Monday May 25, 2020 ~ LANGFORD, BC [List of speakers updated June 10, 2020]
by Mary Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
Every other year the West Shore Chamber of Commerce gathers together for what they deem to be the leading edge leadership of the municipalities in the region broadly encompassing Langford, Colwood, View Royal, Metchosin and Highlands.
The last time this event happened (in 2018) it was pre-COVID, so it occurred in real time, in a room packed with people at the Olympic View Golf Course in Colwood with a buffet dinner and lots of crowd mingling.
There was also a similar pre-pandemic networking-style event back in 2016.
Mingling during COVID-19:
Now deep into the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 (Phase 2 of Restart BC seeing people only barely emerging from cubby holes of self-isolation, still mostly working from home or not working at all), people are still aiming to practice the physical distancing that is ordered by the Provincial Health Officer (PHO).
The PHO’s order doesn’t mean you can pack 50 people into a room. The 2-metre (6-foot) distancing requirement must still be achieved. Big spaces, fewer faces. [The full order – PDF download]
In that context, most of the business community is sticking to online platforms for its networking and gatherings for the time being, given the limitation of crowd gatherings to 50 people.
Online networking and teleconferencing has caught-on big-time since March 2020, as a way to continue the pulse of business and community communications.
That now includes the bi-annual local issues panel called Vision WestShore as hosted by the WestShore Chamber of Commerce.
Speaker lineup shines a light on political shift:
Vision WestShore this year shifts away from a bullet-proof lineup of municipal mayors; in 2018 that was Stew Young from Langford, Carol Hamilton from Colwood, David Screech of View Royal, John Ranns representing Metchosin, and Ken Williams of Highlands.
There might be less emphasis on business (the main role of any Chamber of Commerce) as seen through the municipal lens, and more on directions in politics at various levels.
However, the municipalities have a lot on the go … Langford has recently changed its city centre zoning and by necessity (during COVID) is pivoting away from promoting itself as a national sports capital, Colwood is struggling with a zero tax increase due to COVID while trying to promote its friend-of-the-environment ethos, Metchosin is holding on tight to its under-5,000 population advantages, and View Royal continues strong with its range of housing options and attention to recycling issues.
This year on June 11, the 2020 visioning event will feature panelists of a broader scope including school board and councillors. It also possibly indicates where the power-shift is, notably including the school board and MLA-level presence.
This year’s panelists:
This year’s Vision WestShore panel lineup is: City of Colwood Mayor Rob Martin, City of Langford Acting Mayor Lillian Szpak (formerly posted as Councillor Norma Stewart), District of Metchosin Mayor John Ranns, View Royal Mayor David Screech, District of Highlands Mayor Ken Williams, and Sooke School District SD62 Chair Ravi Parmar.
Moderating the panel this year will be Mitzi Dean, MLA for Esquimalt-Metchosin and BC’s Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity.
This sees a step back from the balanced municipal approach as was previously produced by a five-mayor panel and opens the platform to the school board and provincial weight (Parmar also works full time for the BC Government, and Dean is top-level as a Parliamentary Secretary).
Perhaps this shows a redefinition of the non-jurisdictional ‘west shore’ handle (it’s a region-based concept for which there is no official governing body), to include more than municipalities. Municipalities run the ship — they collect taxes and set bylaws.
However, in this neck of the woods on south Vancouver Island a great deal of municipal interest intertwines with the SD62 school district (where the student population continues to grow by about 400 new students per year), and no doubt the provincial political influence in entwined as well (particularly as the premier is the MLA for the Langford and Higlands chunk of it all, while MLA Dean has Colwood, Metchosin and parts of View Royal under her purview).
Tickets and getting registered:
In their promo for the $25 tickets for this event (members $20), the WestShore Chamber says about their event: “This popular event creates a space for community members and key representatives from municipalities to dialogue around the future of the WestShore and provide valuable insight into how we can shape our community.”
They go on to say about their panel for 2020: “Now more than ever, it’s good to talk.” Questions will be accepted in advance and on the night of the event online.
The live online event is scheduled to run 6:30 to 8:30 pm on Thursday June 11.
==== Editor’s Note:
The WestShore Chamber says they don’t see a need for ‘media callout’ for this event (which is interesting, given that one local media outlet is a sponsor), but West Shore Voice News readers can be assured that we will be covering this event in detail for how it matters to business, taxpayers, political trends, and being of service by providing a balanced media coverage. If you would like to suggest some questions that we should ask as media, please write to: news@westshorevoicenews.com
