Key Issue: COVID-19

“We appreciate that government sees this as the next step, not the final step, in the road to recovery.” says Dan Baxter, Director of Policy and Government Relations.  Today, the provincial government shared details of its Economic Recovery Plan, Stronger BC. In addition to broad consultation and recommendations, the Stronger BC Plan took into consideration the BC Chamber of […]

“Plan will require big thinking around small business,” says Aleece Laird, Board Chair.   Today, the BC Chamber of Commerce (BCCC) publicly released its Economic Recovery Submission (submitted to Government July 21st, 2020), made up of 54 policy recommendations focusing on competitiveness, innovation, and inclusivity respectively. The plan is a pan-provincial in scope and aims to guide the Province on stimulating BC’s economy through measures that support small and medium enterprises […]

While British Columbia has entered phase three of its Restart Plan, two-thirds (65%) of businesses surveyed are using some form of government support. Businesses expect a substantial “second wave” of negative impacts should these programs expire too quickly. Only about three-in-ten businesses (28%) on government support expect to return to normal once the programs end. […]

Business organizations representing almost all of British Columbia’s 500,000 businesses are frustrated by Labour Minister Harry Bains refusal to appreciate the severity of current business challenges. At issue specifically is the potential for bankruptcy and insolvency for thousands of small and medium-sized businesses and not-for-profits as they are forced to payout severance costs due to […]

Hon. Minister James announced early this week that landlords who are eligible for CERCA but don’t apply will be prevented from evicting tenants for at least the next month. A joint letter to provincial/territorial governments from the BC Chamber of Commerce in late May, and BC Chamber CEO Val Litwin’s recent op-ed in the Vancouver Sun, called for more landlord participation […]

While British Columbia has entered phase two of its Restart Plan, only one-in-four (26%) businesses impacted by COVID-19 feel able to restart and operate profitably with the gradual easing of restrictions. The biggest challenges to restarting identified by survey respondents are: attracting customers or revenue (75%), having enough operating cash for expenses (49%) or to […]

Like you, in the past month we’ve had to pivot quickly. Our full-time job has been to advocate on behalf of the thousands of local businesses like yours that have been impacted (and in many cases devastated by) the current economic downturn. 

Today Premier Horgan laid out how BC’s economy will safely reopen, a move welcomed by BC’s business community. While health and safety restrictions will mean a radically different operating environment, businesses from every sector are ready to do their part. “We know the path to recovery will be long and steep and for some sectors […]

April 21, 2020, Vancouver, BC – The COVID-19 crisis is deepening for British Columbia businesses with four-in-ten (43%) of those surveyed stating they can only continue to operate for up to three months under current restrictions. For businesses temporarily closed, the future is similarly dire, with only half (53%) expecting to reopen once the restrictions […]

April 3, 2020, Vancouver, BC – The COVID-19 crisis is significantly hurting British Columbia businesses and their employees. In the past two weeks alone, approximately half of the 1,900 businesses surveyed have experienced revenue decreases of 75% or more, while two-thirds have seen revenues drop by 50% or more. This is according to a survey […]