Policy Search

The transportation industry in Canada is grappling with growing concerns related to the absence of a comprehensive, long-term infrastructure plan, as highlighted by the annual WESTAC Compass Report. The absence of such a plan is particularly worrying given the critical need to address capacity constraints, infrastructure bottlenecks, and the efficient functioning of trade corridors. To address...

After “50 Years of Cutting and Pasting,” Canadian taxation, in general, has become far too complex to understand, administer, and manage. In the present environment, there is a need and an appetite to examine the anatomy of the Canadian taxation system closely to determine best practices and implementation methods. It has also been determined that a study of other countries' existing tax review...

One of the pressing threats facing Canada and the world is the degradation of nature, exacerbated by climate change. The emerging ecological disaster is partnered with a destabilizing global economy, post-pandemic inflation, and gaping inequality. Canada can buffer these effects by taking advantage of its vast natural assets. This would ensure that nature is elevated to a position of core...

The province legislated the Speculation & Vacancy Tax, effective December 2018. The Chamber has advocated that the tax is unfair, poorly thought out and has not delivered timely public reporting on actual dollar values delivered locally. If BC is adamant that the tax is necessary to address the housing crisis, it must apply it fairly across the province. It has not done so; it annually expands the...

As the Immediate Expensing Incentive program expires, two competing national crises overlap within healthcare to reduce capacity and harm productivity across all sectors. Introducing new private capital investment within healthcare will go a long way towards resolving this bottleneck. We encourage all levels of government to incentivize private investment for capital expenditures like diagnostic...

Whether taking transit in Metro Vancouver, on the Victoria Regional Transit System, on BC Bus North, or through one of 57 Regional Transit Systems across the Fraser Valley, Kootenays, Southern Interior, Vancouver Island and the North Central region, people, society, and our economy rely on transit and depend on it being there. With the very shape of the built environment in many municipalities...

The current government funding approach for Canada's charitable and non-profit sector needs to be refreshed so the sector can continue to deliver effective support for communities and equity frameworks. Despite the essential role played by non-profits in delivering government services and supporting those most in need, the sector faces historical underfunding and increasing challenges due to the...

Air access for British Columbians in rural and remote regions is a necessity, yet it has always been a challenge. Regional airlines are disadvantaged and struggle to economically provide routes and access to rural and remote areas while maintaining a positive balance sheet.

The permitting system for British Columbia's trucking industry is currently outdated, time-consuming, and excessively complex, leading to substantial delays, increased costs, and uncertainty for the trucking sector. The current system not only impairs the competitiveness of BC as a Gateway economy but also contributes to greater GHG emissions, provokes non-compliance and related safety concerns...

New developments in all of BC, especially in the Metro Vancouver area, are severely delayed due to the 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 municipal environmental review process can be expedited with more staffing at the provincial level and the re-establish...