TIMES COLONIST | timescolonist.com
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2019
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We have a tremendous opportunity Mark Twain wrote: Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime. Many of us have taken this to heart. International tourist arrivals have increased from 25 million globally in 1950 to 1.32 billion in 2017. More than 10,000 people visit the Mayan Riviera every day — an area where there are no established recycling programs. The impacts of tourism on wildlife and habitat, water, climate and humans cannot be understated. Canada is receiving an increasing
DENNY WARNER Executive Director, Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce
share of the tourism pie. 2018 was a record year with arrivals reaching 21.13 million. Visitors love us because we have stunning scenery and are seen to be clean, green, safe and relatively affordable. The cruise ship industry contributes significantly to our area’s tourism economy. According to the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, 212 ships carrying 440,000 passengers arrived in 2010; this increased to 243 ships and 640,000 passengers in 2018. The Saanich Peninsula is the gateway to Vancouver Island for millions of visitors each year who arrive by air and ferry. For many years, communities losing
their industrial base were encouraged to develop tourism as a “green” economic diversification strategy. Tourism has evolved in many ways that are not clean, green, sustainable or ethical. Anyone who has visited Venice lately can attest to the impact of overtourism. As responsible hosts, we have a duty to be aware of and accountable for our impact on the environment and the community. We have an obligation to educate visitors about our expectations around limiting energy and water consumption, the four Rs of recycling, and about our culture and customs. We have a tremendous opportunity on Vancouver Island, to lead the world
in offering travel experiences for visitors who are mindful of their carbon footprint and are seeking sustainable tourism options. If you are interested in learning more about sustainable tourism, consider attending the third IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism forum on Jan. 19 to 22, 2020 in Victoria. The laudable goal for this conference is to align the Canadian tourism industry, stakeholders and communities touched by tourism, behind a vision to achieve economic, social and environmental sustainability. Registration information is available on the events page of our website. peninsulachamber.ca
Agri-tourism on the Peninsula his month, we briefly review a vital and core Peninsula Industry sector that is definitely under the awareness radar, i.e., agriculture, food processing and agri-tourism. Recently, a Saanich Peninsula focused agri-tourism initiative funded by the Canadian Experiences Fund through Western Economic Development (tiny.cc/s5uyfz) was approved and will soon be implemented. The program was applied for and will be led by Destination Greater Victoria, who received significant support this past spring during the application process. Supporting contributions to this initiative included CRFAIR (Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable). This program will have both a leisure marketing component to drive travellers, and also a capacity building and training component to help industries who are
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interested to learn about and prepare to meet the demand for the very lucrative conference and incentive travel business segment. For example, representative companies that reflect this burgeoning agri-tourism industry include Country Bee Honey Farm (countrybeehoney.ca), 10 Acres Farms & Restaurants (10acres.ca/bistro) and the Fickle Fig Farm Market (theficklefig.ca). We have spent the last several years examining issues specific to the manufacturing sector on the Peninsula, includuing affordable workforce housing, skilled trades and transportation options. I will focus numerous upcoming articles examining agri-tourism, the exciting and burgeoning new industry sector on the Peninsula, understanding and explaining what they do and how these advocacy issues impact their operations. John Juricic. Phone: 250-812-8827.
Mary Winspear Centre Events REX MURPHY
The Winspear Speaker Series presents the final speaker of 2019, CBC commenRex Murphy will perform at tator Rex Murphy on Saturday, Nov. 23. the Winspear Canadians were treated to weekly Centre Nov. 23. commentary from Rex on CBC’s The National, along with his Saturday column in the National Post. He’s acted as an editorial contributor to CBC Radio’s Definitely Not the Opera. For over 20 years, he was the host and moderator of CBC Radio’s Cross Country Checkup. The show brought over one million listeners, and at times 15,000 callers wanting, to join in discussions. Audiences can expect to be simultaneously informed and entertained by Rex’s provocative commentary. He knows what makes Canadians tick and what drives our
SHAUN MAJUMDER HE’S BACK! The Mary Winspear Centre presents comedian Shaun Majumder with his newest standup show, ‘HATE’, on Friday, Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m. Host and Gemini award-winning actor and comedian Shaun Majumder hails from Burlington, Newfoundland (population 350). He starred in the Farrelly Brothers Fox comedy Unhitched in 2008 before his Comedy Central Presents special debuted. He’s since appeared on 24, Cedric the Entertainer Presents, and was one of the principle cast members of This Hour Has 22 Minutes for years. His documentary series, Majumder Manor, told the story of his dream to transform his home town into a high-end, sustainable tourist desti-
nation and ran for two seasons on the W Network. Film credits include Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, The Ladies Man, Pushing Tin, Purpose and Bob Funk, and he’s hosted the Just for Laughs comedy festival TV series for three seasons. He currently splits his time between Los Angeles, Halifax and Newfoundland. In HATE, Shaun uses his quick wit to tackle distressing themes of intolerance and prejudice with unrelenting humour. In this must-see show, no topic is safe. Shaun will shine a light on a world run by viral videos, hate-filled tweets, racism and even his own careers controversy’s. Don’t miss this no-holds barred dissection of the current times with comical spin. Tickets on sale now at the Mary Winspear box office. Shaun Majumder will perform at the Winspear Centre Nov. 22.
political and social affairs. Rex makes us important and reminds us we have culture beyond hockey. His thought-provoking, sometimes stinging commentary and original insights are delivered through a vocabulary to make Webster’s consider updating. A Rhodes Scholar, Rex was born and raised in St. John’s, Nfld., where he graduated from Memorial University. He went to Oxford University, along with former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Rex later ran twice in provincial elections and lost both times. Maybe he was too honest? As a keynote speaker, Rex radiates intelligence and trustworthiness. His endearing style brings forth a sarcastic intellect and deep insight into issues affecting individuals and businesses.
JOHN JURICIC Labour Market Consultant
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