Welcome to this week’s Sunday Briefing. In this issue:

A quick note: Our team is taking a holiday break—we’ll be back in your inboxes on January 11. We hope you have a lovely end of 2025!

Now on to today’s briefing.

-Emily, [email protected]

By the way, if you're not already subscribed, you can fix that here.

VanHack CEO Ilya Brotzky argues that unnecessary red tape is costing B.C. jobs, growth, and global competitiveness.

As David Eby looked around the room of tech leaders, I saw my opening and shared my biggest gripe with the B.C. economy: The need for a foreign worker recruitment license. 

He listened intently, nodded his head and took down a note. Now, let’s see what happens. 

This was last month, when I had the chance to visit Victoria and meet with many B.C. government leaders, including the Premier himself with the Council of Canadian Innovators. 

It was an educational experience and my hopes for change are lower than before the visit, so I’m writing this letter to spread the message and hopefully drive real change in how our government operates.  

The issue I hope to change is that right now, B.C. requires companies to obtain a Foreign Worker Recruitment License before they can hire international talent. That process currently takes 15 weeks or almost four months! For a startup founder or a fast-growing tech company, 15 weeks isn’t a waiting period, it’s the difference between winning and losing in a global market. And it’s leading to millions in lost GDP and tax revenue for our province. 

Keep reading»

SPONSORED BY PHS COMMUNITY SERVICES SOCIETY

The housing crisis is forcing people across the city into homelessness.

Supportive housing provider PHS Community Services Society has launched a $100,000 Holiday Season campaign to help people of all ages in Victoria and Vancouver.

Donations to PHS provides housing, meals and community supports to people in crisis.

Please give today.

🇨🇦 Made in Canada: The federal government implemented its Buy Canadian Policy requiring priority for Canadian suppliers and domestically-produced steel, aluminum, and wood in federal procurement, with the changes applying immediately to contracts over $25 million and extending to $5 million contracts by spring 2026.

🔬 Moving on up: The University of Victoria climbed to 18th place in Research Infosource's ranking of Canada's top research universities, jumping two spots from 2023 with sponsored research income rising 20.3 per cent to $168,000 and leading all comprehensive universities in faculty research intensity.

💼 Money, money, money: Victoria entrepreneur Rob Fraser reported that his DTC company Outway finished November up 105 per cent year-over-year with multi-seven-figure sales, crediting a year of creative testing, product expansion, and margin optimization that positioned the business for strong holiday performance.

🌿 New from Mateína: A zero sugar, organic yerba mate that delivers clean, balanced energy — no crash, no weird ingredients. Just plant-powered fuel that works.*

_Sponsored

Find your next career:

Hiring in Victoria? Reply to this email and let us know!

Have something or someone we should know about?

Reply or email [email protected] so we can work together to spotlight the lesser-known stories of Victoria's tech ecosystem.