What your election candidates would do for Victoria businesses

Welcome to this week’s Midweek Memo. In this issue, read about more big news for ImmunoPrecise Antibodies, a new partnership for Certn, and a better website for the City of Victoria.

Now onto today’s briefing. It’s 706 words: a three-minute read.

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From Capital Daily, Victoria Tech Journal’s sister publication:

On Wednesday, the Downtown Victoria Business Association (DVBA) brought NDP, Green Party, and Conservative candidates for Victoria Beacon-Hill face-to-face-to-face to discuss topics ranging from tourism to public safety.

Held at the Victoria Conference Centre and moderated by Gregor Craigie, host of the popular CBC radio show On The Island, the meeting featured veteran MLAs Sonia Furstenau of the Green Party, the NDP’s Grace Lore, and Conservative newcomer Tim Thielmann.

The DVBA’s invite was for "business owners and operators [who] want to know how the candidates in Victoria-Beacon Hill plan to address the challenges of and opportunities for the area.”

Over the nearly two and a half hours of intense discussion, the candidates didn’t disappoint. Spotlighted throughout the evening was a broad range of policy topics that directly impact the lives of Victorians, including parking, pedestrian spaces, and bike lanes; fixing downtown; and how businesses need better support, lower taxes, and less bureaucracy.

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📰 More Victoria innovation news

🔬 It’s science: ImmunoPrecise Antibodies (IPA) signed a Material Transfer and Evaluation Agreement with Chinese company Biotheus to work on developing new antibodies for the treatment of hypoxic solid tumors for cancer patients.

🤝 Let’s stay together: Certn, a company providing online background screening, announced a new partnership with Canadian HR tech company VidCruiter. It’s been a big month for the Victoria-based giant — last week, Certn was also named sixty-third on the Globe and Mail’s ranking of Canada’s fastest growing companies.

👀 I can see clearly now: The city’s official website, Victoria.ca, just got better thanks to local developer Upanup. The site now has an activities sign-up solution that prioritizes user experience, accessibility, and mobile responsiveness.

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🕴️Tech jobs of the week

Find your next career:

• IS27 Senior Developer (Application Services) at Advanced Solutions

• Quality Manager at Quester Tangent

• Manager, Technical Talent & Bids at AOT Technologies

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📅 Upcoming events

October 17 | Five-Week Series - Climate Resilience for Technical Professionals

This workshop series blends knowledge from the technical and social sciences, including systems engineering, environmental philosophy, climate psychology, and deep ecology. The sessions will provide you with practical tools and frameworks for embedding climate action into your daily actions and decisions.

Certificates of completion are available for participants who complete at least four to five workshops. This workshop series can be counted towards engineering continuing education hours.

October 23-34 | 18th Annual State of the Island Economic Summit

Join an action-packed two-day journey of learning, inspiration, and connection. The annual summit is a must-attend event for business owners, community leaders, and aspiring entrepreneurs in the region. From thought-provoking action lab workshops and breakout sessions to dynamic networking opportunities, engage and collaborate with like-minded individuals that share your vision for Vancouver Island’s economic future.

November 15 | UVic’s Biomedical Engineering and Health Technology Showcase

UVic’s annual event brings together researchers, students, industry, and government agencies to talk about what’s new and exciting in biomedical engineering and healthtech. This year’s speakers include Dr David Juncker, Jessica Vandenberghe, Scott Phillips, Dr Nick Dechev, Dr Mike Berger, and Annelise Lapointe. The event will also include a research and industry fair, BioInnovate Pitch Challenge, and poster showcase.

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