CFIB congratulates BC’s new municipal leaders

Congratulations to all of BC’s municipal candidates who put forth their name for public office. Regardless of political stripe or the outcome of individual races, our democracy is stronger for the role you played in these civic elections.

On behalf of CFIB's 10,000 small and medium-sized member businesses in British Columbia, we offer our congratulations to the mayors and councilors who were elected or re-elected to their municipal halls.
We look forward to working with you and your teams to support the backbone of our local economies - small and medium-sized businesses. You too have our commitment that CFIB will continue to work with you and your respective teams to make your communities better places to live, work and raise a family.

We also take this opportunity to congratulate those candidates who stood up for small business in this campaign by signing the CFIB Taxpayer Pledge. By promising to narrow the property tax gap, keep spending reasonable and support the creation of a Municipal Auditor General for BC, 51 candidates took on tough issues that most municipal leaders have chosen to avoid.

On Saturday night, 11 of those candidates were elected. They are Bruce Banman, Mayor-elect in Abbotsford, Councilors-elect Linda Reimer and Terry O’Neill in Coquitlam, Councilor-elect Mohini Singh in Kelowna, Director-elect Julian Fell in Nanaimo, Councilor-elect Diana Dilworth in Port Moody, Councilor-elect Linda McPhail in Richmond, Councilor-elect Herb Haldane in Sooke, Councilor-elect Elizabeth Ball in Vancouver and Councilors-elect Christopher Coleman and Shellie Gudgeon in Victoria.

We look forward to working with you to meet the challenges facing small business owners in your communities in the days and months head.

On a final note, some darn good councilors and mayors will not be returning. We would like to thank them for working with the CFIB to support the BC’s small businesses. Your contributions will not be forgotten!
  • “I have a 2400 square foot warehouse in Coquitlam, from which I operate my business. I am almost in tears as I pay my $9,300 property tax bill, on a unit assessed at $360,000 value. This money would otherwise be used to support my wife and eight-month-old daughter. I purchased this unit in 1994, and over the many years, have yet to use any community supplied services from Coquitlam whatsoever.”
    Brian Anderson, Cedar King, Coquitlam
  • “Our issue is in the giant disparity between services used and services paid for through the property tax system. High property taxes reduce our competitiveness as most of our competitors seek typical big box locations (out of city centres) or they negotiate lower shares of property taxes in mall locations....which we do not (as a regional business) have the clout to negotiate.”
    James McKenzie, Monk Office Supply Ltd., Victoria
  • “I don't know what the issue is but it seems taxes in Maple Ridge are very disproportionate to residential tax increases. Our industrial unit, 1,750 square feet of industrial space has gone up $3,500 over last year! This is a total of $8,000 in taxes for a unit that did not move one inch in terms of market place value. It does not seem fair.”
    Robert Brunetta, Expert Electric Ltd., Maple Ridge
  • “As a result of the cost of taxes I've had to reduce advertising costs, employee hours, donations to charities and local fundraising organizations. I could be using the money to do renovations and add more varieties of product to my business, providing more employment spending money locally.”
    Deenie Ottenbreit, Chantilly Kitchen Bed & Bath, Revelstoke
  • “I don't understand how you can raise taxes 67% which comes straight out of profits without providing any extra services. Profits are used to pay employee bonuses and building upkeep required for running my business. To pay the extra $6000 for property tax, I must somehow generate an additional $30,000-$40,000 per year in sales. Or simply charge the consumer more who has already had enough. Just because property values have gone crazy it doesn't mean that I am selling it. I’m trying to run a small business in a poor economy. This is another illogical municipal policy.”
    Mark Solari, E.T.S. Automotive Ltd., Burnaby
  • “Our company has no voting rights but pays almost $100,000 in total commercial property taxes.”
    Robert Lunn, Albion Properties Ltd, Sidney
  • “We need to rein in municipal spending soon. Our municipal politicians say we are not having a tax increase this year. Which is true for residential but for my business I still have a 4% increase.”
    Dan Long, Cap-it, Kamloops
Add your voice
 

Ask your municipal candidate to take the CFIB Taxpayer Pledge

Message to my next Mayor and Council - Take the CFIB Taxpayer Pledge! 
List of municipal candidates who have already taken the CFIB Taxpayer Pledge 

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