January the nightmare was finally over when Victoria city council, in a 7-2 vote, approved a

rezoning bylaw that allows Focus to break ground on its 10-acre chunk of land, once an industrial site.

The approved plan now allows for nine condo/ apartment/hotel buildings ranging from 10 to 32 storeys. That will mean 1,870 residential units with about 12 per cent of them (215) under the “below-market" rental rate. The site’s heritage buildings, including the former E&N Railway roundhouse, will be remediated and 70,000 square feet of commercial space is promised.

Mariash is even thinking about a Ferris wheel and promises the public/ commercial area will be even better than Granville

Island. “It’s going to be a cool marketplace,” he says.

But Mariash predicts it will take about a decade to realize his Bayview vision due to numerous factors: pre-sales of condos, slowed by high interest rates, need to be finalized; securing complex building permits takes a long time; finding qualified tradespeople is a challenge.

Being able to build tall, rather than low, is an advantage, especially since floors on the upper levels, which promise dramatic harbour and mountain views, sell for more than the first six or seven floors. “If you can do something that’s elegant, it’s easy to live with,” he says.

Victoria Councillor Chris

After 20 years, Vic West may yet see the historic 1913 E&N roundhouse and surrounding acreage transformed into affordable housing, retail stores and public spaces — even a Ferris wheel.

Coleman was one of the seven who voted for the rezoning. He acknowledges the goahead proved controversial, with thousands of letters and emails flooding the city on both sides of the issues. But the carrot was the lowercost rentals and supportive housing. “It’s a balancing act, chasing housing,” Coleman says.

The loathing expressed by some over Bayview’s highrises was misdirected, he adds. Vancouver has 60-storey-plus buildings; at about half that height, Bayview’s 32 floors are preferable to short, squat structures. “It’s about change. When you’re taking on density, you know people can be opposed,” Coleman says.

A Sisterhood OF TECH

iWIST offers an inclusive welcome to women in other fields, too.

BY SHANNON MONEO

In 2011, the group Island Women in Technology coalesced under the guidance of Robyn Quinn, an award-winning PR exec. Five years later, a committee opened the window wider and iWIST, Island Women in Science and Technology, took flight. Today, a 10-women board oversees the welcoming non-profit, which doesn’t focus solely on women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

“Our mission is to create an inclusive environment for women,” says iWIST co-chair Tamara Summers. “When the group started, the women noticed a gap in opportunities for women to come together and grow in Victoria.”

Summers is a double-barrelled professional, both an attorney and an electrical engineer. Originally from New Jersey, she made her way to the Island and became a part of iWIST in 2014, driven by the absence of meaningful peer connection.

“While there were opportunities at work to connect, they didn’t always cater to a sense of belonging. If you didn’t play golf, you likely didn’t go,” she says.

When iWIST women get together, be it on a hike or a networking event, discussion may centre on workplace barriers and solutions or how to navigate careers. All women are now welcome at iWIST. The wide-open-window approach came about after a survey revealed that many who attend iWIST events were from “other” or “not applicable” job categories. Now, women in trades, which can include welders or bakers, have been enjoying iWIST events.

A book club, wellness wanderings, summer picnics, holiday parties and educational seminars have drawn women keen to connect. iWIST also wants to extend its reach north and get out of the downtown Victoria core more often, Summers says.

An organization with sights on peer connection and personal development, iWIST is branching out from its STEM roots. “We’re one of the only organizations that’s not a chapter of an international parent,” Summers says. “We make all our decisions locally. We’re a safe place for women to connect.”

There

The Hero

AT Humble

This angel investor saves companies by giving power back to the employees.

BY DAVID LENNAM | PHOTO BY JEFFREY BOSDET

27 he resuscitated a company near death by instituting an employee-ownership model. The following year he did the same thing with a very different business, a TV station. And he did it all without flash, without ego and with generous community mindedness.

In 2008, Levi Sampson used his family money and negotiating savvy to pull Nanaimo’s Harmac Pacific mill out of receivership and hand it to the employees to run. In 2009, he “pulled a Harmac” at CHEK TV, again saving a longestablished institution from creditors. CHEK has since more than doubled its employee-owners from 36 to 80. Same thing at Harmac, expanding from 220 to 350.

Sixteen years later, legacy firmly established, Levi Sampson is comfortable and cool-headed in the boardrooms of both Harmac Pacific, where he sits as president of the pulp company, and at CHEK, where he is chairman. And for 11 years he’s been integral to the David Foster Foundation, sitting on the board of a charity that provides financial support to Canadian families with children in need of life-saving organ transplants.

Born in small-town Saskatchewan, raised in Surrey and a longtime resident of Victoria, Sampson is 43, married with two young daughters, and appears surprisingly young lean and fit, and still looks like the guy who once ran the 100 metres in 10.3 seconds.

Asked what he thinks power in business looks like, Sampson immediately deflects. It’s not about him. It’s about those around him. “It’s not any one person that’s made the companies successful.”

A typical Sampson response.

Levi Sampson is the quiet power behind a pulp mill, a TV station, a nonprofit and still manages to prioritize family life.

Levi Sampson

IN CONVERSATION

With both companies doing well, what keeps you busy away from the boardroom?

Parenting. My wife, two kids. Both companies are well established now and doing well and so it allows me to step back in certain areas and just focus on a work-life balance soccer practice, dance practice, all those sorts of things.

How do you tend to describe yourself?

I’d say entrepreneur. I’m always willing to take chances and bet on the underdog. I’ve found happiness by taking two companies employee-owned.

What’s your style of leadership? Rah-rah or a quiet approach?

I think there are times for a rah-rah, but I’m not a loud guy by nature. I listen, assert my views when I think they’re needed. My leadership style is to allow people to do their best job, be the best worker they can be. Most of the jobs, that person knows their job far better than I ever will.

Why is the employee-ownership model a success in these two very different businesses?

The big thing that’s made both successful is both still have a union and, in both situations, they were going under so there was motivation by the workforce and management to try anything they could to make things work. But you also needed big enough people on both sides union and management to come together and decide, hey, we’re going to make a go of it and it’s just us. There’s no big parent company.

The forest products industry has a history of labour disruptions. Has Harmac, run by its employees, changed that?

Yeah, there’s a long past of union versus management, butting heads and strikes … and we’ve seen a complete change of that with Harmac becoming locally owned. And at both companies there are less sick days, less injury days, and you have more people that feel they have a voice. You’re seeing a more productive workforce, a happier workforce and also, if the company does well, you do well.

After Harmac, why did you think employeeownership would work at CHEK?

I quickly saw that the will was there. They have strong leaders on both sides. Just like Harmac, at CHEK there were different potential investors that were in and out during the process. We settled on a group that was serious and committed.

Pulp and TV have both been called sunset industries. Is it risky to invest in industries that are precarious?

It is more than risky. But the reward on the other side, to see them up and thriving, has been enormous. Every time we do a dividend payout at either operation, it’s a real point of joy for myself and the other investors and workers.

In an interview five years after you saved Harmac, you said, “We just go lean and mean and do things a little different.” Is that still the case?

It is. There were obviously lots of changes you could make initially, but there still are changes and both industries are ever evolving. I think one of the big problems that Harmac had was its former owners had multiple mills in B.C., but the head office was based in Portland, Oregon, where all the higher-ups were. So they didn’t necessarily see, on a day-to-day basis, what was going on in these operations. Lots of times the managers would make recommendations and they fell on deaf ears.

Do you subscribe to any sort of business ethic?

I believe there’s a proper way to treat people. You want your companies to reflect your values. And the way you treat your customers or advertisers. You have to be aware when they’re going through hard times. They might have been someone who stuck with you during your hard times so you should reciprocate if you get the chance.

What would you like people to know about Levi Sampson?

Loyal, hardworking, willing to put myself out there, willing to take chances, always looking for the right people to work with. I’ve found my most success in business or charity with the people who have a genuine interest in what they’re doing, not just because they’re employed there, but because they love what they’re doing.

What was it like sprinting at an elite level against Olympians like Donovan Bailey and Bruny Surin?

I’d always kind of see their backsides. It was one of those sports where you stick out as a white guy on the sprinting line [laughs]. I didn’t have too many delusions. In sprinting, bits of a second mean a huge difference. A 10.3 is very far off of a sub 10. I had great fun doing that and did it as long as I could. It’s the kind of thing I could take up in Masters later on.

There is success in sports. Translating that to business, is it helpful?

It definitely is. You can do some pretty impressive things if you put your mind to it. So on the business front, I was also young enough at the time that taking big risks was easier than now that I have two children.

Why did you want to be on the board of the David Foster Foundation?

I always believed in increasing our ESTATE PLANNING Wills and Powers of Attorney

REAL ESTATE Support for Buyers, Sellers, and Borrowers

NOTARIZATIONS Canada, USA, and International Documents

organ donations in Canada. There’s always people on the list waiting for organs that pass away still waiting. Basically what the foundation does … they cover all your non-medical costs so you can just focus on being with your child. We find that 85 per cent of families that have a child that needs a life-saving organ transplant end up in bankruptcy or divorce. You can just imagine the stresses on the family. This just takes that whole financial burden off and you can just worry about being with your child. •

Beverly’s empathy and respect for her clients make all the difference.

Coupled with her education (a Master’s Degree in Applied Legal Studies) and experience (having directly served over 15,000 people), Beverly Carter is so much more than just a woman with a stamp.

Earning your stamp of approval.

240-2950 Douglas Street, Victoria, B.C. 250-383-4100 carternotary.com

PERMIT GAME

BY KEN WINCHESTER

Want to open an office? A retail store? A food truck? Starting a new business in Victoria is both exhilarating and daunting. Much like a board game, it requires careful planning each step of the way. But there is a clear path. And although there are 13 separate municipalities in the Capital Regional District, each with its own set of bylaws, licences and zoning, many of the guidelines below apply across the board.

Make the Victoria Business Hub (now located in the Victoria Conference Centre) your first stop. There a business ambassador can help you navigate the City’s licensing processes, connect you to other agencies and direct you to useful resources. “We’re a helping hand,” says ambassador Kylie Black. “We’re here to assist startups, investors, property owners, leasing agents and businesses who might be relocating or expanding.” Contact the Business Hub at bizhub@victoria.ca

1. WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS?

Whether a restaurateur or a notary public, you probably already know the answer to this question. But the city, the province and Ottawa treat different businesses differently. Some of the most common categories are:

• At-home business

• General office

• Retail

• Restaurant

• Cannabis

• Food truck

• Child care

Depending on the type of business, the City may require additional supporting documents, such as a health certificate, liquor licence or professional certification.

STARTING A BUSINESS Romance meets reality

If you think that starting a business in Greater Victoria is something of a game, you’re not far off. But there is a path, says business ambassador Kylie Black of the Victoria Business Hub, even if it comes with the occasional detour.

The Business Hub was launched to streamline all business and development processes at City Hall. It is charged with reducing red tape, connecting entrepreneurs with the resources they need and “accelerating the development of a vibrant downtown.”

2

REGISTER

Your first step is to register your company with the Province, then determine your tax obligations through the CRA. Even if you don’t need to remit PST and GST, you’ll need to know how they affect the goods and services you’ll purchase.

TYPE OF BUSINESS 1

Office? Retail? Restaurant?

This first question will dictate your path through the various permits, licences and certificates. If a food business, for example, you’ll need a certificate from Island Health. If a brewery, you’ll need licences from both the Province and Excise Canada.

Here’s how to start a new business in Victoria without tearing your hair out.

2. REGISTER YOUR BUSINESS

To start a business in British Columbia, you must request a unique business name and register it with BC Registries and Online Services. The registry manages the creation (incorporation) and listing of businesses in the province, both for-profits and non-profits. account.bcregistry.gov.bc.ca

Next, determine if you need to collect provincial sales tax. Even if you’re not required to collect and remit PST, the BC Small Business Guide explains how PST applies to the goods and services you’ll purchase for your business. gov.bc.ca/gov/content/taxes/sales-taxes/pst/ publications/small-business-guide

Then learn about Canada Revenue Agency requirements for reporting income if self-employed, or goods and services tax guidelines for payroll deductions and remittances if an employer. The CRA’s secure portal allows you to file returns, make payments, determine entitlement to credits, register for direct deposit and more. canada.ca/en/revenue-agency

3. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Zoning regulations vary throughout Greater Victoria and determine the type of business that’s permitted to operate at a specific location, along with other regulations such as parking requirements. Before signing a lease, use the online VicMap app or ask city staff to identify regulations for your location, and confirm the legal use for a specific address.

To use VicMap:

• Find your location on VicMap using the search tool.

• View the zoning associated with the property.

• Ensure that your proposed business complies with the permitted uses in that zone.

• Identify any parking requirements for the property. Determine legal use. Legal use is different from zoning as it relates to the BC Building Code. You can check current legal use by contacting the City’s permits and inspections division.

VicMap: victoria.ca/building-business/maps

Zoning: zoning@victoria.ca

FAQ: What if the zoning allows for my business, but there is currently an occupancy permit for a different use?

You will need to apply for a change of use. This can involve applying for building permits through the permits and inspections division at City Hall.

LOCATION

Before signing a lease, determine both the location’s zoning and permitted use, as well as parking requirements. Use the free online VicMap website to identify regulations for that zone.

BUILDING

PERMITS

LICENCE 3 4 5

Alterations to your space may require one or more building permits, including sign permits. Cosmetic improvements, like paint, are exempted. Minor improvements can be reviewed and approved by city staff within days or weeks. Rezoning and major development can take three months or more.

Congratulations! Now all that’s left is to print business cards and pop the Champagne. And don’t forget to subscribe to Douglas magazine for the latest business intelligence on Greater Victoria.

Finally, with paperwork and permits in hand, you can apply for your business licence to operate in Victoria (or one of the 13 municipalities in the CRD). A basic licence will cost $100 annually and take about 10 working days to issue.

NEVER MISS AN ISSUE

YOU’VE CHOSEN THE ROAD LESS

Small business owners and individuals  Business, financial and tax planning  Profit plans, proactive coaching

Excellence in Customer Service Award winner, Vancouver Island (5 years)

4. APPLY FOR BUILDING PERMITS

Whether your business is leasing or purchasing a space, interior and exterior alterations may require one or more building permits. In addition, when changing the use of a space, a permit is required. It’s important to consult with city staff before signing a lease or purchasing a property to ensure the improvements are allowable and timelines are understood, as all changes must meet BC Building Code standards. You also need a sign permit for any exterior signage. For more information: permits@victoria.ca

FAQ: Do I need a building permit for cosmetic changes to the interior of the space, such as painting?

No. A building permit is only required if you want to make structural changes, changes to the exterior or changes to electrical or plumbing. If you plan extensive changes, the permit process could take up to six months.

5. APPLY FOR A BUSINESS LICENCE

Whether an office, a store or a charity, all businesses must obtain a business licence. You can apply for the licence online or in person at City Hall. Depending on the type of business you’re opening, you may need to attach the following documents to your application:

• Proof of incorporation and notice of articles.

• Professional certificates (if a lawyer, child-care professional or chiropractor, for example).

• Your industry classification according to the North American Industry Classification System via Statistics Canada.

• A health inspection certificate from Island Health (if a restaurant, grocery or food truck). islandhealth.ca

Know your options for the right type of business licence. If your business is mobile or operating in more than just the City of Victoria, such as catering or construction, you may be eligible for a mobile business licence.

Inter-Municipal Business Licence:

This licence allows you to do business in all 13 municipalities in the Capital Regional District. It’s available at no additional cost to your basic business licence.

Inter-Community Business Licence: This includes the ability 15 different communities Island (with more expected future). This licence has on top of your City of Victoria licence.

Assuming all your paperwork order, the business licence processed within 10 business and typically costs $100 annually. businesslicence@victoria.ca

FAQ: Do I need to wait for my be completed before I submit licence application?

No. Steps 4 and 5 can occur at the same time. Your business licence won’t be approved until you have appropriate sign-off on your permits, but your application can be submitted and begin the necessary approval steps.

Sources: Victoria Business Hub, CRA, Statistics Canada, Island Health

BIZPAL

Finding out which government requirements apply to a certain business type can be time consuming and frustrating. BizPal was created to help identify what you need from various layers of government. It’s a free online service that provides simplified access to details about business permits, licences and other requirements for establishing and growing a business in B.C.

The service is a collaboration between the federal, provincial and participating municipal governments and is available 24/7. Simply select a location and enter an industry category to start the search.

Based on your selections, BizPaL generates a list of permits and licences from the different layers of government, along with basic supporting information. Links to government sites where you can learn more and, in some cases, apply online are also provided.

Keep in mind that it remains your responsibility to obtain all required permits and licences before starting a business. bizpal.ca

Other useful links:

Small Business BC: smallbusiness.bc.ca

BC Business Registry: bcbusinessregistry.ca

Wielding power on the island is about influence, not fame.

BY SHANNON MONEO

POWER. When we think of those who possess that mighty trait, minds go to the famous, those in the public eye, the headline grabbers. But “power,” by definition, means the ability to direct or influence the behaviour of others. Often, those working behind the scenes bring about big change with little fanfare.

From keeping the ferries running to building seamless commuter routes, from managing pension funds to caring for newcomers to advocating for sensitive health care, this noteworthy quintet use their influence to elevate others, a real superpower.

ERIC McNEELY: Navigating troubled waters. Decision Makers you need to know

Since April 2021, Eric McNeely has been provincial president of the powerful 4,200-member BC Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union. Nanaimo-based McNeely, in his mid-40s, speaks for a diverse membership that includes everyone from skilled trades and engineers to IT and catering staff. The BCFMWU is Canada’s largest marine union.

Issues facing McNeely, a marine engineer who became a BCFMWU member in 2009, include settling a staff housing lawsuit, attracting more union members, dealing with staff abuse and improving policies around gender and faith requirements.

“It’s a challenge to bring all these needs together. What frustrates me is not seeing the change I want to see, as fast as I want to see,” says McNeely, the married father of two daughters. “The timeliness aspect is one of the things that grinds my gears.”

A former Navy gun commander who spent almost 23 years with the Department of National Defence, he says

ferries are critical to the Island because of the vessels’ connections not only to people, but other modes of transport and delivery of goods. Despite the BCFMWU’s role to address the growing need for ships and staff, McNeely doesn’t think he holds a lot of power. “But I do speak for over 4,000 people. That holds a lot of weight. It’s a responsibility being the face of the union.”

When he was elected, McNeely focused on the Holy Trinity at the union altar: working conditions, wages and retirement. To stoke his power and ensure he’s representing union members, he’s found that being patient, willing to listen, engaging with workers and planning strategically are vital.

“We have made significant gains,” says McNeely, who will continue to flex his muscle. “I’m not pulling any punches, not shying away from hard discussions. We can be a real catalyst for improving ferry service. Power is the ability to hold decision-makers accountable.”

MICHELLE MAHOVLICH: Stickhandling development, scoring big.

JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

If you travel from the Westshore Road Interchange, imprint is there. and engineering over 14 years director of engineering, 2009-2023 construction

Today, she’s project management as being the and Geoscientists

“It’s pretty Langford and Mahovlich says. ahead of the showstoppers. done in days, Molasses municipalities, processes move a common complaint Mahovlich worked aspects of a her 18 staff members processes. “I You’re willing not always taking power,” she says.

“I motivated encouraging I try to be someone level as them. everything,” curious person.

A former hockey at the chance arena, Mahovlich world of contractors She created healthy them and also sites. “I wasn’t she says.

Today, she skills to work “It’s interesting municipalities in keeping their Mahovlich has need to revise ever-changing legislation, a Langford as bureaucracy.

A golfer, hiker, mother of an Mahovlich (yes, to legendary the word “power” prose. “For me, who’s able to

EVAN ADAMS: Standing up for Indigenous health.

The realms of science and art are where Evan Adams circulates. Adams, who grew up on the Tla’amin First Nation in Powell River, is the deputy chief medical officer at the First Nations Health Authority as well as an associate dean at Simon Fraser University's faculty of health sciences. The father of six just also happens to be a versatile actor, performing in comedies, dramas and even a horror flick. After being discovered in Montreal, Adams appeared in the indie film Smoke Signals, Reservation Dogs, Indian Road Trip and other productions.

“My career as a physician is a lot about taking care of others. Acting is the opposite, having fun, and full of creativity,” he says.

Adams earned his doctor of medicine degree at the University of Calgary, graduating in 2002. In 2009 he added a master of public health from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He credits his late father Leslie, and a few influential mentors, with instilling valuable traits such as working hard, being empathetic and ethical and standing up for yourself. “I always think of my dad, a very wise First Nations man, who told me, ‘One day, you’ll be in charge,’ ” Adams recalls.

Now that he is in charge, he recognizes that he’s a person of influence and with that comes expectations. “Do I have the power to make change? Those of us who do, should. It requires knowledge about how to make change,” Adams says.

“It’s not about knowing how to run. It’s about leading the run, empowering others, meeting people where they’re at, from the star runner to those who come last,” he says.

Working in Indigenous health, Adams employs his power to make health attainable for as many as possible as well as making Indigenous health practices mainstream. “We have to reach for equity. I’m glad to be a part of it. But we have to do it with grace and dignity,” he says.

On his radar is public health, not individual medicine: Childhood vaccines, primary care, the need for more health workers and ensuring the public has good knowledge are some of the issues Adams is passionate about. And add his thespian pursuits, which include a wish to appear in a TV series.

“I have had many titles and hold power. What’s more interesting is personal power than power given to me. You want to use your power to do good things,” he says.

LAURA NASHMAN: Protecting the future of retirement.

JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

In 2008, Laura Nashman left her Southern Ontario home to become CEO of the BC Pension Corporation, a guiding light in the pension galaxy. The BCPC provides administrative services for five of B.C.’s largest pension plans, serving about 650,000 people, over 1,000 employers and paying out $5.8 billion per year in pensions. In February, for the fifth straight year, BCPC was named one of B.C.’s top employers by MediaCorp Canada.

So it’s not surprising that Nashman, whose previous experience includes working for Legal Aid Ontario and the Region of Peel, also has numerous honours. In 2022, Business in Vancouver magazine recognized her as one of B.C.’s most influential business leaders; in 2018, as the public sector B.C. CEO of the Year; and in 2017, she was named one of Canada’s Influential Women in Business.

When this mother of twin sons was asked to comment on “power,” she deliberated on her answer. “Power is a thing you have. How you acquire it is another story. It’s a huge burden to responsibly exercise the power I have in the most generative way. I use it to create an environment and space where people can thrive,” Nashman says.

Outside of the office, in a grocery store lineup she’s aware that people in front of and behind her may be buying food with pension money, an observation not lost on the self-aware leader.

“I do feel that I’m a powerful person. It’s not a luxury, but a burden, one I totally embrace. I’m reminded often to exercise that power thoughtfully, in a just, ethical way,” she says. “If you think of power as a tool, you miss the point. Think of power as a responsibility. That changes the whole conversation.”

Of late, Nashman has focused on the workplace physical environment and mental health as well as the BCPC’s nine-year plan, started in 2020, where addressing technology demands, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence are concerns. Nashman is proud of the ground covered by BCPC. “We punch way above our weight. Our reach is around the world.”

A champion golfer in the 1980s and today a hardcore cyclist, Nashman is a UVic PhD candidate, where her research involves how sports relate to women’s career triumphs. “My own success and accomplishments are not the things I celebrate,” she says, just prior to attending a baby shower. “I’m very quick to celebrate others’ successes and achievements.”

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JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

Luis Gutierrez Aguirre arrived in Victoria three years ago from Mexico City. For over two decades, the MBA-holder had worked as a corporate executive and served in the presidential office. “But I felt stuck in Mexico,” says Aguirre, whose work often addressed poverty reduction.

Soon after arriving in Victoria, Aguirre, who for a couple of years lived in the U.S. and picked up English, enrolled at Royal Roads University where he earned a master of arts degree in global relations in 2023. In March of that year he began work as the executive director of the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre where he’s in charge of about 30 staff and a similar number of volunteers, all of whom provide services for the 4,000plus economic immigrants and refugees who arrive in Greater Victoria each year. “We provide tools and knowledge for newcomers to navigate a very different environment from their countries,” Aguirre says. “Some were thriving in their homelands. Some find everything not as it was in their homeland.”

“I don’t have ambitions to wield influence. I aim to translate understanding.”

Helping thousands of people to secure work and a doctor get a driver’s licence, place to live or English lessons requires dedicated efforts. “It’s about finding partnerships, shared visions. I don’t need an image of authority. It’s more about empowerment. Taking your power to help others,” says the married father of a young son.

Aguirre reports to a board and is mindful of where funding is derived (local, provincial and federal governments, charities, individuals). Holding power or influence is less important than leading clients to success or staff to play important roles. “I don’t have ambitions to wield influence. I aim to translate understanding,” he says. “I see myself as a facilitator of change.”

The change means that newcomers thrive after their VIRC experience. “Our clients contribute to the culture of Greater Victoria and play a crucial role in enhancing the economy,” he says. “We’re working from a local perspective, but it makes an impact globally.”

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MISSED CON

BY ANDREW FINDLAY

NECTIONS

Highway closures. Cancelled ferries. Distribution headaches. Moving people and goods on, off and around Vancouver Island isn't easy. Here's what's being done — and what isn't.

Last June, Kelly and Brian Flurer spotted a puff of smoke on the forested bluffs above Cameron Lake as they drove winding Highway 4. It was a minor distraction on a drive the couple has done countless times from spring to fall, the owners of the seafood processing company Flurer Smokery in Port Alberni’s The Dock+ food hub cross the Island several times a week to make deliveries. Both assumed a few helicopter-slung bucketloads of water would be enough to snuff the small blaze. A few days later, they were shocked to learn that the Cameron Lake fire had grown to 80 hectares and was out of control. Then, as the fire raged on steep, unstable terrain and rained rocks and wood debris onto the highway below, officials closed the highway.

Reality sank in for people living in the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District. The only public, paved road linking the citizens of Bamfield, Port Alberni, Ucluelet and Tofino with the rest of B.C. a lifeline for many businesses was cut off for two full weeks.

“It had a huge impact. The majority of our market is on the east side of Vancouver Island,” says Kelly Flurer.

It meant that Brian, like many others, was forced to take the four-hour detour on bumpy logging roads from Alberni Inlet to Lake Cowichan. It was stressful, dusty and dangerous, given the number

of people making the same trip, most of them unaccustomed to driving unpaved logging roads.

Their business took a hit and it made for a hectic summer. However, it was worse for others, like sport fishing guides and hoteliers who saw weeks of bookings suddenly evaporate. The road closures cost west Vancouver Island communities an estimated $44 million.

It was an eye-opener.

The disruption of life, business and travel caused by a single forest fire put a punctuation mark on a perennial reality: Vancouver Island has some serious transportation bottlenecks, pain points and vulnerabilities, whether it’s the movement of people or goods. Both could benefit from a major rethink and reboot.

TROUBLED WATERS

Transportation has been the subject of numerous studies in the past and we’re studying it yet again. Last summer a team from Island Coastal Economic Trust and Vancouver Island Economic Alliance hit the road to hear from Vancouver Islanders, Gulf Islanders and Sunshine Coasters about what’s needed to better link people and communities.

The provincial government-funded “Island Coastal Inter-Community Transportation Study” couldn’t have been more timely. In 2023, BC Ferries cancelled 1,163 sailings due to crew

shortages, in addition to another 1,744 cancellations because of weather and mechanical failures. It created no shortage of ferry terminal frustration and it put BC Ferries Corporation chief executive officer Nicolas Jimenez in the hot seat. As of April, the province started slapping the ferry corp. with a $7,000 fine every time a major sailing is cancelled because of a lack of crew.

Adding insult to injury, last June, ferry passengers bound for the west side of the Island who were lucky enough to make their sailing then had the pleasure of sitting in hours-long lineups on Highway 4, or navigating the logging road detour via Lake Cowichan.

Brodie Guy, chief executive officer of the trust, led the outreach team for the transportation study. They got an earful and the message was clear there is a critical lack of affordable, convenient, reliable and frequent passenger service in the region. Guy himself got a taste of it when he decided not to use personal transportation to travel between open houses on the Sunshine Coast.

“We had to call a cab to come from Powell River to pick us up at the [Saltery Bay] ferry terminal. It was expensive,” he says. “We were blown away by the lack of connectivity.”

Over a two-month roadshow that took him to remote coastal First Nations and rural communities, Guy heard many tales

On rural Vancouver Island, wildfires and landslides trump rush-hour congestion as transportation challenges.

of improvised and inadequate passenger transportation. Many people are relying on ad hoc, and at times unsafe, transportation workarounds, among them people hitchhiking up and down the Sunshine Coast, kids finding lifts between Tofino and Ucluelet for after-school activities and North Islanders struggling to reach Campbell River and the Comox Valley for medical appointments.

GAPS IN TRANSIT

According to Guy, transportation companies like Island Link have helped fill the gap left when financially troubled Greyhound Transportation eliminated bus routes on Vancouver Island in 2018, a downsizing effort that also cut routes in northern B.C. and the Interior. However, private operators like Island Link can only be expected to offer service on profitable routes, and that means gaps remain.

Other entrepreneurs are also helping to fill the gaps. In 2020, Coastal Rides, a ride-hailing service, launched on the Sunshine Coast. Another small operator, Whistle!, was offering a similar service in Tofino, but recently suspended operations.

“The fact is connections between many communities are sporadic, unpredictable and unreliable,” Guy says. “I think there are opportunities for public-private partnerships to provide a service where it’s not profitable.”

In January, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure announced $230,000 in funding for the coastal trust to invest in transportation projects and planning flagged by last summer’s study. Among the projects being funded is a shuttle service for the Ditidaht First Nation between Nitinaht Village and Port Alberni, and increased bus service on Mayne Island.

It’s a start, but Guy hopes to see some key transportation investments in upcoming budgets that will further address “connectivity gaps” on Vancouver Island.

The transportation ministry says staff is reviewing the study and considering “potential next steps.”

“The intent of these reports was to get regional perspectives on challenges and opportunities regarding passenger transportation. They provided valuable insights that will inform the Province’s plans going forward,” said Murray Sinclair, a media relations spokesperson for the transportation ministry.

VICTORIA’S MISSING LINK

The inter-community study focused on Vancouver Island transportation outside of the Greater Victoria region, but the

provincial capital has its own unique transportation pain points. It’s a topic that Thomas Guerrero talks about frequently on his popular blog, Sidewalking Victoria. He started blogging in 2015 because, he says, “At the time there wasn’t a lot of discussion about urbanism in Victoria.” When you discuss urbanism, inevitably you discuss transportation.

Guerrero works downtown at the Ministry of Health on Blanshard Street and gets a daily four-kilometre walk commuting on foot to and from the office. Living close to work was a conscious choice, and one Guerrero knows is not an option for everyone.

“Victoria is a very walkable city,” says Guerrero, who sat on the city’s Active Transportation Advisory Committee for four years.

It’s also a bikeable city, with hundreds of kilometres of dedicated bike lanes and pathways winding throughout the urban core and Saanich Peninsula. In fact, as many Victorians bike downtown as drive cars.

Victoria International Airport is also one for the transportation win column. The airport is a three-time winner of the best regional airport in North America award, in 2012, 2014 and 2020, from Airports Council International. Last

year the council gave YYJ the nod in the environmental improvement with limited resources category for its pollinator garden project.

Guerrero’s praise stops at public transit.

“The biggest pain point is public transit. We’re not seeing the kind of investment that we need to happen,” he says. “When people parking downtown say they don’t have viable options, I think that’s true in a lot of cases.”

He gives the Blink RapidBus line, launched last year linking Langford to downtown, barely a passing grade for its lacklustre stations that are like any other bus stop, and bus lanes that only operate during peak times (therefore negating the line’s supposed rapid transit advantage).

“While it has some of the trappings of rapid transit, it isn’t rapid transit,” he wrote in an October 2023 blog post, adding that “a large portion of the population is never going to consider using it.”

HIGHER COST FOR BUSINESS

Meanwhile, the costs of upgrading the mothballed Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway into an interurban rapid transit link have skyrocketed over the years as government and municipalities debate the future of this line.

Guerrero views it as a missed

Urbanist Thomas Guerrero bemoans the state of public transit in Victoria, and “pinch points” like Colwood and the Malahat.

opportunity to get frustrated commuters out of their cars and the notorious “Colwood crawl.” Despite being just 14 kilometres from Langford to downtown, it can still take 45 minutes by car on heavily congested days.

Then there’s the Malahat pinch point.

“The fact that we don’t have an alternative way to get across the Malahat and there’s an unused rail line is such a shame,” Guerrero says.

While Vancouver Islanders have no shortage of public and private transportation woes, businesses have their own share of headaches when it comes to the movement of goods to, from and around the Island.

An island economy naturally comes with built-in vulnerabilities. Things we take for granted like well-stocked grocery stores and gas at the pumps are not as secure as we might assume. Vancouver Island is home to 16 per cent of the province’s population, yet roughly 90 per cent of our food comes from off-Island, most of it via ferry-dependent transport trucks. Similarly, all fuel comes from the mainland by tugboat-towed fuel barges.

Conservative estimates suggest that given current warehousing capacity, Vancouver Island is perpetually less than a week away from running out of food and fuel.

“Shipping and transport is something I hear about constantly from businesses,” says Julie Sperber, president and CEO of the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance.

On the heels of the passenger transportation study, VIEA embarked on another study, gathering input from businesses and business leaders about how to improve the flow of goods.

“We hope to have this completed by September. We want to know where the challenge points are, where infrastructure investments are needed, and where we might be able to find solutions by pairing the transport of goods and people,”

Sperber says. “I know quite a few boutique manufacturers that rely 100 per cent on Canada Post for shipping.”

Sharon and Chris Hooton own one of those Canada Post-dependent boutique businesses. The busy Gabriola Island entrepreneurs run three businesses the Woodfire Restaurant, The Fire Truck Grill food truck and rapidly growing Woodfire Spice.

JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

The fact that we don’t have an alternative way to get across the Malahat and there’s an unused rail line is such a shame.”

From their small, home-based production facility, the couple ships tins of their gourmet spices to more than 100 retailers around Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Gulf Islands. Most recently, they added IGA to their growing list of retailers.

“We’re not huge, but we’re growing,” says Sharon Hooton. She estimates they pay on average $300 per week to Canada Post for shipping and it’s a cost the business eats for customers who order more than 48 tins of spice.

“We do this to stay competitive,” she says. Hooton is frustrated by the inefficiencies and duplication of effort, knowing hundreds of other boutique businesses on Vancouver Island and neighbouring islands are handing money to Canada Post every day.

She believes a central distribution system for producers like Woodfire Spice would make a lot of sense.

“We’d be able to deliver in bulk to this distribution centre, and from there our spices could be sorted and shipped to our customers along with other products. It would create jobs on the Island and it would be way more efficient,” Hooton says.

THE BIG ‘WHAT IF?’

That’s exactly what’s behind the Nanaimo Port Authority’s “Duke Point Phase 4 Feasibility Study.” Financed by Transport Canada’s National Trade Corridors Fund, the study is looking into the potential of a major 12- to 24-hectare expansion of the Duke Point shipping terminal that would include additional and larger shipping berths and new warehousing and distribution infrastructure.

Sperber views the Nanaimo port as a linchpin of the Island economy and key to unplugging some of the shipping and trucking bottlenecks that plague Island businesses.

“A business in Tofino could partner with a business in Port McNeill to ship to the Nanaimo port and fill a pallet to then ship off-Island,” Sperber says.

In the meantime, for the Hootons multiple trips per week to the Gabriola Island post office with boxes of Woodfire Spice is their shipping modus operandi.

On the other side of Vancouver Island, Kelly Flurer takes a long pause when asked if last June’s Highway 4 closure has caused her to rethink the decision to relocate their business from Campbell River to Port Alberni in 2020.

Instead she answers with a question.

“What will happen if there’s a big disaster and you have to get 30,000 or 40,000 people to the other side of the Island?” Flurer asks.

That’s a big “what if?” and an important one as Vancouver Island transportation is put under the microscope once again. *

MAYFAIR OPTOMETRIC CLINIC

Sunglasses are top of mind this season, and your eyes deserve the protection and comfort that quality sunwear provides. The doctors and eyecare professionals at Mayfair Optometric Clinic can advise you on what frames and lenses will work best for your lifestyle and whether prescription sunglasses are recommended.

Whether you are cruising to your favourite camping spots or perusing menus on patios, Dr. Taylor and associates look forward to helping you look — and see — your best this summer.

BUSINESS

DOUBLE H CREATIVE

The power of storytelling: Victoria’s Double H Creative uses video to make an Impact

For over two decades, Heron Hanuman has captivated audiences as a TV host, journalist and producer. Now, through his Victoria-based company Double H Creative, he’s using his storytelling expertise to craft impactful videos for businesses and organizations across British Columbia and beyond.

Launched over a decade ago, Double H Creative offers a full suite of video production services, from initial concept development to final delivery. But what truly sets them apart is Heron’s unique approach. He believes the secret ingredient to engaging marketing videos lies not in highlighting products or services, but in showcasing the impact they have on real people.

“Great videos aren’t just about features and benefits,” says Heron. “They’re about the human stories behind them, the emotions they evoke and the positive change they inspire.”

This passion for impactful storytelling extends beyond simply handing over a finished video. Heron believes in building

strong relationships with his clients. He takes the time to understand their target audience and develop strategies to not only grab their attention but also compel them to take action.

Double H Creative’s client roster is as diverse as the stories they tell. They’ve worked with medium- to large-sized organizations, from non-profits and hi-tech companies to resource sector giants and small businesses. The common thread? A commitment to using video to connect with their audiences on an emotional level.

captured the essence of the organization’s work.

“Our goal is to realize a province where everyone, regardless of location, will have access to basic health care,”

A powerful example of this is their work with Helicopters Without Borders, a B.C.-based non-profit that strives to honour Indigenous peoples in our province by delivering health and wellness services to remote communities. Heron and his team crafted a moving video that

says Owen McClung-Sitnam, CEO of Helicopters Without Borders. “Heron’s storytelling helped increase donations, reach a wider audience, and even national media exposure. This means more healthcare workers can reach underserved communities.”

If you’re a decision-maker looking for a video production company that’s passionate about your mission and understands the power of storytelling, look no further than Double H Creative. Reach out to Heron and his team today, and let them help you create compelling video stories that resonate with your audience and inspire action.

Owen McClung-Sitnam, CEO of Helicopters Without Borders, is interviewed by Heron Hanuman, Principal at Double H Creative on the banks of the Squamish River, B.C. on February 10, 2023.

Heron Hanuman, Principal at Double H Creative

ACERA INSURANCE

We know insurance by heart and our clients by name

You may know us by our former name — Megson FitzPatrick Insurance Services.

Now, we want you to get to know us by our new name, Acera Insurance, which proudly showcases the unique benefits we offer as your long-time trusted provider of commercial, personal, motorcycle and auto insurance.

Acera Insurance draws inspiration from the scientific term for the Maple tree, ‘acer,’ and celebrates that:

• We are 100% Canadian-owned and independent.

We continue to operate without insurance carrier or foreign ownership. As a truly independent insurance brokerage, we provide professional, impartial advice and negotiate terms with the best interest of our valued clients in mind.

Our name has changed, but the same local team you know and trust continues to serve the insurance needs of people, families and businesses across Vancouver Island.

• We are deeply rooted on Vancouver Island.

We have lived, worked and supported our local communities for more than 55 years — and we continue to do so, with four locations across Vancouver Island.

The same team you know and trust remains committed to serving the insurance needs of people, families and businesses across the Island.

• We keep growing to offer more.

By combining our strength and stability with that of our colleagues across Canada, we are bringing greater value and highly specialized expertise to Vancouver Island. We are particularly excited to be sharing with local businesses our expanding expertise in providing competitive and costeffective employee group benefits and retirement savings solutions.

• We are backed by a strong team of employee owners. Acera Insurance is the only Canadian brokerage to be widely owned by its employees. As employee owners, our team is empowered to make local decisions, and is also dedicated to nurturing lasting relationships with our clients by focusing on their longevity and success.

• We have an expansive reach and can serve complex needs. With access to more than 100 insurers and specialty underwriters, we work with our clients to design customized, comprehensive insurance and risk management solutions that are specific to their unique needs.

As you can see, our new name represents our promise to serve clients with the utmost integrity.

Experience the Acera Insurance difference for yourself. Contact us today for your insurance and risk management needs.

Luke Mills and Laura Bolster

CONVERGE CONDO MANAGEMENT

Providing peace of mind to strata associations

Converge Condo Management is a strata management company with a specialty in finance, accounting and council governance. “We started in Edmonton, Alberta in 2015 and became the highest-growth strata company there with a high customer referral rate,” says Mark Donnelly, founder of Converge. “This is because our core purpose has always been to provide peace of mind to strata associations.”

“Our core purpose has always been to provide peace of mind to strata associations.”

Strata associations can often have subdued values due to the fear of surprise cash calls, or unpredicted increases in strata fees, but because Converge was founded by Chartered Professional Accountants (CPAs), they have superior financial processes to help strata councils improve their property values, relative to the market.

Says Mark, “The depth of experience in our leadership team around accounting and finance, with two of our core leaders coming from the “big four” accounting background, real estate and insurance, has kept our focus on learning and process improvement unyielding. We have proprietary applications and operating software which allow us to provide council transparency in an efficient manner, and clients also really appreciate that we have no related trade companies and a strict no-kickback policy.”

One such client is Carol Paul, strata council vice president at Tradition at Southbrook, who says, “As a council member, I’m delighted with Converge’s outstanding work revitalizing our finances. Their strategic approach secured a $260K energy-efficient grant, jumpstarting our sustainability efforts. Their expertise, dedication and results mindset have been key in steering our strata toward financial stability and environmental responsibility.”

In 2021, Converge expanded to Victoria with a mission to be the leader in organizing, optimizing and empowering shared ownership communities. They are looking to serve strata councils who are frustrated with the current market offerings or customer service levels and who have concerns about transparency around their strata’s financial position. As managing broker Jeremy Dalgliesh says, “We are experienced professionals who saw a very underserved market in Victoria and we knew we could help. In addition to that, given that we already serve many community members in Victoria through our core business, we are interested in connecting with leaders and organizations to ensure we can be additive to how they serve the local community.”

Mark Donnelly, Founder

Shannon Marcano, Divisional Manager, Projects (left) and Mahsa Jalali, Operations Specialist

VANCOUVER ISLAND ECONOMIC ALLIANCE

18th Annual State of the Island Economic Summit

What is the VIEA Summit all about?

This is the 18th year for the annual State of the Island Economic Summit. It’s really all about connecting the region of Vancouver Island and the rural islands to one another for collaborative opportunities and to hear where different regions are in terms of business and economic development projects and initiatives. Summit 2024 will be held in Nanaimo at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre. The key dates are October 23 and 24, which are a Wednesday and Thursday, but some activities and optional opportunities will be happening ahead of the event.

Can you give us an idea as to the structure of the events for 2024?

There’s an exciting new opportunity to come a day early on the 22nd to do some professional development, learning and engaging with other leaders in the region. Then for the main dates, Wednesday the 23rd and Thursday the 24th, we’ll hear from the different session panels — 20 sessions over the two days, each one being between 60 to 90 minutes long.

On Wednesday morning we will be showcasing different businesses and entrepreneurs, when people can meet

and greet and learn about cool projects and interesting entrepreneurs or startups in the region.

After the closing lunch on the Thursday, there will be the next step to the Action Labs from 2023. The feedback from last year’s labs was positive so we’ve decided to grow that style of engagement. This year the topic is “Vision 2050”; what we would like to see develop here in the region, how we can be proactive to work toward it and guide outcomes. We’ll ask where we want Vancouver Island to go in the next 25 years to achieve the thriving, regional and resilient economy that we’re all hoping for.

Is there an example project you can point to that was brought about because of some connections that were made at VIEA?

Over the years we discovered that there was a lack of regional data available, so VIEA started to work with our partners at MNP to produce the “State of the Island Economic Report.” It used to be printed but as of 2023 it transitioned to the Economic Dashboard which is accessible year-round, lives on the VIEA website and is updated quarterly. What kinds of people attend VIEA, and how does attending in person benefit them?

Each year about 600 people attend, including entrepreneurs, business leaders, elected officials and government staff, as well as people from the resource sector and notfor-profits. We have an increasing number of First Nation communities and leaders participating in the Summit, and we are continuing to foster this growing engagment. Summit delegates tell us that it is the event to attend for information and networking in the region.

How can people register, and do you look for volunteers?

Registration will open in late June with early-bird pricing until July 31. Registration will close one week prior to the event. People who want to volunteer to help execute the Summit can get in touch via email to julie@viea.ca.

Q&A with Julie Sperber, President of Vancouver Island Economic Alliance

A GUIDE TO

BY LIAM RAZZELL

“I hate networking.” You’ve likely heard this from business students, executives and fellow professionals alike. You may even have said it yourself from time to time. Although it may seem that some people have a natural passion for networking, for most of us it’s a learned skill and an important one.

Networking is all about building and maintaining mutually beneficial business relationships. Seasoned executives agree that it can help foster lasting connections and achieve professional goals. According to a 2017 LinkedIn survey of some 16,000 people from 17 countries, almost 80 per cent of respondents claimed that networking is essential for career advancement.

Whether you've never networked before or just need to improve your skills, here’s what the experts have to say.

GET CONNECTED

Where to start networking depends on where you are on your career path.

HOW TO BUILD THE CONNECTIONS YOU NEED FOR YOUR CAREER — AND WHY IT MATTERS.

If you’ve just graduated from college or university, start by adding your classmates on a networking site like LinkedIn. Message those you know personally. Ask them what they’ve been up to, and if what they do sparks your interest, follow up with detailed questions about how they landed the gig. This could lead to a few additional contacts. And, of course, be sure to reciprocate in kind.

If you're just starting a new job, connect with your colleagues. This is what Rick Cotton, an associate professor at UVic who researches developmental networks, did. “I looked at all the profiles of everybody in the faculty and got a sense of who had common interests with me, who I could connect with,” he says. “If you have a common interest, a common hobby, you live in the same neighbourhood, like the same sports team, come from the same university

these are all commonalities that you can extend and leverage.”

At any point in your career, joining professional organizations is a great way to make connections outside of work. When Michael King, an associate professor of finance at UVic, moved here from Ontario, he joined the Rotary Club. “Many of [the members] have been in the club for years and are pillars of the community,” says King, who, having lived and worked in seven countries, has decades of networking experience.

Organized to facilitate casual conversation and foster professional connections, mixers and meetups are great opportunities to start networking with professionals who work in a range of industries. So are social events, charity galas, sports competitions and other activities where professionals gather.

Online networking can also prove valuable, especially if you want to connect with people who live outside Victoria. “I think LinkedIn is the best

professional network,” says Cotton. “It’s massive around the world and you can always find people who are in your industry.”

Most of these networking options involve talking to or messaging strangers, which may make you anxious. But it doesn’t have to. “It’s all about that fear of rejection,” says John Espley, founder of Victoriabased business consulting company Connection Skills. “Anywhere you’re supposed to be networking or socializing that gives you unwritten permission to speak and to go and introduce yourself.”

STAY CONNECTED

What’s even more important than making connections is nurturing them, which means staying in touch, showing up to events and being available when a contact reaches out. “The more that people in your network get to know you and you them, the more you can help each other,” Cotton says. That means being available to help others just as you hope they will be there for you.

Even if you don’t need help from your network right now, keeping in touch with your connections can prove invaluable. “You can’t always anticipate when you’re going to need to switch jobs or careers or industries,” says Cotton. “You don’t know when you’re going to need that latent network … so nurturing it becomes important.”

Although some of the connections in your network may have nothing to do with your career or goals right now, it’s still important to stay in touch with them. “A contact that might not ever be in a position to do business with you directly might still be in a position to recommend you,” Espley says.

To stay top of mind with your contacts, Espley suggests reaching out to your connections quarterly or every six months; connect with them via LinkedIn or email, chat with them at work functions and mixers, invite them for a coffee and “like” their social media posts.

BUILD YOUR CONNECTIONS

Once you’ve started developing a network, you may find that yours isn’t working the way you want it to. And that means it may be time to rethink your connections. Start by looking at the density of

your network. Say you’re in search of a finance job. You email or call all your connections, asking them if they’ve heard of any relevant opportunities. But none of them have. “It could be that you’re not getting good ideas because all of your advisers know each other,” says Cotton. If that’s the case, you’ll need to make new connections, perhaps in different industries or other cities.

Next, look at the depth of your network. Is it better to have a few meaningful connections or a broad but shallow network with low support from lots of people? “Because people change jobs so frequently, it’s actually better to have a smaller, deeper network of people who know you,” Cotton says. These people will understand your personality, skills and interests, and have a sense of your goals and can better help you achieve your goals. Your network may also not be diverse enough. You may be missing contacts of different ethnicities, genders, ages and educational background, or who work in different industries, says Cotton. Diversifying your network can provide different viewpoints, opinions and perspectives. Networks that don’t work often lack connections who are senior to you in some way. People like this can provide opportunities that others cannot, like recommending you to other employers or providing valuable insights into hiring processes.

Lack of access to role models is another concern. “This often happens to women and people of colour,” says Cotton. “Sometimes it’s very hard to find someone who’s a role model for what you’re looking to do.” Do some research and connect with someone who does what you want to, even if they’re far-flung. They can help you define professional goals and the most generous of them can help you achieve them.

Finally, don’t forget that networking should be mutually beneficial. It’s about meeting people who can help you, true, but you also need to be available to help others with contacts, connections, advice and mentorship as needed. Besides, those mixers and meetups can actually be a lot of fun.

Who knows you may find you don’t hate networking so much after all.

10 NETWORKING TIPS FOR INTROVERTS (OR

ANYONE)

Search for people who can make a difference. The key to networking isn’t just about how many people you connect with, but rather the quality of people you bring into your network. Seek out individuals who have the capacity to make a difference in your career.

Search for connections online.

Professionals often use social media to build their networks. You probably already have people in your network with whom you can build deeper relationships.

Ask your colleagues for contacts.

If you currently work in an office setting you can ask colleagues about their own networks, and if they can connect you with others in your field.

Consider your passions.

What are you truly passionate about, even if it’s not in the industry where you currently work? If you work in finance, but have a passion for mental health, consider joining a networking group of mental health professionals.

Be willing to help first.

When you’re new to networking, be willing to support the careers of others in your network. The more you help others, the more likely they may be to help you when you need it.

Add value to your relationships.

If you’re contacting a new person to make a professional connection, spend some time researching them first so you understand what they do. This allows you to identify how you can add value to their professional life.

Go to networking events.

Attending informal networking events and meetups is a great way to meet new people and build valuable professional relationships. Look for networking events related to your industry or desired career path.

Develop an online presence.

Keeping your profile up to date and including all your experience, interests, education and qualifications can help you attract like-minded people and catch the attention of recruiters.

Stay updated.

Staying current on the latest trends in your industry can add value to the relationships you build through networking. Attend industry events and keep track of new technologies and trends in your field.

Focus on meaningful connections.

Building long-lasting professional relationships takes time. When you establish a rapport and develop a strong connection with a peer, you’re more likely to continue that relationship long term, which can benefit both of you.

Ingrid Vaughan, principal of My Smart HR and founder of the Smart Leadership Academy, provides HR support and leadership coaching to small-business owners and managers.

WHEN EMPLOYEES ARE TOUGH TO MANAGE

Part 1 Times have changed when it comes to being the boss.

Of all the shifts affecting businesses since the pandemic, the employee/employer landscape is one of the most significant. Employers feel like they’re walking on eggshells to avoid lawsuits, leaving conflict and performance issues unaddressed. Because managers are afraid, they avoid rather than engage with their teams.

What’s Changed?

• The continuing worker shortage leads companies to make desperate hires instead of cultural fits.

• Employees are increasingly savvy about employment standards law. As a result, employee litigation has increased dramatically in the last four years.

• Employees have higher expectations about their work experience and how they are managed.

• Workers are sharing their employment

experiences, especially on social media, and strategies on everything from how to manage a toxic boss to what you can and can’t sue your employer for.

The upside of this shift is that it’s forcing disengaged managers to grow their leadership skills. Blaming everything on “problem employees” is not helpful and leads to turnover. While it’s important to acknowledge these shifts, successful managers will need to adopt a more proactive leadership strategy, especially since the manager/employee relationship remains by far the most important factor in employee retention. Research has shown:

• 60 per cent of employees leave a company because of their relationship with their manager (SHRM);

• 83 per cent of employees feel positive about their work experience when the relationship with their manager is strong (IBM);

• Employees rate manager support as the most important aspect of company culture (Tandym Group).

Dealing with difficult employees is an unavoidable part of management. However, it can also be a call to arms to lead better. An article on insperity.com (“Dealing with Difficult Employees”) suggests:

“Take an honest look at how you’re managing your workforce to gain invaluable insight into why some of your employees are struggling and how you can help turn a negative situation around.” There may come a time when dismissing an

“There will always be people we’re naturally drawn to and those we find difficult to get along with.”

employee is the only option (we’ll cover this in Part 2 of this series). But, more often than not, good leadership practices create engaged, productive team members.

From

Problem Employee to Engaged

Worker

 1. Don’t ignore the problem

Toxic behaviours infect the morale and culture of your organization. A healthy, productive culture is the key to keeping employees engaged and excited about their work. If the team perceives you’re ignoring bad behaviour, it implies you endorse it, which could lead to some of your best team members leaving.

 2. Embrace crucial conversations

How you interact with your employees is more important than what you say. If the only time you ask to meet with them is when they’re in trouble, you create fear that erodes trust. If performance conversations happen frequently, with kindness and clarity, you’ll have better results. Balance corrective and positive feedback. Look for things people do well and offer genuine praise. Normalize difficult conversations with the view that conflict is the path toward improvement.

 3. Check your assumptions

There will always be people we’re naturally drawn to and those we find difficult to get along with. Recognize that how you feel about someone isn’t necessarily an accurate picture of the issues at hand. Assumptions lead to wrong conclusions. When we pursue understanding first, we often find we are looking at the wrong problem. Ask good questions to get at the truth rather than acting on your assumptions.

Let’s say Jennifer constantly rushes in late, frantic and frazzled. You assume she’s not managing her time well and doesn’t care about her job. An ultimatum based on your assumption to “show up on time or else” will diminish and alienate her. However, a caring conversation coupled with insightful questions may reveal she’s recently separated and struggling to get

her kids to school in the morning. A simple offer to shift her start time by a half hour reduces the anxiety she’s already feeling and creates gratitude and loyalty, addressing the real problem.

 4. Create clarity

Alan Willett, author of Leading the Unleadable, says: “Exceptional leaders are fearless in setting expectations in clear language.” Further, world-renowned author Brené Brown offers this poignant mandate: “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.”

When you’re dealing with significant performance or conduct issues, a written performance improvement plan (PIP) outlining the gaps and expectations is essential. It contains a description of where the employee is falling short, the impact it’s having on the team/organization, and a clear set of expectations for changes and metrics that need to be met. A follow-up date is also important as is a notation that clearly states the outcome if goals aren’t met (i.e. could impact the person’s future employment).

 5. Conduct frequent check-ins

All the energy you put into crucial, clear conversation is for naught if you don’t have a follow-up plan. Every performance conversation requires a “next” conversation. This lets the employee know you’re invested in their success and sets the expectation for accountability.

Document everything! A quick email to recap a brief clarifying conversation is sufficient for ongoing performance conversations. However, an updated PIP is essential for the performance management process.

“Know that excellence is achievable.” says Willet. “Be courageous and set the bar of excellence high. Provide the investment and belief in your people that they can learn how. The results will amaze your organization and your customers.”

Managing difficult team members is, well, difficult, but with a relationshiporiented commitment to supporting change, people can surprise you.

TIPS TO MAKE A DIFFICULT

CONVERSATION EASIER

Be bold:

Fear of hurting someone’s feelings can sabotage the conversation. While it might be difficult to receive corrective feedback in the moment, most people want to do their best and will appreciate a solutionoriented conversation.

Focus on facts:

Come prepared with examples of what has gone wrong, and specific goals that need to be met. It’s difficult for people to make changes if they lack concrete expectations. Avoid rabbit holes that can derail you from the issues at hand.

Manage your emotions:

Creating strategies in advance to keep your emotions in check when having difficult conversations is essential to success. Don’t get lost in polite banter that belies the fact that you’re meeting to talk about serious issues. Be direct and supportive. If the conversation becomes too emotionally charged for either you or the employee, take a break and reschedule.

Timing and setting:

Choose a private place where you won’t be interrupted. This will allow the person to respond as they need to. Make sure the timing is appropriate. Your bookkeeper won’t be able to process the conversation if they are in the middle of preparing a stressful month-end.

Danielle Smeltzer, founder of Awarely Embodied Leadership,

is a passionate advocate for trauma-informed leadership and progressive workplace wellbeing.

MAKE STRESS WORK FOR YOU

Good stress, bad stress: Here’s how to tell the difference

Stress needs a good PR firm. The court of public opinion is shouting, “Hey, ho. Stress has gotta go!” while shaking their angry emoji fists across social media.

And who can blame them?

For many, the last few years have been stress on top of stress. Never mind the pandemic. Between labour shortages, layoffs, the cost of gas and groceries, social and political unrest, and the great debate between remote and in-office productivity, it’s been a lot to handle.

It’s no wonder employees are reporting higher levels of stress and burnout. Statistics Canada found that 21.2 per cent of all employed people reported “high or very high levels” of work-related stress. Stress levels peaked at 27.3 per cent for health-

care and social workers, a parting gift from the pandemic. This impact on quality of life and overall health resulted in 2.4 days lost among employees over 12 months, which doesn’t bode well for Canada’s already diminished productivity rates.

Whether we’d like to admit it or not, stress is an inevitable part of work and life and can’t be avoided or eliminated. We can, however, shift how we think about stress, help repair its reputation and save ourselves in the process.

Good Stress

Yes, good stress exists! Stress, or activation, mobilizes us to focus, meet a deadline or come up with that big idea. Our pace quickens, we focus and we get a boost of energy to help cross the finish line.

It also helps keep us safe. As much as we’ve evolved, we are still hard-wired for survival. Activation helps us brake suddenly to avoid a collision or that hot cup of coffee we dropped rushing to a meeting.

Stress activates our nervous system’s sympathetic branch to pull us away from a perceived threat (our fight-or-flight response), which we can harness in small doses to give us that drive we need at work. In a regulated nervous system, we move smoothly between stress cycles of activation and deactivation countless times daily.

Bad Stress

We run into trouble with stress when we become stuck in an activated state. Imagine your stress as a radio with a broken volume dial. It’s blasting heavy metal, and you can’t turn it down or off. Bad stress happens when we experience too much activation for too long (such as the pandemic). Or we’re exposed to too much at once (like a new boss at work).

We know that good stress activates our nervous system by engaging a fight-or-flight response. But what if we get stuck there? Over time, we perceive even little things as threats, and we lose the ability to move smoothly between activation and deactivation (our on and off buttons). Our nervous system is constantly scanning for danger even an email can be distracting, even threatening. Unsurprisingly, this state takes a ton of energy. Hypervigilance can lead to exhaustion and, eventually, burnout. Not healthy!

Avoiding Burnout

Burnout happens when we get stuck in our parasympathetic branch (the off button). Ultimately, we get so overloaded that our system feels like the only way to protect us is to shut down, like an animal pretending to be asleep to avoid capture. We are immobilized, unable to make decisions and utterly overwhelmed. Also not healthy!

Stress isn’t inherently bad and can actually serve us we just aren’t designed to stay in an activated state for long periods. The next time you feel your pulse rising at work, get curious about how stress is showing up for you.

How do you notice it? (This could be changed behaviour, shifts in sensations, mood, energy levels, etc.)

• Can you identify it as good or bad stress?

• If it’s good stress, how could it serve you in a positive way?

• If it’s bad stress, what is contributing to this, and how can you intervene?

When we build awareness about how and when stress appears (both good and bad), we can intervene earlier, learn to avoid burnout and repurpose energy toward solving real problems at work. Three things to remember: adopt a positive attitude, focus on core beliefs and reframe the situation as something to be solved, not feared.

10-Year Official Community Plan

Update

We are updating the Official Community Plan (OCP) for Victoria to meet the needs of our growing population and address the housing and climate crises. Have your say on how Victoria can grow and change into the future.

One City. One Plan.

Learn more and take the survey engage.victoria.ca/ ocp

Jill Van Gyn-Carr is based in Victoria’s Blenkinsop Valley where she is raising her young family. She is the recently exited founder of Fatso Peanut Butter.

THE POWER OF WALKING AWAY

In business as in life, it’s important to know when to fold ’em.

The chorus of The Gambler by Kenny Rogers ran through my head many times during my career as an entrepreneur and business owner: “You gotta know when to hold ’em. Know when to fold ’em. Know when to walk away. Know when to run … ” The funny thing was, I never really got past those first lines until it was almost too late. This, in many ways, is the culture of entrepreneurship. The shrewdness of the holdout, keeping your cards close to your chest and making epic gambles that will surely pay off. In fact, most of that song is about knowing when to throw in the towel, cut your losses and walk away.

The Impending Exodus

There can be so much power in knowing when you’re done. According to a 2023 Financial Post article, 67 per cent of small- to medium-size business owners plan to exit in the next decade. In addition to retirement, many cite stress and burnout, the urge to step away from day-to-day responsibilities and mounting financial pressures resulting from the pandemic, supply-chain snarls and rising interest rates. The volatility that has reared its ugly head over the past five years has increased the pressures faced by entrepreneurs in managing growth, attracting talent, raising capital and bearing the rising cost of doing business.

It’s not just about exiting a business. The heady decision to let go of a career, an employee or a critical aspect of a business can offer so much freedom. Entrepreneurs often get stuck in the “push through the pain” attitude that locks them into ego-driven decisions or worse, indecision.

When I decided to exit my business, it was almost too late. There isn’t a day that goes by that I didn’t wish I had sold a year earlier. I recognized all the signs of a business that was reaching a point of fatigue: Everywhere I turned there was a difficult decision to be made based on gas prices, packaging, climate change, even geopolitics. Cash flow was inconsistent, debt was expensive and only afforded short-term relief, and growth wasn’t coming as easily as before. I was bogged down in financials, supply-chain issues, cost efficiencies and logistics. I remember getting off a call one day about how I had to buy up a huge amount of coconut oil because sunflower oil couldn’t get out of Ukraine and prices were expected to skyrocket (or not that’s the gamble), and I just thought, “This is untenable.” The business was no longer robust enough to weather a storm. Walking away was a powerful temptation. That once-round peg had become a square and it was time to move on.

When is “Too Late”?

Ceara Crawshaw of Pencil & Paper design echoes this sentiment, saying, “My big cue is when I’ve already applied the lens of ‘how can I adapt to this’ and I keep coming up with more and more complicated answers. I can’t figure out the root cause no matter how much logic I apply. This usually means that the fit just isn’t there.” The landscape is uncharted and businesses are becoming more challenging to navigate. It might not mean that the overall business is threatened, but

increasingly business leaders are having to find ways to adapt quickly or let critical aspects of their business go.

“When and how you leave is important,” says Kyle Vucko, co-founder of clothing company Indochino. Optics can be important and controlling your own narrative can be critical for leaders who are looking for a second act. “There are many off-ramps on that highway. But besides selling the business outright, replacing yourself can be a great way to make a clean exit.” In general, entrepreneurs have great love for the companies and brands that they have built and passing the torch can be a graceful and gratifying way to see the flame carry on.

Succession Planning

This is why succession planning, at any stage of your career or business, is key to that legacy. For me, it was important that debt was clear, suppliers and employees were paid and that the brand lived on with someone who could steward it into its next era. Working with a lawyer and a financial team put me in a strong position to ensure that both the brand and my reputation lived on and that I could leave on a high note.

Ann Squires Ferguson, CEO of Western Design+Build, is motivated by the legacy that she will leave behind for her leadership team. “Lifting up other women in construction means ensuring my senior leadership team intentionally develops all the skills they will need to take over Western from me when the time comes, even if that is likely still at least a decade out,” she says. “I’m the second female owner and Western is a tool for women to succeed in the design and building industry; it’s my responsibility to build it for the next generation.”

In the time since I’ve exited my own company, I’ve seen comparable companies hold on for too long, then lose it all. I’ve also witnessed leaders push through the pain by any means necessary, even if it means leaving destruction in their wake. Neither is a good option.

Holding those cards too close or making the big gamble can both be painful. If you built something great before, you can do it again, taking those hard-earned lessons and getting back out there. Often, particularly for first-time founders, “You don’t know what you’re saying yes to,” as Vucko reminded me at the close of our conversation. And that’s OK. That first hand in a long card game with experienced gamblers can be a doozy. That said, planning a graceful exit through thoughtful succession planning can ease the pain of folding your hand and walking away.

FIRST CLASS SECURITY FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Breitling Endurance Pro

Where Rolex is famous among divers, Breitling’s reputation comes from aviation. The company once produced cockpit clocks and even sponsored its own aerobatics team. Breitling can do both sophisticated and rugged. This lightweight chronograph is aimed at those with a “sporty lifestyle” and comes in vibrant pop colours. The case is made of Breitlight, a proprietary material that’s six times lighter than steel.

Rolex Submariner

Rolex’s founder, Hans Wilsdorf, was on to something when he made his company logo a crown. It has remained the king of watch brands for more than a century. The Submariner is Rolex’s most iconic design — the first diver’s watch to be waterproof to a depth of 100 metres (now 300 metres). Its major features, such as the rotatable bezel and luminescent display, have inspired the long line of diver’s watches that followed.

STYLISH WATCHES THAT MAKE A STATEMENT

From rugged

field watches to mid-century vintage

timepieces, here are five of our favourites.

Has your budget caught up with your taste? If so these rarified watches will not just tell the time and date, but reflect your style and personality. When you’re buying a high-end watch, you’re not just buying into the look but you’re buying into longevity, an investment that transcends time. All of these watches are available in men’s and women’s sizes.

Apple Watch Series 9

This is arguably the best smartwatch money can buy. It has the best operating system, WatchOS, with plenty of apps to help reduce the number of times you need to pull out your phone. It has the ability to process Siri requests, making it snappier and more private. You can tap two fingers to accept or reject calls, reply to messages and start or end timers.

Vintage

Pre-owned watches offer discounted luxury and a chance to express your own individual style. Example: This 1940's tank-style wristwatch by Patek Philippe with an original rose patina, Breguet numerals and subseconds at 6 o'clock. This particular watch has seen some history and carries a wonderful vintage feel. The engraving on back is dated to 1940 and reads "To A Real Pal, Joe and Harold".

Omega Speedmaster

Since 1894, Omega watches have timed everything from the Olympic Games to the Moon landing, and several James Bonds have worn them on film since 1995. It’s probably one of the most tested watches in the world, from shock absorption to magnetism. It’s a multi-functional, stylish watch and a quiet presence of authority in the room.

RUDI

Rudi’s goal isn’t to replicate grandfather’s dishes, but to make him proud.

Originally home to Sherwood (which closed last September), the stylish but cozy Rudi on Pandora Avenue across from City Hall is a sister restaurant to the popular Wind Cries Mary. The room features rich wood panelling, brass and marble accents, and hand-painted lighting intended to impart an old-school railway-car vibe. Rudi’s menu highlights ingredients from local farms, fishers, brewers and winemakers, seasoned with a touch of European style.

Rudi is short for Rudolph, a name inspired by owner Jesse Dame’s grandfather, an avid world traveller. He kept that love alive through the dishes he’d create, inspired by all the places he’d been. Says Dame, “I loved being in the

HATE THE TREADMILL?

kitchen, watching him work and listening to his stories. As soon as I could, I started travelling myself; trying new foods has always been the most exciting part for me.”

Just as at Wind Cries Mary, Dame wanted Rudi to be a place to come together and share food, drinks and stories. The menu is inspired by traditional European cuisine and beloved family recipes, but with tweaks and new ideas. Small plates include buratta (soft Italian cheese) with peach, anchovy, arugula and popcorn. Mains feature pastas such as gnocchi with braised lamb, cabbage roll with beef, pork belly, and bone marrow. The extensive and eclectic wine menu runs the gamut from Grüner Veltliner to Grenache.

“We want Rudi to feel like an old friend,” says Dame. “The one whose stories come alive at the dinner table over a bottle of wine. A place where people want to stay for a drink after dinner because they just don’t want the night to end.”

GET OFF THE BEATEN PATH

Trail running offers adventure, scenery and a softer landing for your feet and knees.

The beauty of trail running is that you don’t need a bunch of gear to do it. For a short run, It can be as simple as pulling on shorts and a T-shirt, lacing up a pair of running shoes and heading out the door. With that said, there are several considerations if you begin taking on higher mileage and more challenging terrain.

Get Off on the Right Foot

Trail-running shoes are generally beefier than roadrunning shoes and emphasize traction, cushioning and stability. Think of the difference between mountain-bike and road-bike tires. There is a range of shoes suited for everything from groomed trails to steep, rocky terrain.

Stay Hydrated

Water is a must for all but the shortest runs. Watercarrying options include handheld water bottles, waist packs or full-on hydration backpacks and vests with foodgrade plastic hoses and “bite valves.”

Dress for Success

Running wear, especially socks, should be made of moisture-wicking synthetics or merino wool rather than cotton, which is slow to dry. For cool or wet weather, a lightweight rain shell or windbreaker is advisable.

4 AREA TRAILS TO EXPLORE

Dallas Road (Easy).

This 7.1-kilometre out-and-back trail is a popular area for birdwatching, dog-walking and running, and you can choose to detour onto several beaches. An easy route, it takes about 1.5 hours to complete.

Alumni Chip Trail, UVic (Easy).

This 4.2-kilometre loop follows a flat gravel trail around the university grounds, and most of the forested trail is well-maintained and marked.

Elk Lake Loop (Moderate).

Several parking lots off the Pat Bay Highway give access to this leafy lakeside trail, one of the most popular trail-running spots in the region. Be prepared to share the trail with off-leash dogs, mountain bikers and horses.

Mount Finlayson (Difficult).

This 7.6-kilometre out-and-back trail in Langford winds through the woods until nearing the summit, then there’s a steep section that requires some scrambling. The reward is breathtaking views of Goldstream Park.

Rudi’s scallops and caviar: It doesn’t get any more flavourful or decadent.

YOU’VE GOT (SCAM) MAIL

Thanks to social media, messaging and artificial intelligence, scams and scammers are getting increasingly more sophisticated.

From fake CRA “agents” targeting taxpayers to phishing messages aimed at getting users to share their financial information, scams are on the rise across Canada. Some 1.75 million people across Canada and the U.S. visited the Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker last year. Their annual report confirms that scammers are getting more and more sophisticated, often aided by artificial intelligence.

The top three contact methods that resulted in a monetary loss were social media at 29.3 per cent (a rise of 63.8 per cent from the previous year), websites at 28.9 per cent and email at 18.5 per cent (a rise of 31.8 per cent). Older people were more likely to report losing money when targeted by phone or online classifieds. Younger people were more likely to be targeted by text or internet messaging.

The overall average loss reported by Canadians last year was $300. However, overall scam susceptibility (the percentage of Canadians who reported a monetary loss) increased 30.3 per cent.

How Scammers Get You

THE PROMISE: Getting a great deal, usually too good to be true.

URGENCY: The pressure to respond immediately, not letting people second-guess

SCAM TRACKER HIGHLIGHTS

The percentage of scam reports with a dollar loss (susceptibility) rose 30.3% last year.

the situation (the sale offer is time sensitive, and the price “can’t be guaranteed if you call back later”).

THREATS: Using intimidation tactics. (“You are under investigation; you will be arrested within one hour unless you call this number.”)

EMOTIONAL MANIPULATION: This is particularly prevalent in romance, grandparent and emergency scams.

ISOLATION: Attempting to force a decision without second opinions.

PHISHING: Pretending to be a trusted person or organization, with the goal of information theft.

Avoiding Scams: The Golden Rules

SLOW IT DOWN: Scams are often designed to create a sense of urgency. Take time to ask questions and think it through.

SPOT CHECK: Do your research to double-check the details you are getting. Does what they’re telling you make sense?

STOP! DON’T SEND: No reputable person or agency will ever demand payment or your personal information on the spot.

HAPPY HEARTS

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