Policy & Positions Manual
Policy Priority Area - Reform of Local Government
Statement of Policy
Chambers of Commerce and municipal governments share the goal of creating communities that are healthy, vibrant and provide a high standard of living to all who live, work and invest in BC. However, there is growing concern within the business community that the current structure of local government presents an increasing challenge to a vibrant investment and business environment.
BC currently has a patchwork of local governments with 28 regional districts and 160 municipalities. This presents a highly inconsistent structure, where rules vary from community to community and are subject to change based on local political considerations. When combined with the broad enabling governing legislation that is the Community Charter, this creates a challenge for business through a lack of certainty, particularly as we look to attract investment into communities.
While the Chamber recognizes that the Community Charter provides local governments with considerable flexibility around economic development and revenue generation, the positive aspects of the Charter have not been utilized by the majority of municipalities and the Charter has proven to not be effective in enhancing BC’s investment climate.
Increasingly, regions will be the key driver of economic growth, yet the governance structure at the local and regional level does not lend itself to developing a regional brand and a regionally coordinated approach to economic development and to attracting investment.
As creatures of the Provincial Government there is a fundamental role for the Province in continually evaluating the exercise of local government powers of taxation and fee collection against not only established and approved municipal plans, but also provincial objectives. In addition to powers of taxation, the Chamber is concerned about the impact local government regulation can have on economic growth and a community’s ability to attract investment.
While the Chamber believes that there are a range of services and programs that are best provided and administered at the community level, that administration cannot be done in isolation of their cumulative effect on the provincial economy, or on the individual community.
The Chamber has been consistent in its focus on government at all levels to put in place measures that ensure the equitable treatment of business through the consistent and transparent application of local government taxes and charges across the province. The Chamber supports all parties working towards addressing existing inequities and laying the groundwork for a more balanced and sustainable tax environment for all taxpayer groups in British Columbia.
