Key Issue: Policy & Advocacy

Today, the provincial government announced that to address rising COVID-19 case counts, protect people and communities and help break the chain of COVID-19 transmission, the provincial health officer is amending the provincial public health orders effective 12:00 AM PDT Tuesday, March 30, 2021. The new amended orders are in effect through April 19, 2021, and […]

The BC Chamber is looking for exceptional leaders whose values align with that of the Board  – show dedication, grit and passionate for the people who power BC. The Board is seeking qualified candidates with expertise in the area of Policy Governance, Government Relations, Human Resources, Information Technology, Risk Management and Strategy, Region and Sector […]

“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 […]

The BC Chamber of Commerce completed its recommendations for BC’s Economic Recovery Plan on behalf of it’s 36,000 members, and submitted this report to government on July 21. This submission will help the Province design a plan to support BC’s businesses and our economy as we move out of crisis and toward recovery. Our submission […]

“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 […]

The Cannabis sector is ready to put hundreds of unemployed retail employees back to work – quickly. They’re also well positioned to generate thousands of dollars in tax revenue if they could accept online orders and deliver to your door. Unfortunately, burdensome regulations mean cannabis retailers are struggling to find workers and being forced to […]

On July 20, 2020, the BC Chamber and 21 other BC business associations sent a letter to the Hon. Harry Bains, outlining the business community’s concerns with Bill 23, Workers’ Compensation Amendment Act, 2020, which was tabled in the legislature on July 14.

The B.C. government is extending temporary layoffs provisions under COVID-19 to a maximum of 24 weeks after concerns were raised by business groups, notably the BC Chamber of Commerce Network. We issued this news release in partnership with several other BC business associations on June 22 and also advocated to the Premier directly on the importance of extending the layoff provision in […]

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 […]

Sixty-seven chambers and boards of trade from across B.C. gathered online on May 22-23, to discuss and debate key policy issues at the BC Chamber of Commerce 68th Annual General Meeting & Conference. “Our grassroots policy development process drives our advocacy efforts each year. Like previous years, our network will prioritize advocacy in the year ahead […]