New homes and an invigorating restart for the Times Colonist

Today marks a new beginning — a fresh, invigorating restart — for the Times Colonist.

We have completed our twin moves to temporary locations, with our main offices now in Upper Harbour Place in Vic West, and our distribution centre on Lampson Road in Esquimalt.

Plans call for us to return to the Victoria Press Building at 2621 Douglas Street, our home since 1972, in a couple of years, as soon as it has been rebuilt from top to bottom.

Our moves have not been without hiccups — every office move seems to have them — but they are essential to our longterm success. Our primary goal is to continue to serve Greater Victoria, and all of Vancouver Island, for many years to come.

These temporary moves have been just what the doctor ordered in this COVID-19 year. We needed a boost, and moving from a tired old building to a couple of new-to-us locations provided it. The change in the energy level has been remarkable.

If only every individual, every organization and every business could have the same sort of boost, the same sense of renewed confidence in the future. Unfortunately, the impact of the coronavirus will continue to be felt for many more months, if not years.

A lot of people are having trouble coping with the massive changes they have seen in the past few months. Uncertainty, along with pandemic-forced limitations on their lives, will have that effect.

Many local business people are facing financial ruin this fall. Their businesses are being brought down by COVID-19 and the economic collapse it has caused.

To be fair, not every business is being affected in the same way. People who run home improvement companies, bike shops and liquor stores, among others, are reporting the best sales in years. Big-box stores are seeing a level of activity they would expect in the Christmas rush.

But please don’t forget the rest – the retail outlets you are no longer visiting, the restaurants you are avoiding because of fear of the virus, or the businesses downtown that were there to serve thousands of government employees — employees who are now working at home, with no need for business clothes or a corner spot for lunch.

Restaurants have had to cut their capacity in half. Many report that at peak times, only half of those remaining seats are taken. While we stay away in droves, do the math, and consider whether a restaurant can stay alive with one-quarter the customers it had before.

Don’t forget all of the businesses that rely on tourism, a list that extends well beyond the transportation or whale watching companies. Many retailers in the downtown core, ones we locals take for granted, could not exist without tourist dollars covering many of their costs.

And consider the harsh impact on arts organizations and sports teams, as well as all the fans and supporters.

In short, things will never get back to the old normal. Many of our favorite eateries and stores are going to close. People in the business community have been telling me that the next two months will be brutal.

And yes, there is a ripple effect. Every business closure will affect individuals — perhaps just the owneroperator, perhaps dozens of employees.

It’s never been more important to shop local (while exercising all of the coronavirus precautions, of course). Your friends and neighbours are counting on you, and need your support.

Welcome to the new reality, which is still a work in progress.

The Times Colonist will continue to do everything we can to help the community get through this miserable year. That includes our fundraising work, including the Times Colonist Literacy Fund and the Times Colonist Christmas Fund, as well as the work we did with the Rapid Relief Fund in the spring.

We will also do all we can to keep readers aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having. In the next few days we will start another series of commentaries by local business people, who will provide insight about what life is like for them these days.

Their stories are not all gloomy, even though we have been in the depths of this pandemic for almost six months.

Our twin moves have given the Times Colonist a fresh start. Here’s hoping that the entire community can find its groove again.