News Type: Policy & Advocacy

Today in Victoria, the Government of British Columbia released its 2023 budget that prioritizes spending for important social and community initiatives but comes at the expense of addressing increasing costs facing BC’s businesses and the province’s competitiveness. “While today’s budget focused on affordability and reducing the cost of living, it provided little support to businesses […]

In advance of the Government of British Columbia’s release of Budget 2023, expected at the end of February, representatives from the BC Chamber of Commerce are in Victoria today to press for actions to address the cost of doing business in B.C. The meetings with the provincial government, which are taking place during B.C. Chamber […]

In response to recent production curtailment and permanent shutdown announcements by forest sector companies, Fiona Famulak, President and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce, released the following statement: “We know that difficult decisions like these are not taken lightly. Similarly, we know their consequences will be felt for a long time by workers, their […]

In response to today’s call by the BC Green Party to increase the exemption threshold from $500,000 to $1,500,000 for businesses paying the Employer Health Tax, Fiona Famulak, President and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce, released the following statement: “The BC Chamber of Commerce supports the BC Green Party’s call to increase the […]

Representatives of the BC Chamber of Commerce attended the Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Ottawa this week. Over 200 delegates gathered from chambers of commerce and boards of trade from across the country to hear speakers, share ideas and solutions, and discuss issues that matter to businesses from […]

In response to today’s introduction of Bill 28, Municipal Affairs Statutes (Property Taxation) Amendment Act, 2022 by the BC Government, Fiona Famulak, President and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce, released the following statement: “A primary focus of the BC Chamber of Commerce is advocating for measures that reduce costs for small- and medium-sized […]

VANCOUVER, B.C., August 24, 2022 — Further to the open letter signed by 18 hospitality and business associations in response to the British Columbia General Employees’ Union’s (BCGEU) labour action and contract negotiations with the Government of B.C., Fiona Famulak, President and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce, released the following statement: “The labour […]

In response to the provincial government’s release of its Report on the Budget 2023 Consultation, Fiona Famulak, President and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce, released the following statement: “We are pleased that some of the 216 recommendations in the Report on the Budget 2023 Consultation are aimed at addressing the challenges that small- […]

The BC Chamber of Commerce (the BC Chamber) today released its Focusing Forward, 2022-2023 Policy and Positions Manual (Focusing Forward), which contains 55 policy statements and positions adopted by members at the provincial association’s 70th Annual General Meeting and Conference on June 7-9, 2022, in Prince George and online. The policies contained in the manual […]

The following associations are surprised by the introduction of amendments to Bill 10 by the BC government, which proposes substantive change to the Labour Relations Code without any meaningful consultation with employers, and at a time when many businesses are still reeling from the pandemic. The right to choose union representation is guaranteed through legislation. […]