Thursday May 7, 2020 ~ VICTORIA | WEST SHORE
Insights by Mary Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce took the lead. And now four new Chambers in the region have also signed up as members of the South Island Prosperity Partnership (SIPP).
The newest SIPP members are the Westshore Chamber of Commerce, Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Esquimalt Chamber of Commerce, and Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce.
Representatives from all five Chambers of Commerce are involved with the SIPP’s Rising Economy Taskforce, which the organization says is the largest non-government initiative in the region addressing the COVID-19 economic recession.
“Chambers have an essential role in ensuring the voice of our region’s businesses are incorporated into economic recovery efforts,” said SIPP CEO Emilie de Rosenroll.
Now 60 members strong:
“Today marks an important milestone for us. SIPP is an incredible alliance of more than 60 public and private partners, and we can now say that we welcome all the region’s Chambers to be part of a broad effort to accelerate our economic recovery,” said de Rosenroll.
Membership services vs broader view:
This sudden rush to join SIPP comes at a time when Chambers — usually a power in their own right — are choosing to collaborate with a more broad-strokes non-profit organization, probably seeking strength in numbers during the stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic. It shows cohesion of thought, if only for the benefits of reduced overhead during the COVID-19 pandemic when the resources of time, energy and funds are impacted for most businesses and organizations.
Businesses are by nature focussed on themselves, and the ilk of Chambers has for decades been about serving their members, with less thought or inclination to the broader ethos of how business is an overall pulse in the community. It will be be interesting to see if SIPP can be a means to an end for the strength of business recovery during the upcoming phases of economic recovery during the pandemic.
The pandemic is expected to last until at least the fall of 2021 (based on having a vaccine or cure for COVID-19). Meanwhile, Restart BC was launched yesterday by Premier John Horgan, by which the BC government will aim to guide socioeconomic recovery through a series of phases, with guidelines for businesses, organizations, individuals and communities.
About SIPP:
The South Island Prosperity Partnership (SIPP) describes themselves as an alliance of over 60 public and private-sector partners in Greater Victoria, including 11 local governments, nine First Nations, three post-secondary institutions, nine industry associations and nonprofits, and more than 30 major employers.
“SIPP works to bolster our region’s economic and social prosperity. This will happen by catalyzing the creation of high-quality, household-sustaining jobs, so that more families can afford to live, work and build a life here,” it is stated on their website.
The SIPP mission is to facilitate and promote the development of a strong, diversified economy on South Vancouver Island, creating a more collaborative region and a vibrant place to work.
===== About the writer:
Mary Brooke has been an entrepreneur, publisher, journalist and thought-developer for decades. Her company Brookeline Publishing House Inc owns and operates West Shore Voice News. Over the years, she has been a member of the Victoria Chamber, Sooke Chamber and West Shore Chamber. She is the editor of West Shore Voice News which produces insight-journalism about the south island region.