A commentary by the CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce.
We have all been watching, listening, reading, tweeting, Instagramming (is that a verb yet?), Facebooking (I’m pretty sure that’s a word now) and generally “doomscrolling” (another new word for 2020) information and opinions about the pandemic at an unparalleled pace since the COVID-19 era began.
News reports are full of stats, stories and strategies in relation to relief, recovery and resilience. But it’s ironic that, at a time when our lives depend on reliable and current information and robust social agency support, the only people who can provide it are among the most financially strained businesses in our region.
We count on our local television, radio and print outlets to tell us about the heroic efforts of our neighbours — the front-line care workers and grocery retail clerks — as well as the widespread acts of kindness and generosity we’ve seen in Greater Victoria.
Our media also shines a light on the vital work done by community-based charities and non-profits.
Many are still scrambling to serve the vulnerable people and animals that these organizations have made their mission to support and protect. The pandemic has affected people who have unique challenges in ways that might not be obvious. Sectors of our society have physical-mobility or mental-health issues exacerbated by the isolation and turmoil of these times. We have people caught in a cycle of systemic and sustained poverty whose situation is even more fragile during economic downturns.
Unfortunately, as with local media, many non-profits have never been busier but are also experiencing a catastrophic loss in revenue needed to operate. The same circumstance faces local media.
So here’s my pitch.
For anyone who doesn’t know me, I was in the media world in a previous life and my spouse still works in publishing. I know that, in times of economic downturn, many organizations cut back on marketing as one of their budgetary adjustments. The other target for cuts in times of uncertainty is contributions to community and charitable groups.
However, if this pandemic teaches us anything, it’s that we make much better decisions when we have high-quality information that has been professionally vetted — and we enjoy a higher quality of life when non-profits have adequate resources to accomplish their missions.
The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce and all chambers in this region are in the same situation. We are reliant upon membership fees and revenue from hosting events to fulfil our duties to our community’s leaders, employers and everyone making a living in our region.
Our economy will continue to evolve as we recover from the pandemic and we will need reliable and intensely local information as provided by our local media. As well, much of the safety and security of our communities will depend on the strength of the work done by not-for-profit and charitable organizations. Without both in a position of strength, we risk getting lost in a sea of misinformation and leaving many people among us vulnerable and unprotected.
Isn’t it ironic that there is this disconnect between the increased demand for the work done by local media and non-profits, and the significant revenue loss they face in these times?
When you support your local media, it keeps their message available. And when I say local media, I mean operations with staff in a bricks-and-mortar location in Greater Victoria. You know who they are. They are the ones who care about and support businesses like yours and the community initiatives of charities and non-profits. They provide a local perspective on issues that happen regionally, provincially and nationally. Their stories connect our lives and their work ensures our local governments are accountable with your taxes. They also provide stable audiences that span generations. There is value in being associated with the long-term health and prosperity of your community, and I encourage organizations to consider supporting, through advertising, local media.
There is also enormous value in ensuring our non-profits are able to thrive. A 2018 study by the Victoria Foundation and the University of Victoria found that, in broad terms, the “civil society” sector generates billions of dollars in economic activity and creates tens of thousands of jobs in our region.
When you support local media and non-profit organizations, you support your community.
It’s hard to imagine life without either, so let’s be sure they are not a casualty of the COVID-19 economic pivot.
