Rising Economy: Retail in Revolution

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.

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.

Why the Pay Gap for Women Persists (and Why it’s Not Good for Any of Us)

Join the Rising Economy podcast with guests Jill Climie and Sophie Warwick of The Thoughtful Co to find out 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 Fact & Fiction of 15-Minute Cities

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.

Untangling the Housing Crisis

We explore the perfect storm that led to today’s housing crisis – from supply chain issues to inflation, high land prices, bureaucracy and backpedalling – and we talk to panelists with bold ideas for solving the crisis.

This new podcast series is a feature of SIPP’s Rising Economy branch, which hosts our annual, award-winning Rising Economy Conference.

For Childcare Month in May, the Rising Economy Podcast talks to childcare providers and experts about the socio-economic importance of early childcare education, how $10-a-day childcare has impacted the system and what changes are still vital to ensure accessible, affordable and well-funded daycare in Greater Victoria.

The Lockdown Generation: How Do Youth Rebound from Crisis — and Thrive?

The pandemic heavily impacted all of us, including GenZ-ers just starting out their adult lives and careers. From the mental health strain of lockdowns to school closures and work layoffs, COVID-19 disrupted the prospects of a generation. Our panel explores how we can help this generation to deal with the economic and social fallout of the pandemic to give them the best chance of thriving.

Vital Conversation: How Can We Afford to Live Here?

The cost of living continues to rise on southern Vancouver Island, leaving many people to wonder how can we afford to live here? The cost of home ownership has risen exponentially. Food prices continue to climb. The cost of childcare has many parents making difficult decisions. These are just a few examples. Join our Vital Conversation, presented by Coast Capital, about how we can make life more affordable in Greater Victoria.

Is Higher Education Preparing Us for an Uncertain Future?

In a time of sweeping societal and economic changes, accentuated by the pandemic, we host a thought-provoking discussion with the presidents of Greater Victoria’s three post-secondary institutions about how colleges and universities are evolving to address an uncertain future.

Indigenous Intellectual Property & the Story of the Cowichan/Salish Sweater

From time immemorial, Indigenous peoples have been creating and developing original designs, songs, artworks and products, such as the Cowichan/Salish sweater, within the context of their cultures, societies, economies and traditions. Unfortunately, too often these works have been appropriated for monetary gain by non-Indigenous people and corporations, with no acknowledgement or compensation for the creators of these works. Using the fascinating story of the famous Cowichan/Salish sweater as an example, our panel discusses the challenges and solutions for recognizing and protecting Indigenous intellectual property.

How Can We Heal Our Healthcare System?

Canada’s healthcare system is facing massive pressures. A perfect storm of challenges has resulted in a lack of family doctors, ER closures and critical bottlenecks throughout the entire system. The crisis is not only impacting our health. It’s also hampering our ability to attract and keep talent in the region — and that’s causing symptoms in our economy. Our panel explores the healthcare crisis, its impact and how we create real solutions.

What’s the Verdict? Can Impact Investment Humanize Capitalism?

There has been massive growth in ESG and impact investing as conscious investors seek ways to create benefits for society and the planet alongside financial returns. Our panel tackles the big questions: How impactful is this form of investing and does it really have the power to humanize capitalism?

Powering the Future: From Hydrogen to Wave Power

As the search intensifies for clean alternatives to fossil fuels — from wind power to green hydrogen — our expert panel takes a deep look at what is both possible and practical — and how we speed up innovation to meet critical net-zero goals.

The Pacific Swell: The Rise of B.C.’s Blue Economy

Canada is a nation flanked by 3 oceans and nearly 250,000 km. of coastline, more than any country in the world. Its potential in the ocean economy — or blue economy — is enormous. As efforts intensify to establish and grow Canada’s Pacific hub for the sustainable blue economy in Greater Victoria, we talk to a panel of local and cross-Canada experts to explore our future as a blue economy nation, from coast to coast to coast.