Slow and fragile recovery requires a bold plan
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. […]
BC Chamber of Commerce Statement on Our Commitment to Stand Against Racism
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic we saw a wave of anti-Asian sentiment, driven by ignorance and intolerance, spread across many parts of the province. In early May, the BC Chamber of Commerce stood publicly with Premier John Horgan and business associations across the province to state categorically that there can be “no […]
BC Businesses Call on Labour Minister to Act to Avoid Employee Terminations and Small Business Bankruptcies
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 […]
Critical Policies Pass at BC Chamber AGM
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 […]
BC businesses Face Major Hurdles Under Phase 2 of Restart Plan
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 […]
BC Chamber Announces 2019 – 2020 Board of Directors
The BC Chamber of Commerce is in the business of insight. Supporting and guiding this strategic direction is our Board of Directors. After an extensive voting process that began on April 3rd and closed on April 24th, 2020 we are pleased to share the election results for the Chamber’s 2020 Board of Directors. The caliber […]
Province plots path to recovery; business community ready to do its part for a safe reopening
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 […]
Almost half of B.C. businesses that are temporarily closed not confident in ability to reopen
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 […]
Pulse-check survey shows many B.C. businesses in need of life support
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 […]
BCMindReader.com COVID-19 business impacts survey generates almost 8000 responses
The BC Chamber of Commerce (and its 120-member chamber network) in partnership with Small Business BC, The BC Economic Development Association, and Community Futures BC, launched a survey on March 13 to understand specific impacts BC businesses are experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic – and hear their proposed solutions. As of March 18, almost […]