Hundreds of workers may be moving from Victoria to Central Saanich
An economic boost could be coming to the relatively small community of Central Saanich.
Hundreds of workers may be migrating to Central Saanich from Victoria as a subcontractor for the B.C. government closes down its office in downtown Victoria.
The workers will be coming to a new office building on Keating Cross Road, though the exact number of employees has not been announced.
"Maybe as many as 500 employees coming out to the peninsula on a regular basis," said Central Saanich Mayor Ryan Windsor.
The news has been welcomed by local businesses, like Category 12 Brewing.
"My first reaction was excitement and pleasure," said Category 12 owner Karen Kuzyk.
The mayor says it's just the beginning of some long-term growth for Central Saanich.
"We're obviously, in some ways, into a 20 to 25 year plan," said Windsor.
A municipal study found that Keating Cross Road has room for 3,500 new workers over the next two decades.
A new overpass is also coming to the intersection of the Pat Bay Highway and Keating Cross Road, along with new road paving and rapid public transit.
"There's a lot of businesses on Keating Cross Road that are willing and able to absorb that," said Kuzyk.
Category 12 isn't the only business that's excited.
Adriana Ramirez, owner of Adriana's The Whole Enchilada, says she's excited about the prospect of more workers coming to the area.
"It makes me feel really, really good that I have to do a whole lot of burritos and enchiladas," she said.
With a mix of industrial operations and commercial businesses on the main strip of Keating Cross Road, bars and restaurants took a big hit during the pandemic, with many usual customers working from home.
But now it appears that business is on the upswing and it's welcome news for the community.
"It's concrete proof that there's growth in the right direction," said Kuzyk.
"The economy is growing, things are happening, people are getting back and it's good to be together," she said.
The mayor says the new provincial sub-contractor has been holding the office space since December, although it's unclear when it will move in.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.