News Type: News Releases

“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 […]

“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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]