Victoria sees signs of economic recovery with surge in film, building permits
The City of Victoria says it's cautiously optimistic about the municipality's economic recovery as B.C.'s COVID-19 reopening plan continues.
While downtown visits and the number of new business licences issued in Victoria plummeted in 2020 during the pandemic, those sectors are beginning to trend upwards once again, or even exceed the same months in 2019 and early 2020 before the pandemic began.
The city says it considers the number of new business licences it approves an indicator of community confidence in the economy. Between February and April 2019, the city issued 600 new business licences. During the same time this year, the city issued 620.
Meanwhile, the number of film permits the city has issued has skyrocketed in 2021.
From January to April in 2020, before the pandemic was declared, the city issued 15 film permits. During that same time period in 2021, the city issued 58.
Earlier this week, the Vancouver Island Construction Association told CTV News there was a construction boom happening across the South Island, with the association predicting a 30 per cent increase in building permits issued this year over 2020.
The association says it anticipates a record year, and Victoria city staff say the current pace of major development applications in the first six months of 2021 is the highest they have ever seen.
"The increase in the number of film permits and the value of construction are good indicators of how attractive Greater Victoria is to people wanting to do business here," said Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce CEO Bruce Williams in a release Friday.
"We see in the data that people are generally returning to typical activity," he said.
As restrictions continue to ease in B.C., the city will be keeping an eye on pedestrian counts in the downtown care and hotel occupancy, which are both still well below total counts in 2019, before the pandemic began.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.