IN THE KNOW:
Root Cellar announces new ownership
Adam and Daisy Orser, founders of The Root Cellar, have sold the business to their employees. In a post shared on Facebook, Daisy wrote: “Almost 18 years ago, with two little boys tugging at our hands and a newborn strapped to our chests, we moved across the province to Victoria and planted the seed of a wild little dream to feed the community. With your support, that seed has grown into something far bigger and more extraordinary than we ever imagined.
Today, as our boys are grown and stepping into their own new seasons (college, careers and marriage), it feels like time for us, too, to start writing a new story.
We wanted to ensure it remains rooted in the same values, culture, and customer experience you know and love. For these reasons, we’ve chosen an employee ownership model — where our incredible team, the very people who’ve poured their energy into this place day after day, now have the opportunity to share in ownership of the business they’ve helped build, alongside Teamshares Canada.
Teamshares Canada is a company devoted to keeping successful small businesses like ours locally led and independently operated, while introducing a long-term employee ownership model that begins immediately and grows over time — ensuring that our legacy continues to thrive in the hands of those who live and work right here in the community.”
From its original McKenzie Corner “country mouse” market founded in 2008, the company has grown into a multi-department operation with over 200 staff, adding a floral and garden shop (The Potting Shed), a full butcher and deli (The Chop Shop), The Coffee Project, and a second “city mouse” location at Cook Street’s Oxford Corner in 2021.
The Root Cellar has been repeatedly recognized in Victoria’s “Best of the City” awards, earning the No. 1 spot for “Best Produce” in 13 of the past 14 years. The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce named it New Business of the Year in 2009 and Business of the Year in 2012, awarded it Outstanding Customer Service & Sustainable Business Practices in 2016, and in 2021 honored Adam and Daisy Orser with the Chamber’s Business Person of the Year award for their leadership and community impact.
The owners say they plan to take a break to recharge before embarking on their next chapter.
VIATEC announces new recipients of BOOST funding
Six Victoria-based, high potential technology ventures have been selected to receive assistance to implement high-impact projects totaling $1,034,275, receiving investments of $290,000.
The ventures are Atomic Crayon Web Development Ltd., Goverly, GreenBirdi, Sepura Home Ltd.. Synergy Enterprises and WikiSleep Ltd.
In addition, existing projects for Care2Talk and Fast Movn were extended based on their success with their projects so far and demonstrated need.
BOOST supports local startups and scale-ups that show high potential by connecting them with expert advisors, targeted resources, and customized growth plans.
Qualifying companies are selected through a comprehensive screening process that assesses their growth potential, leadership team, market opportunity, and readiness to scale. Those selected receive funding to implement self-designed growth strategies – giving them the flexibility to focus on what they need most, whether that’s hiring, product development, customer acquisition, or operational improvements.
The Government of Canada, through Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan), is supporting VIATEC with a $2.5-million investment to deliver BOOST through the Business Acceleration Pilot (BizAP), which aims to accelerate job creation and long-term economic impact in the region. Recipients receive up to $45,000 in investment to implement their personalized growth plans to expand into new markets.
“BOOST is quickly proving what we hoped it would: when you give high-potential companies targeted support at the exact moment they need it, they grow faster and strengthen the entire tech community,” said Dan Gunn, VIATEC’s CEO. “These founders already have traction — our job is to remove barriers, open doors, and help them scale right here in Greater Victoria. With each new round, we’re seeing more local companies turn expertise into jobs, revenue, and global opportunity.”
Combined with the first two series, BOOST has now backed 23 projects, driving more than $2.8 million in expansion activity with $850,000 in investment. Application intake for the next BOOST round will open in February, 2026.
DVBA and City of Victoria announce new initiatives to support business, public safety
The DVBA, in partnership with the City of Victoria, Victoria Police Department and the Downtown Residents Association has launched the Neighbour Network, a grassroots program to strengthen downtown safety and communication.
Currently piloting on Fort Street, the network helps businesses share real-time safety updates, connect with neighbours and access resources quickly.
The City is also still working on prevention, intervention and enforcement solutions to meet the community’s safety and wellbeing needs.
In its latest newsletter, it describes new programs to connect outreach workers with unhoused residents, enhanced daily cleaning and garbage removal in the downtown core, new officers in Community Safety and Bylaw Services to connect vulnerable residents with outreach and support services, investigate complaints, provide visible presence and conduct enforcement and an expanded Victoria Police presence downtown focused on community safety and targeted enforcement.
It has also announced the return of the Downtown Holiday Parking Credit. Visitors downtown can use the promo code JOY in the ParkVictoria app to get up to $6 off parking. The one-time parking discount is valid December 1-13 at City-owned parkades, lots and on-street spaces.
Camosun Innovates and Sheet Metal programs forge collaboration
A new partnership between Camosun Innovates and the college’s Sheet Metal apprenticeship program will bring advanced design and fabrication tools into the shop, enhancing students’ hands-on experience.
“Our collaborative efforts give students access to high technology and new opportunities to use computer-aided design software like AutoCAD and Autodesk Fusion to create flat patterns for their shop projects” notes Dallas Dolgopol, Sheet Metal Program Lead, in a media release. “Instead of laying it out by hand with a compass and ruler, they can now use a CO₂ laser cutter to cut their flat pattern templates.”
In Camosun Innovates’ Interurban campus lab, which is home to many advanced manufacturing technologies including Western Canada’s largest collection of 3D scanning equipment, Sheet Metal students gain exposure to state-of-the-art tools. This integration aligns with SkilledTradesBC curriculum requirements and equips students with technology skills they’ll use in the workforce.
Camosun Innovates’ mandate is to enhance the capacity and productivity of small-to-medium-sized businesses in the region. The unit also supports on-campus learning and has previously collaborated with programs in mechanical engineering, electronics, computer science, interactive media, visual arts, and fine furniture.
New agreement supports inter-provincial trade
A new national trade deal led by B.C. will make it easier for Victoria businesses to sell goods across Canada starting December 2025. The Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement (CMRA) removes a major layer of red tape by ensuring that, with some exceptions, a product that meets B.C. rules can be sold anywhere else in the country without additional approvals.
Under the CMRA, all provinces, territories and the federal government agree to recognize each other’s regulatory approvals for goods, except food, covering everything from manufacturing inputs and health technologies to clothing, toys, industrial products, tires and vehicles. Instead of navigating thousands of differing rules across 14 jurisdictions, a business will generally only need to comply with home-province requirements, with any exceptions clearly listed.
For Greater Victoria manufacturers, tech companies and consumer-goods producers, the agreement could cut compliance costs and speed up time-to-market when expanding into other provinces.
Economic analysis cited by the Province suggests mutual recognition could boost Canada’s GDP by up to 7.9%, unlocking as much as $200 billion annually, driven in part by productivity gains from reduced regulatory delays.
The CMRA grew out of a B.C.-proposed and chaired national initiative under the Committee on Internal Trade and builds on the province’s Economic Stabilization (Tariff Response) Act, passed in May 2025 to expand interprovincial trade tools. It aligns with B.C.’s Look West plan and Trade Diversification Strategy, which aim to reduce reliance on the U.S. market and grow export opportunities, supported by more than 50 trade and investment representatives in 14 key markets.
FROM THE PAGES OF DOUGLAS:
They say the only constant in life is change – and when it comes to the construction industry, that’s not always a good thing. Shannon Moneo breaks down the changes affecting the sector and how they’re being managed.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
DECEMBER
December 1 -2: Government Innovation Week
December 5: Destination Greater Victoria Christmas Luncheon
December 11: VIATEC AI Meet Up
JANUARY
January 26 – 28: 2026 IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Summit
APRIL
April 1: VIATEC Awards
Douglas Weekly brings local business news, insights and community spotlights to keep Victoria and Vancouver Island In the Know. Got a story tip? Email us.
