Rising Economy Podcast

Family doctors are at the heart of Greater Victoria's healthcare system. However, in recent years, the doctor shortage has left many people without access to family doctors. In this episode of Rising Economy, we talk with Niki Bouchard, Retention & Recruitment Lead with the South Island Division of Family Practice, to find out how Greater Victoria ended up with such a shortage, what steps are in the works to improve the situation — and what still needs to be done to attract and retain more doctors for the region.

Join us for a fascinating talk with Carla Sorrell, Director of Design Victoria, a 4-day festival (May 9-12, 2024) celebrating Victoria's design community. Carla offers festival highlights plus insights into how design — from architecture to graphic, product and software design — shapes the economy and culture of cities, including the Metro Victoria region.

Since World War II, governments have largely relied on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to assess economic progress. Now, support is growing globally for a well-being approach to the economy where quality of life, greater equality and environmental protections are measured alongside traditional economic performance. In Episode 10, we talk to Chris Forester of the Island Community Mental Health Association and Emilie de Rosenroll of South Island Prosperity Partnership about measuring what matters.

With 13 municipalities on Southern Vancouver Island, inter-governmental collaboration is often seen as … well … complicated. But the desire to collaborate across municipal boundaries was alive and well at Local Leadership Day 2023, hosted by South Island Prosperity Partnership (SIPP). The event drew over 90 municipal leaders and key stakeholders together to explore solutions to local constraints to economic vibrancy. Join host Kerry Slavens and guests Steve Duck, Sidney Municipal Councillor, and Dallas Gislason, Executive Director, Community Economies, SIPP.

This episode of Rising Economy features an-depth interview with Jonathon Dyck of the Victoria Foundation exploring how Greater Victoria residents scored our region on key issues like health, housing quality of life and the economy in the latest edition of the Vital Signs report.

With more than 80% of our food coming from off-Island, only 20 to 30% of our farmable land in production, and only three days of fresh food available at any given time, Vancouver Island has a major food supply gap. In this Rising Economy podcast, we talk to three people working hard to fix the system — Darren Stott, Greenchain Consulting; Tom Hyde, Mill Bay Processing; and food systems specialist Dr. Patricia Reichert.

In this episode of the Rising Economy podcast, we talk with Darlene Hollstein, General Manager of The Bay Centre in downtown Victoria, B.C., about the challenges and opportunities facing retailers amidst urban changes, demographic shifts, a hiring crisis and a massive digital transformation.

Greater Victoria’s arts & culture sector is more than just “nice to have” — it actually contributes $800 million annually toward our GDP and employs over 10,000 people across the Capital Region. In Episode 5 of the Rising Economy podcast, we talk with Franz Lehrbass of the Royal McPherson Theatres Society and Dallas Gislason of South Island Prosperity Partnership about why we need to nurture the arts and culture sector for our region’s economic and social vitality.

Canadian women working full-time earn 16.1% less than their male counterparts. This stubborn gender equity gap affects us all — with major economic and social impacts. We chat with Jill Climie and Sophie Warwick of The Thoughtful Co about why the gap persists and their change-making approach to supporting women to negotiate fair compensation and advising employers on gender equity. Whether you're an employee, an employer — or anyone interested in social and economic fairness for all genders — this episode offers insights that can spark change.

The urban planning concept of 15-minute cities emerged to promote convenience, sustainability and community. This city design focuses on daily necessities such as work, shopping, education, healthcare and leisure being accessible within 15 minutes through active or public transportation.However, controversies and conspiracies have emerged around the concept. Separate fact from fiction for 15-minute cities in this podcast. Find out a few takeaways, including:How can 15-minute cities address accessibility?How will it impact the region's economy?What are common conspiracy theories around 15-minute cities?Hosted by Dallas Gislason and Ben Wagg (SIPP), our panelists included:Carrie Smart | Architect, Cascadia ArchitectsRay Straatsma | Principal Consultant, RStreets Urban StrategiesCameron Scott | Manager of Community Planning, District of Saanich