Key Issue: Local & Regional Government

British Columbia’s framework for disaster management has been severely tested in recent years. The effects of climate change and extreme weather events have had profound impact on our province, and it has become apparent that we collectively must adjust to a new normal of prevention and preparedness to mitigate impacts to the safety, health, and […]

2019 Advocacy will Include: Emergency Management, Rental Housing, Tax Reform, and the Economic Impacts of ‘Species Protection’ Measures VANCOUVER May 29, 2019– Chambers from across B.C. descended on Burnaby from May 23-25 to discuss and debate key policy issues impacting the province at the BC Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting & Conference. This marked a […]

Burnaby, May 25, 2018 – More than 230 business and Chamber leaders debated, discussed, and passed 33 new business and economic policies today at the BC Chamber’s 67th Annual General Meeting in Burnaby. Passed policy resolutions of note include: Streamlining the Regulatory Transition of the BC Cannabis Industry: submitted by the Nelson & District Chamber of […]

On May 28, 2012, it was announced that Family Day would be observed on the second Monday in February each year, starting February 11, 2013. As this does not coincide with the USA Presidents Day Weekend, it also provides two consecutive long weekends for tourism, particularly at BC’s many ski resorts. On February 9, 2018, […]

The financing and delivery of services such as water, fire protection, street lighting and lake level control are important issues for rural residents and businesses in British Columbia. Across the province, improvement districts, a form of local government (Bish and Clemmens, 2009, p. 70 and Statistics Canada, 2011b) deliver these services to approximately half of […]

The cost of housing in BC’s major centres is rising. Demand for housing is out growing housing supply in both new builds and available rentals. By 2040, Greater Vancouver’s population is expected to grow by over one million people, requiring over half a million new dwellings[1]. While the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation has noted […]

The success of businesses in BC is directly impacted by the policies of our municipal and provincial governments such as: Business tax levels, including income taxes, capital taxes, commodity taxes; Property tax levels, including the relative proportions to individuals and businesses; and Various regulations that impact the efficiency of doing business in the Province and/or […]

In a study done by Vancity,[1] the cost of housing was determined to inhibit young workers from coming or staying in the greater Vancouver region. Similar studies have pointed out that the rise of real estate values is greatly outpacing incomes and the gap is growing. Very few workers receive salary increases of 10-20% per […]

The BC Fair Wages Commission (FWC) Report[1] was released in January 2018. The 3-panel commission recommended that the basic minimum wage be increased to $15 by 2021. They proposed the following: The commissioners, in addition to the increases, had three other recommendations, two of which were to establish a permanent commission and an advisory committee. […]

Under the Police Act, municipalities with populations 5,000 and over must provide their own law enforcement by: Forming their own police department; and Contracting with an existing police department; and Contracting with the provincial government for RCMP police services. There are 63 municipalities in BC that contract with the province for RCMP municipal police services. […]