Victoria making positive economic recovery from COVID-19 pandemic: city report
The City of Victoria is out with the second of its quarterly reports called ‘Building Back Victoria.’ It paints a rosy picture of downtown Victoria’s economic recovery after a dismal 2020.
“There’s a story out there and the numbers tell a bit of different story,” said Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps.
The story is that downtown Victoria businesses are struggling to make it out of the pandemic and there is a perception that people are not coming downtown anymore.
The report shows that is not exactly true.
“What we’ve seen this year over last is an improvement in just about every indicator,” said Helps.
Data collected from the Park Victoria app shows a 40 per cent increase in people parking downtown in May, June and July over the same months in 2020. Pedestrian traffic is also up 44 per cent over last year.
“More people are coming downtown,” said Jeff Bray, executive director of the Downtown Victoria Business Association. “We can see that through the number of people walking the streets through our pedestrian counters.”
“The parkades are busier, the parking meters are busier,” he added.
With tourism making a comeback this summer, Zingaro Floral Perfumery on Johnson Street saw some good summer sales numbers. It wasn’t just tourists that were coming in either.
“I’ve seen what I felt was a lot more people from the suburbs actually coming into the city, which was wonderful to see,” said owner Palma Cafolla.
The report also paints a positive economic picture for entrepreneurs and developers wanting to invest in the core.
Business licences issued in 2021 were up 55 per cent over 2020 numbers and were actually up over 2019 numbers as well. Building permit applications were also up this year, 26 per cent higher than 2020.
Hotel occupancies are also up, as are film permits.
It’s not all roses though. The increase in crime downtown during the pandemic has been acknowledged by both police and the city.
The complex problems of homelessness and addiction have been very visible and businesses have had to dig into their already depleted pockets to beef up security.
Also, the normally reliable government crowd is still largely working from home.
“Mostly it’s the office workers that we miss a lot,” said Glen Lynch, owner of Baggins Shoes on Johnson Street.
Baggins has been in operation in Victoria for 50 years. Lynch says on the weekends there is a lineup to get into his store due to pandemic safety restrictions. Those lineups are still hurting his sales.
“We have lineups at the door and can’t service everybody, so sometimes we lose a few people because of the restrictions from the pandemic,” said Lynch.
That of course is out of the hands of mayor and council. Overall, the report shows numbers that speak against the narrative that downtown has had its day and is now on the decline.
“I’m going nowhere,” said Cafolla. “This building downtown is so beautiful and I think I wouldn’t want to be nowhere else but downtown.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
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.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
'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.
Arrest made, manslaughter charge pending in 2022 death of Calgary toddler
Calgary police have arrested a man and a charge is pending in connection with the death of a toddler in 2022.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Some customers steaming after McDonald's ends free hot drink sticker program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Prince William returns to public duties after wife Kate's cancer revelation
Prince William will return to public duties on Thursday for the first time since his wife Kate revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer.