2005 - 2006: Consultation Summaries

• Key Issues
  While several issues were raised during the consultations, the following were the most frequently discussed and identified as key issues by the small business community.
  
  
• Full Summary
  The Roundtable met with small business owners, operators and association representatives about selected issues affecting small business. Consultations were two hours in length and were followed by a two-hour Provincial Sales Tax (PST) review session.

Key Issues

Human Resource and Education

• Recruitment and retention of skilled labour (18)
• Promote small business and trades in high schools (17)
• Promote benefits of immigrant skilled labour (13)
• Provide business education to small business operators (10)
• Communicate trades training as a viable alternative to a university education (10)

Economic Growth

• Promote British Columbia as a place to visit, live and encourage growth of tourism (15)
• Encourage growth in value-added sector (11)
• Continue infrastructure projects (10)

Small Business Issues

• Access to financing (15)
• Access to high speed internet (11)
• Business succession planning (10)

Tax and Regulations

• Complexity of multiple levels of government and related regulatory requirements and taxes (18)
• Simplify and better communicate the Provincial Sales Tax (17)
• Continue government regulatory reform (14)
• Property assessment impacts on small business (11)
• Ensure that British Columbia has a competitive tax structure (10)

Full Summary

Summary of consultations by month:

• November/December   (Prince George, Kelowna, Cranbrook)
• January   (Vancouver, Nanaimo, Surrey)
• February   (Smithers, Penticton, Kamloops, Williams Lake, Victoria)
• March   (Courtenay, Fort St. John, Dawson Creek)
• April   (Abbotsford, Quesnel, Richmond, Burnaby)

For more information please visit our Contact page.

 

November / December

PRINCE GEORGE: Nov.29, 2005

Opportunities:

• Access to trades training (e.g. increased access for aboriginal youth)
• Examine accelerated depreciation for capital expenditures
• Diversify economy with increased investment in high-tech industry

Issues:

• Skills training
• Ensuring we continue to have a competitive tax structure
• Access to Crown land
• Access to capital

KELOWNA: Dec.2, 2005

Opportunities:

• Access to trades training
• Continue transportation infrastructure development and expansion
• Promote local food industry

Issues:

• Access to capital
• Ensuring we continue to have a competitive tax structure
• Skills shortage and training
• Property assessment and impact on small business

CRANBROOK: Dec.5, 2005

Opportunities:

• Lower the PST
• Improve access to trades training (e.g. improved regional delivery)
• Promote local food industry

Issues:

• Impact of PST on economic competitiveness (e.g. Alberta)
• Ensuring we continue to have a competitive tax stucture
• Local trades training venues and apprenticeships
• Access to Crown land

 

January

VANCOUVER: Jan.19, 2006

Opportunities:

• Promote benefits and availability of immigrant and temporary workers
• Continue to invest in education and training for competitive human capital
• Simplify and better communicate PST rules

Issues:

• Access to capital and financing
• Skills shortage and training
• Immigration rules and timelines
• Ongoing increases to municipal property tax

NANAIMO: Jan.26, 2006

Opportunities:

• Continue to promote BC as a good place to invest in small business
• Promote work opportunities for high school students in the educational system through co-ops and apprenticeships with industry, small business and trades
• Growth of the tourism industry

Issues:

• Accessing and maintaining workers in communities where labour supply and demand fluctuates depending on the season
• Access to financing
• Property taxation at the municipal level
• Complexity of PST

SURREY: Jan.27, 2006

Opportunities:

• Continue regulatory reduction and fiscal discipline
• Continue transportation infrastructure development
• Develop strategic alliances abroad
• Develop and support creative solutions for pine beetle timber

Issues:

• Labour shortage and skills training
• Rising business property assessments
• Cost of crime for small business

 

February

SMITHERS: Feb.2, 2006

Opportunities:

• Promote the Northern region as a filming destination
• Continue infrastructure development and resource extraction projects
• Promote work opportunities for high school students through co-ops and apprenticeships with industry small business and trades

Issues:

• Ongoing burden of meeting government regulations (e.g. forestry sector)
• Recruitment and retention of skilled trade workers in the North
• High insurance premiums and strict regulations creating problems for small business operators
• Limited access to high speed Internet
  

PENTICTON: Feb.6, 2006

Opportunities:

• Promote work for high school students through co-ops and industry apprenticeships, small business and trades
• Promote job opportunities to youth so they work and stay in their communities.
• Improve knowledge and awareness of information and programs available to small businesses
• Growth of the tourism industry
• Create new environment in schools to make skilled trades an attractive alternative for students

Issues:

• Skills shortage in trades and service sector
• Rising cost of utilities, insurance, property taxes and impact on small business
• Lack of information and funding for green technology and energy efficient business options
• Access to financing

KAMLOOPS: Feb.7, 2006

Opportunities:

• Encourage use of Provincial Nominee Program
• Continue to promote "single window for business" concept on government requirements
• Promote work opportunities for high school students through co-ops, industry apprenticeships, small business & trades
• Promote benefits/vailability of alternative labour sources (e.g. retired, women and immigrants)

Issues:

• Skills shortage
• Red tape reduction efforts are not co-ordinated by three levels of government
• Licensing of off-road vehicles for consumer protection and to fund development of new trails
• Access to financing

WILLIAMS LAKE: Feb.10, 2006

Opportunities:

• Ministry of Forests has to adapt to small business needs
• Time delays in contractors receiving payment from government
• Access to financing
• Access to high speed Internet

Issues:

• Public/private partnerships in developing Entrepreneurial Centres
• Develop creative lifestyle incentives to retain employees
• Governments should make infrastructure improvements, and pay for them, during periods of economic growth
• Streamline immigration process for skilled trades people

VICTORIA: Feb.13, 2006

Opportunities:

• Promote work opportunity co-ops for high school students
• Develop the pocket cruise and charter yacht industry
• Expand youth training programs, such as SuperHost, to other industries
• Create mentoring opportunities for retirees with skilled trades to reduce training costs for small businesses
• Leverage Olympics for benefit of businesses in all regions

Issues:

• Recruitment and retention of skilled labour
• Compliance with multiple Victoria municipalities increases small business costs
• Access to financing

 

March

COURTENAY: March 10, 2006

Opportunities:

• Introduce skilled labour and entrepreneurship in high schools
• British Columbia branding of healthy agricultural produce
• Encourage development of value-added products
• Development of export markets

Issues:

• Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) rules too prescriptive and complex
• Forestry regulations burdensome for forestry
• Access to financing and succession of small businesses
• Complexity of PST

FORT ST. JOHN: March 13, 2006

Opportunities:

• Continue to expand high-speed Internet access across British Columbia
• Leverage opportunities in the oil and gas service sector
• "Buy British Columbia" incentive programs to develop manufacturing to service oil and gas industry
• Diversify economy (e.g. canola as bio-diesel)

Issues:

• Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) constrains availability of commercial real estate
• WCB and environmental regulations are a burden for small business
• Access to financing (e.g. Financial Commissions Institution regulations don't work in the North)
• Access to skilled labour
  

DAWSON CREEK: March 14, 2006

Opportunities:

• Relax immigration laws to attract skilled labour force
• Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) places constraints on business expansion
• Partner with local schools to expose youth to full range of employment opportunities
• Diversify economy to ensure sustainable economic prosperity

Issues:

• Workforce housing and shortage of skilled labour
• Education system not meeting demand for skilled labour force
• Access to financing
• National Safety Code creates regulatory burden
• PST complex and not deductible for income tax purposes

 

April

ABBOTSFORD: April 3, 2006

Opportunities:

• Use of Internet to expand to international market
• All government levels working together to enhance growth opportunities
• Partner with Ministry of Education to introduce small business/entrepreneurial skills in schools at early age
• Expand marketing of agri-tourism and adventure tourism

Issues:

• Business courses should be taught in trades curriculum
• Tax assessment policies for ALR requires reconsideration
• Succession planning and related tax and probate fees
• Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) imposed taxes and levies that place undue burden on business
• Transportation corridors need improvement

QUESNEL: April 11, 2006

Opportunities:

• Develop secondary manufacturing (wood products)
• Expand entrepreneurial training in school system
• Attract skilled labour force by relaxing immigration rules
• Opportunities for youth to develop business and entrepreneurship skills

Issues:

• Access to financing for start-up and succession
• Government regulation creates burden for business
• Access to high speed Internet and cellular phone networks
• Access to fibre for wood products business

RICHMOND: April 12, 2006

Opportunities:

• BC should take control of immigration process
• Introduce entrepreneurial programs in schools
• Level playing field for agriculture (e.g. prohibit import of produce grown with chemicals that are banned in Canada)
• Implement harmonized sales tax controlled by the province
• Develop communications in languages most used by immigrants and tourists

Issues:

• Access to skilled labour
• Multiple regulatory forms required from all levels of government
• Penalty for errors in collecting PST despite due diligence of business
• WCB rules for independent contractors burdensome for business

BURNABY: April 28, 2006

Opportunities:

• Population growth provides new and expanded market opportunities
• World class events in 2007/2008 provide spring boards for expanding markets
• Province has potential as world leader in green energy (e.g. heat pumps, wind power)
• Expand the Buy BC program to more than agricultural produce
  Use BC branding to promote increased international markets

Issues:

• Limits on access to Crown land by aggregate industry
• Introduce youth to small business and trades as career options
• Trades course scheduling difficult for small business to accommodate
• Retail businesses have difficulty attracting employees
• Overall tax and regulatory burden imposed by multiple level