March 12 - Victoria chef feels cooked by Canada's immigration laws

Good morning !

Today, our Robyn Bell tells the story of how inconsistent immigration regulations can be unfair to hardworking people who want to be Canadians.

Sidney Coles brings us up to speed on BC Ferries’ search for internet service.

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

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NEWS

Victoria restaurants finding new immigration policies tough to swallow

Recent changes to Canada's immigration strategies—limiting the number of temporary and permanent residents—have created uncertain futures for many employees in Victoria restaurants, an industry that historically has relied on foreign workers. 

Dino Osmanovic—head chef at Roast, a locally owned sandwich shop in the Victoria Public Market—moved to Victoria in 2021 to establish a new life and eventually bring his wife and four young children from Bosnia and Herzegovina to join him. He wanted a safer life with more opportunity for his kids, and he was told that if he worked hard and paid his taxes, he could bring his family along. He's been here for more than three years and in that time has only seen his kids twice. 

Now, he's been told his family can't join him because of new immigration restrictions. Fewer temporary and permanent residents are approved, and Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA)—which businesses apply to to prove the need for hiring a temporary foreign worker—have been limited, with workers unable to stay on them for long. The bar to transition to permanent residency has been raised higher, making it more difficult for experienced restaurant workers to get PR status. 

For restaurant operators in Victoria, it's causing a strain on their staffing and businesses, with employees forced to stop working while paperwork is processed. They say there isn't a big enough pool of experienced workers here to fill the jobs. For those with temporary work status, it's creating uncertainty about their life in Canada.

Find out more about the effect changed immigration has had on Victoria's restaurant industry by reading Robyn Bell’s story here. 

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

‘Blood worm moon’ tomorrow night. [It’s a full moon]

Bears have begun waking in some areas. See this guide to preventing encounters.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

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NEWS

BC Ferries considers anchoring its telecoms to DOGE Capt. Elon Musk’s satellites

BC Ferries is looking for a reliable internet connection for crew and eventually for passengers, whose access to the Net was discontinued in 2021 because it was slow and unreliable.

Elon Musk’s Starlink network of 7K+ satellites—part of his SpaceX division—is known for its low-cost, high-speed internet with low latency or lag time and remains a viable option.

Starlink has already gained considerable traction in the cruise industry, with major lines like Royal Caribbean and Carnival using the service. BC Ferries has been testing it out on some of its northern routes.

But Musk’s chainsaw-fuelled persona as pilot of the fledgling US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been bad for business. His crude, bull-in-a-china-shop cuts to the American civil service and non-elected presence in the Oval Office have created a backlash against the billionaire and his companies. There have been protests at Tesla locations, and his Cybertrucks have been hit with everything from Mardi Gras beads to Molotov cocktails.

The Ontario government recently cancelled a $100M deal with Starlink, leaving many wondering whether BC will follow suit. Last month, BC Premier David Eby said no provincial Crown corp would do business with Starlink. BC Ferries isn’t a Crown corporation—it’s an independently managed, provincially owned company.

Read Sidney Coles’ full story here. 

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🏈 BC Lions-Calgary Stamps Langford pre-season game sells out in 12 minutes.

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🍁 Buy Canadian. Boo American. [Grocery list]

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⚓ CFB Esquimalt business leaders meeting. Tomorrow 3:30-5pm.

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🗞️ In Other News

Proposed 192-unit project in Central Saanich clears latest hurdle
The two four-storey buildings would be built at Hovey and East Saanich and would feature affordable rentals for seniors, veterans, and health-care workers. It also would annex the adjacent Legion Manor. Supporters celebrate much-needed housing, but opponents say they would rue changing the district’s Official Community Plan (OCP) to allow multi-unit residential buildings in neighbourhoods zoned for single-family homes for fear it would open the floodgates to more concentrated housing development. [CHEK]

Ruptured gas line closes downtown businesses between View and Fort
Fortis BC said it had to close off Vancouver between Yates and Fort and that several businesses had to shut down well into the late afternoon when a gas leak was discovered around 9:30 yesterday morning. Someone was digging and hit a line, FortisBC said. “A lot of these gasline damages that we see are preventable,” FortisBC spokesperson Nicholas Insley told Capital Daily. “I think it’s about 90% of these are preventable if people follow the proper safety practice.” That means calling or clicking BC 1 Call before digging, he said.

BC prescribes trade-war tactic to attract US doctors and nurses
Health Minister Josie Osborne says she sees opportunity in the political chaos unfolding under US President Donald Trump’s nascent administration. “Now is the time,” she says, for American health-care professionals to come to BC as it fast-tracks their credentials. Osborne says the province is working with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC to quicken the process for qualified professionals to be licensed in BC without the need for further assessment or training. [MSN / CP]

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🗓️ Things to do

🍷 Wine and Chocolate Tasting: Experience a curated pairing of BC wines and locally crafted chocolates. Artisan Wine Shop. Today. 5:30pm. [Info]​

❓ Trivia Night: Join this game that will test all of your random knowledge. Spinnakers. Tonight. 7pm. [Info]

🎭☠️ Out of Sight, Out of Murder: A tale of mystery and suspense. A murder in an old mansion, performed by St. Luke's Players, who’ve been entertaining Victoria audiences since 1948. Tonight-Sat. St. Luke’s Hall. 7:30pm. [Info]

🎸 The Great Divide: Celebrate the musical legacy of The Band, with a tribute performed by The Great Divide. Hermann’s. Tomorrow. 7pm. [Info]

🎶 Stephen Fearing and The Sentimentals: See the renowned Canadian songwriter with Danish indie-folk band The Sentimentals. Mary Winspear Centre. Tomorrow. 7:30pm. [Info] 

🩰 Ballet BC: See choreography from internationally revered performers. Royal Theatre. Fri. & Sat. [Info]

💡City of Langford’s Ideas Fair: Residents, non-profits, and businesses can speak with city staff and subject matter experts and give feedback on community planning strategies. Langford Legion. Sat. 11am-2pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Tuesday’s headlines: Federal government sinks orca protection order; Cleanup in the Capital on Sat.; Hudson’s Bay may shutter half its stores. [Mar. 11]

Drones could help find people, say Island rescuers. [Times Colonist]

Ontario rolls back electricity tariffs as Trump increases threats. [CBC]

Trump pauses tariffs again: USMCA talks to begin tomorrow. [CNN]

Remains of missing BC teen identified 18 years later. [Vancouver Sun]

Crows and crocuses: See the flowers blooming in Summit Park. [Richard Steward Facebook]

Lil’ lovebirds: Male Anna’s hummingbird courts a female in Saanich. [Facebook photos]  

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