People, privacy and prizes

People:

Dianna Plouffe has been appointed Oak Bay’s director of corporate services. She previously was the chief administrative officer in Smithers.

Deb Schenk is the new executive director of the Sooke Chamber of Commerce, succeeding Britt Santowski. Schenk served as the South Vancouver Island Shoebox for Women coordinator for the past five years.

Five new people have joined the VIATEC board. They are Robert Cooper from PlusROI Online Marketing, Jennifer Hartfield from BCI, Darin Herle from Cosmogence, Corey Scholefield from Workday, and Glynnis Vaughnan from Alacrity Canada.

Privacy:

British Columbia’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) came into force 30 years ago. The legislation provided British Columbians with privacy, and access to information rights and established the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner.

Commissioner Michael McEvoy says the legislation gave us a right of access to government information and put public bodies under a legal obligation to protect our personal information that they held.

He also says that FOI and privacy rights build trust between public bodies and the people they serve. Access to information contributes directly to a better informed and actively engaged citizenry.

Prizes:

Airports Council International – North America has given Victoria Airport Authority the annual award in the Environmental Improvement with Limited Resources category for its Pollinator Garden Project.

The council recognizes outstanding achievements in the categories of Environmental Management, Mitigation, Innovative/Special Projects and Outreach/Education/Community Involvement and Environmental Improvement with Limited Resources.

In the Conde Nast Traveler 2023 readers’ choice awards, Victoria was named the best small metropolis to visit this year. It was followed by San Sebastian, Spain, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, in second and third place, respectively.

This year, Conde Nast voters also placed Vancouver Island as the fourth best island in North America to travel to, outside of the U.S.

A final note: A reminder that face masks are again mandatory in health facilities. Yes, sad to say, COVID has been making the rounds again – and we are getting into cold and flu season as well.

If you have nugget or two that you would like to share, please let us know! Send leads to Bizleads@timescolonist.com.

Dave Obee
Editor and Publisher
Times Colonist


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