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Letter of Support

Details

Dear Council Members,

We are writing to you today to express our strong support for your continuing efforts to provide the Greater Victoria market with additional employment lands.

Through discussions with many of my colleagues, partners and from personal experience, the Greater Victoria market is one of the most difficult markets to secure industrially oriented space in North America. Greater Victoria has experienced exponential growth in the past half decade and has thereby benefitted from heightened awareness from the international business community and their corresponding desire to service this market. Some of the largest employers of the world now have a desire to operate out of the Greater Victoria market, though increasingly such, we are seeing them decide that opening a facility simply isn't possible. This is mostly due to availability, but also because of overall cost.

The Greater Victoria Market has the lowest vacancy in all of North America, with the highest costs to rent. This dynamic is stifling the potential for economic growth and drastically limiting the availability of high paying, skilled employment opportunities. Further expansion of employment lands for industrial businesses represents a vital opportunity for the creation of quality, sustainable jobs, improvements to the local supply chain and ultimately, assistance in the recovery of BC's economy.

The expansion of Greater Victoria's employment lands, specifically in Langford with its ability to service the mid and north Island, is necessary to ensure that Greater Victoria grows to its full potential while enhancing self-sufficiency, sustainability, and affordability.

We greatly appreciate all of your efforts to assist in this proposed project coming to fruition and look forward to seeing it approved in the near future.

Jesse Kliman

Chief Executive Officer
Colonial Countertops