Key Issue: Regulation

Canada and the United States share a long history of border innovation and excellence. Four major bi-national efforts since the 1995 Shared Border Accord created our current framework for cooperation, culminating in the 2011 Beyond the Border Action Plan. The 2015 Land, Rail, Marine and Air Transport Preclearance Agreement (LRMA)[1] also promises to generate incremental […]

British Columbia’s non-ticketed event industry including but not limited to weddings has shifted and molded to adhere to the everchanging Public Health Orders (PHO’s) implemented by the BC Provincial Government throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. All businesses are struggling through the recovery phase of the pandemic; however, the wedding and event industry in BC has yet […]

As Canada and the world emerge from two years of restricted health care access due to Covid and its resultant changes in the numbers of available physicians and senior health care workers, the notion of utilizing Physician Assistants/Physician Extenders makes more sense than ever. Physician assistants are educated under the same medical model used to […]

As of January 1, 2022, BC employers are required to provide at least 5 days of paid illness or injury leave, otherwise known as ‘sick leave’ to all employees. This new employer obligation, while laudable in its aim to support workers and protect workplaces, represents an unnecessary intrusion by the government into the employer-employee relationship, […]

Today, the BC Chamber of Commerce Cannabis Working Group (Working Group) released Unlocking BC’s Cannabis Industry. The report provides a comprehensive set of recommendations to help build up the legal cannabis industry, improve the province’s economic competitiveness and diversify the economy. “Implementing the Working Group’s recommendations will unlock billions of dollars in private sector investment,” […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 – […]

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 […]