IN THE KNOW:
In conversation with Canada’s new Chief of Defence
Our April/May issue featured an interview with General Jennie Carignan, then Lieutenant-General, exploring her rise to become Canada’s top ranking military official, and the impact she hopes to make. Read it here.
Construction begins at Belleville Terminal
Phase one of Belleville Terminal’s construction project has begun. It involves developing a temporary terminal along with wharf upgrade advances throughout the summer.
The temporary terminal enables uninterrupted ferry service between Vancouver Island and Washington state. Modifications to the CPR Steamship Terminal building and the Blackball building will accommodate continued Canadian Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection services.
Phase 2 procurement is ongoing and is expected to wrap up by late 2024. Phase 2 construction activities, expected to begin in 2025, include the demolition of the existing Clipper terminal, construction of a new pre-clearance terminal building with modern border security standards, and the replacement of aging wharf facilities.
The upgrade will bring the Belleville Terminal into compliance with the Canada-U.S. Land, Rail, Marine and Air Transport Pre-clearance Agreement, and will streamline travel by allowing passengers to complete the customs and immigration process in Victoria prior to disembarking in the U.S.
The terminal is an important driver of regional and provincial economic growth. Travellers spend approximately $174 million annually, generating $268 million in economic output and $155 million in provincial GDP.
The Province is working with the Songhees Nation and Esquimalt Nation to identify opportunities to showcase the cultural and geographical significance of the project’s location and welcome visitors into Lekwungen territory.
The project is expected to be completed in time for the 2028 tourism season.
Royal Roads receives unprecedented gift
Royal Roads University has received a transformative gift valued at $9.93M from the Bloom Canadian Alter Ego Trust 2020 that will yield expansive programming for the Salt Spring Island community and beyond. It is the largest donation in the university’s history.
The gift includes two exceptional acreages on Salt Spring Island featuring waterfront gardens, an orchard of heritage fruit trees, an architecturally significant house, outbuildings, and a foreshore lease, located near Beddis Beach.
The property will benefit the Salt Spring Island community, RRU students, faculty and staff and the broader academic community. The gift also includes significant financial resources: $5.268 million in funds ($4.6 million of which will be endowed) for the ongoing maintenance and immediate improvement of the lands, and its activation through programming and events.
This contribution was made by the late Susan Bagley Bloom, an environmental philanthropist and pioneer in land conservation and regenerative sustainability, and a long-time resident of Salt Spring Island.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
AUGUST
August 10: The Five Chamber Business Mixer en Blanc
SEPTEMBER
September 5: Westshore Chamber of Commerce Mixer
September 17: Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce Mixer
September 19: Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce Mixer
September 21: Hungry Hearts Gala
September 30: South Island Powwow
OCTOBER
October 23 – 24: VIEA Economic Summit
NOVEMBER
November 14: Ecostar Awards
