Improving Canada’s Cannabis Regulatory Environment to Achieve Policy Goals 2021
It has been just over two years since cannabis legalization in Canada; however, the market has been slow to grow with some exceptions. While many issues of legalization have been lauded as a success, there is much to improve upon to ensure that policy goals are achieved. Cannabis amnesty, combatting the illicit market, medical patient […]
Enhanced Push for Intermunicipal Mobile Business Licences 2021
At the 2006 Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) Convention, the Government of BC challenged local governments to develop a single business license framework, to become the first jurisdiction in Canada where businesses could operate freely anywhere in their province. The Ministry of Small Business and Revenue was charged with leading the Single Business License […]
Solving the Green Infrastructure Network Compliance Bottleneck 2021
New developments, especially in the Metro Vancouver area, but in all of BC, are severely delayed due to required environmental review assessment at the provincial level. This exacerbates the housing crisis as housing is not built to meet the demand of an expanding population. The Environmental review process can be expedited with more staffing at […]
Creating a Level Playing Field for Canadian Broadcasters in a Digital Age 2021
In the age of digital entertainment providers such as Netflix, Hulu, Spotify and YouTube, Canadian broadcast organizations and institutions are being left behind. This is in part due to the unfair taxation system that Canadian content providers are subject to while foreign content and service providers are exempt or unaffected. Canadian businesses and providers – […]
BC Chamber of Commerce Applauds Meat Licensing Changes and Increased Access for Local Products
Changes made last month by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries to streamline and improve the meat licensing regulations is welcome news for the BC Chamber of Commerce. Last month, the ministry announced a series of changes that will make significant improvements for local operators who focus on production and processing of livestock raised […]
BC Chamber of Commerce Celebrates Policy Win as Provincial Government Launches Home Delivery for Non-Medical Cannabis Products
The BC Chamber of Commerce, together with BC Chamber Cannabis Working Group, applauds the provincial government’s announcement that licensed cannabis retailers will be able to deliver non-medical cannabis products directly to consumers starting July 15, 2021. Within the announcement, government also stated it will be removing security verification requirements for cannabis workers. The announcement represents […]
Enabling BC’s Cannabis Economy
On October 17, 2018, recreational cannabis became legal in Canada, with the primary objectives of eliminating a significant illicit market, keeping cannabis out of the hands of youth and protecting public health and public safety. Recreational cannabis would now be produced, distributed, and sold through an entirely transparent and licensed business model and Canadians would […]
Ridesharing – Eliminating Red Tape For Drivers (2019 – Revised 2020)
Ridesharing, the ability of a driver who has been through appropriate criminal record and driver safety screening to use their personal vehicle to connect with a rider via a smartphone, is a key sector in the sharing economy. Ridesharing is currently available in hundreds of cities around the world, and now in select areas of […]
Residential Tenancy Act Reform (2020)
The rules governing residential tenancies has started to strongly become one sided for the tenant and is greatly affecting a landlord’s ability to protect their property. Furthermore, housing is an issue for several cities across British Columbia and the rules, processes and procedures around residential tenancies do not encourage people to be landlords under the […]
Removing Uncertainty From Community Amenity Contributions (2020)
Community amenity contributions (CACs) are becoming a feature of development in many parts of British Columbia. Municipalities negotiate CACs from those seeking a change in zoning, in order to capture some of the boost in land values that results from a change in use or an increase in density. This practice has grown immensely in […]