| Member | Organization |
|---|---|
| Aaron Stone (Taskforce Chair) | South Island Prosperity Partnership |
| Terry Gunning (Board Chair) | South Island Prosperity Partnership |
| Chris Theeparajah | Export Development Canada (EDC) |
| Paul Nursey | Destination Greater Victoria |
| Robert Lewis-Manning | Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) |
| Elizabeth Brown | Victoria Airport Authority |
| Bruce Williams | Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce |
| Julie Lawlor | Westshore Chamber of Commerce |
| Al Smith | Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce |
| Frank Bourree | South Island Prosperity Partnership Board Representative |
| Sandra Richardson | Victoria Foundation |
| Kevin Hall | University of Victoria |
| Janice Johnson | University of Victoria — designate for President Kevin Hall |
| Philip Steenkamp | Royal Roads University |
| Rebecca Lumley | Royal Roads University — designate for President Philip Steenkamp |
| Richard Stride | Camosun College — designate for President Lane Trotter |
| Golriz Fattahi | Alacrity Foundation |
| Chris Massot | Alacrity Foundation |
| Dan Gunn | VIATEC |
| Rory Kulmala | Vancouver Island Construction Association (VICA) |
| Leah Bell | Urban Development Institute — Capital Region (UDI) |
| Spencer Walker | CIBC |
| Kelly Bissell | RBC |
| Sophia Pugh | Scotiabank |
| Ryan Gerwing | Island Savings Credit Union |
| Mark Collins | FRS (Victoria Clipper) |
| Ryan Burles | Blackball Ferries (COHO) |
| Lt (N) Wilson Ho | Canadian Forces (CFB Esquimalt) — designate |
| Adam Taylor | MNP |
| Linda Geggie | Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable (CR-FAIR) |
| Peter van Dongen | MNP |
| Mike Stubbing | Doane Grant Thornton |
| Tara-Lee Novak | Vancouver Island South Film & Media Commission |
| Darlene Hollstein | JLL (The Bay Centre) |
| Adam Olsen | Tsartlip First Nation |
| Dallas Gislason | Lead, Taskforce Secretariat |
Securing Greater Victoria’s Prosperity.
Unleashing Our Potential.
Rising Economy 2025
Rising Economy 2025
Rising Economy 2025
Rising Economy 2025
The Rising Economy Taskforce is a coalition of business and community leaders who have come together to explore actions to safeguard Greater Victoria’s prosperity and unleash our region’s potential in the face of economic uncertainty due to the actions of the Trump administration and other economic threats.
With every crisis comes opportunity. The Taskforce will assess the impacts on businesses, industries and the economy, plan for economic stabilization, and chart a way toward greater economic resilience. By coming together now to stabilize our economy, we can use this crisis to spark meaningful actions that reduce our vulnerability.
A new report by the Rising Economy Taskforce, convened by the South Island Prosperity Partnership (SIPP), says that without urgent and coordinated action, the region’s economy risks falling further into stagnation. However, Igniting Momentum stresses that these challenges are not insurmountable. With extraordinary assets, including a thriving tech sector, world-class tourism, a burgeoning ocean-tech economy and a globally recognized quality of life, Greater Victoria has the tools to turn volatility into opportunity. Check out the full report here.
Rising Economy Taskforce Priorities
Seize opportunities
that align with federal, provincial and municipal goals, unlocking funding and policy support.
Build resident confidence
by showing response effort coordination by community and business leaders.
Identify actionable interventions
in response to the tariffs and other geopolitical shifts.
Understand our vulnerabilities
including where tariffs and an uncertain economic environment will hit our region hardest.
Reduce duplication of efforts
by bringing government program leaders, business organizations and financial institutions together to coordinate.
Champion a diverse economy
by encouraging investment in emerging industries such as life sciences and the blue economy.
Who is Involved?
Meet the leaders shaping Greater Victoria’s economic future:
Updates
- October 29, 2025 SIPP’s Dallas Gislason gives an overview of Greater Victoria’s Economy and the Rising Economy 2030 5-Year Action Plan. Watch the full video.
- September 23, 2025 A new report by the Rising Economy Taskforce, convened by the South Island Prosperity Partnership (SIPP), says that without urgent and coordinated action, the region’s economy risks falling further into stagnation. However, Igniting Momentum stresses that these challenges are not insurmountable. With extraordinary assets, including a thriving tech sector, world-class tourism, a burgeoning ocean-tech economy and a globally recognized quality of life, Greater Victoria has the tools to turn volatility into opportunity. Check out the full report here.
- July 16, 2025 The Government of Canada has released an updated Canada-US Relations Fact Sheet for July along with a infographic explainer on Canada-US Trade Balances.
- June 5, 2025 The Rising Economy Taskforce released preliminary findings, showing that Greater Victoria is at an economic crossroads but full of potential. Read preliminary findings.
- June 2, 2025 The Government of Canada has circulated an updated Fact Sheet on Canada/US relations. It has facts and figures detailing our economic, political and geographic ties. Find it here.
- May 27, 2025 The Rising Economy Open house drew 90+ people from many sectors across the region to provide feedback on 7 concepts being considered to guide Greater Victoria’s economy and harness our potential.
- May 26, 2025 The third meeting of the Taskforce focused on reviewing and approving key messages and status update for release from the Taskforce, along with reviewing 7 conceptual proposals that are being considered to guide Greater Victoria’s economy toward a more vibrant future.
- April 28, 2025 The second meeting of the Rising Economy Taskforce centered around approving the Terms of Reference for the taskforce work before diving into economic and survey analysis on the region’s economic state, including vulnerabilities and strengths.
- Taskforce Meeting #2 Notes – April 28
- Taskforce Meeting #2 Slides
- Presentation 1 – MNP Economic Report
- Presentation 2 – Colliers Market Reports for Office, Industrial and Retail
- Presentation 3 – Consultation Results to Date
- March 31, 2025 First meeting of the Rising Economy Taskforce brings together 28 leaders from Greater Victoria businesses, business associations, nonprofits and post-secondaries to set the direction for the Taskforce and approve the Terms of Reference.
- March 5, 2025 SIPP announces the launch of the Rising Economy Taskforce 2.0 to an audience of 260 business and community leaders at the Rising Economy 2025 Conference. See news release.
- February 14, 2025 SIPP launches public survey as part of a public and business engagement process toward a new five-year economic plan for Greater Victoria.
Roadmap
Process
The Rising Economy Taskforce 2.0 builds on the proven process of the first Rising Economy Taskforce, convened in April 2020 by South Island Prosperity Partnership as Greater Victoria’s response to the economic uncertainty of the pandemic.
To find out about the process of the Rising Economy Taskforce, download the Terms of Reference.
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Rising Economy 2030 is an initiative of
We are deeply grateful to be doing our work on the territories of the Coast Salish peoples. These are the Lək̓ ʷəŋən speaking peoples (Xwsepsum [Esquimalt] and Songhees Nations), the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples (SȾÁUTW̱ – Tsawout, BOḰEĆEN – Pauquachin, W̱ JOȽEȽP – Tsartlip, W̱SIḴEM – Tseycum and MÁLEXEȽ – Malahat Nations, and the Scia’new Nation (Beecher Bay) and T’Sou-ke Nation.
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