Chamber Blog Posts
Ambassador to Canada from the People's Republic of China
Mar 5, 2024The Ambassador to Canada from the People’s Republic of China made a brief visit to Kelowna from Ottawa last Monday and Tuesday, visiting students from China at both Okanagan College and UBC Okanagan. Cong Peiwu and his staff hosted a local g...
Read MoreUpdates to Securing Small Businesses Rebate Program
Mar 5, 2024The Province is making changes to offer a smoother and faster application process to help businesses access funding to offset the costs to repair and prevent vandalism to businesses, in consultation with the BC Chamber of Commerce. &ldqu...
Read MoreOP-ED: Recognizing Immigrants' Credentials (from Vancouver Sun)
Feb 26, 2024The following in an excerpt from an opinion piece published in the Vancouver Sun, Feb 21 2024. B.C.’s International Credentials Recognition Act removes barriers to skilled immigrants in 29 regulated professions. We can, and should, build on ...
Read MoreBC Minimum Wage Increases June 1 2024
Feb 26, 2024B.C.’s lowest-paid workers will get a pay raise when the general minimum wage increases from $16.75 to $17.40 per hour on June 1, 2024. This represents a 3.9% increase, consistent with B.C.’s average rate of inflation in 2023. T...
Read MoreBC Government Continues Support for Fairs, Festivals, Events
Feb 14, 2024Province of BC providing $15 million in one-time grants. BC-based events will receive more government support for sustained recovery in response to calls from this sector for help. “Fairs, festivals and events are the heart of our co...
Read MoreOkanagan College Recognized as a 'BC Top Employer'
Feb 13, 2024Kelowna Chamber congratulates Okanagan College (OC) in being recognized as one of the province's top employers, as announced today. For staff at Okanagan College, having a job in a place where there is a strong sense of connection to community...
Read More2024 BC Chamber Week: Feb 12 - 16
Feb 8, 2024In recognition of the important work that Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade undertake to support economically competitive and sustainable communities and regions, Feb 12-16 has been declared Chamber of Commerce Week in BC. Thank ...
Read MoreCanadian Chamber Launches Canada - U.S. Engagement Initiative
Feb 6, 2024Business opportunities to increase ties with U.S. counterparts and policymakers. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Perrin Beatty announced the launch of a new Canada-U.S. Engagement Plan aimed at providing Canadian businesses oppo...
Read MoreRotary Centre for the Arts Top 3 Finalist for a 2024 BC Tourism Industry Award
Feb 5, 2024The Rotary Centre for the Arts (RCA), a Kelowna Chamber member, has been selected as a Top 3 Finalist for a 2024 BC Tourism Industry Award in the Remarkable Experience category. The 2024 BC Tourism Industry Awards will be presented at the Awards Gala...
Read MoreBusiness Data Lab Report: A Portrait of Small Business in Canada
Feb 1, 2024Adaption, Agility, All At Once. On January 29, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Business Data Lab released its latest report in collaboration with Amazon Canada, highlighting the new reality for small businesses in Canada’s post-pandemic ret...
Read MoreGreat Okanagan Waste Reduction Challenge
Jan 31, 2024Kickstart this year with a commitment to reduce waste and sign up for the Great Okanagan Waste Reduction Challenge. GreenStep* is challenging the Okanagan Valley -- from Osoyoos to Vernon -- to significantly and measurably reduce the amount of was...
Read MoreCEBA Repayment Deadline Jan 18: our thoughts
Jan 16, 2024The CEBA business loan deadline of Jan 18 is seeing many businesses moving their loans to their respective financial institutions – for refinancing if not paid off. Businesses have until the end of March to conclude those new loan details which...
Read MorePersonal Protection Privacy Act: essentials for your organization webinar Jan 30
Jan 11, 2024How much do you know about British Columbia privacy laws? For small businesses, navigating these waters can be overwhelming. Some are familiar with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPP) which applies to more than 2,900 "...
Read MoreBDC: What Entrepreneurs Can Expect in 2024
Jan 9, 2024Pierre Cleroux is the Vice President of Research and Chief Economist for the BDC. Back in November 2023, we invited him to address a fully engage crowd at our Speaker Series as he unpacked the latest updates for our global, Canadian, BC, and regional...
Read MoreCanadian Centre for Policy Alternatives: Top 100 CEO Pay Report
Jan 2, 2024For their January 2, 2024 report on CEO pay in Canada, the CCPA chose the title "Canada's New Gilded Age". And in the early hours of a new year, the country's top executives will have met the income of the average Canadian worker. W...
Read MoreQ4 2023 Canadian Survey on Business Conditions Report
Dec 20, 2023On December 14 we joined the Canadian Chamber of Commerce's Chief Economist Stephen Tapp and Senior Director Patrick Gill of their Business Data Lab for a special Quarterly Briefing. The team spoke to some of the key findings from their in-depth ...
Read MoreOP-ED: A Road Warrior Talks About Retail Therapy (and chocolate)
Dec 14, 2023I’ve been seeing folks wearing red fluffy Santa hats lately in Kelowna. Even though we don’t have reindeer, the Okanagan – especially at holiday time – is a great place to live and to give a helping hand to local business and ...
Read MoreNew Dean to join Okanagan College's School of Business
Dec 12, 2023Kelowna Chamber member Okanagan College has announced that Joe Baker has been named the new Dean of the OC School of Business. Baker spent nearly 15 years in academic leadership roles at George Brown College and Centennial College. Over the last ...
Read MoreThank You Dr. William (Bill) Gillett, OC School of Business
Nov 30, 2023The Kelowna Chamber would like to extend a heartfelt thank you and sincere best wishes to Dr. William Gillett on his retirement as Dean of the OC School of Business. Bill (as we know him) has been an advisor on our Board of Directors since 2020, and&...
Read MoreNeed People? Take the Hire Youth with Disabilities Survey!
Nov 29, 2023Calling all employers! Young people (aged 15-30) with disabilities want to work, yet they remain an under-utilized part of the labour force. In 2022, CanAssist at the University of Victoria issued a survey to 463 young people with disabilities fro...
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