BC advocacy recap: 2019

Our greatest priority is to present your voice to all levels of government. During the course of 2019, your BC advocacy team met with local Mayors, MLAs, and Ministers and made 5 major submissions to the province on issues that impact you. 

To keep you up to date on where we've been, here is a recap of our meetings in 2019.

Mayor Meetings

Not Pictured: Mayor Bauer, Keremeos; Mayor Haynes, District of Saanich; Mayor Hurley, Burnaby; Mayor Cumming, Vernon.

Some of the major priorities brought to their attention:

• Lowering your property tax bill
• Reducing red tape (e.g. simplifying the permitting process)
• Reintroducing the municipal business vote, so your business gets a say even if you live in a different municipalities
• Limiting operating spending (e.g. sharing resources with neighboring municipalities, finding internal efficiencies) 

MLA Meetings

Bottom right picture includes the Throness: Chilliwack-Hope, Rustad: Nechako Lakes, Bernier: Peace River South, Oakes: Cariboo North, Thornthwaite: North Vancouver-Seymour, Wat: Richmond Centre, Bond: Prince George-Mount Robson, Martin: Chilliwack

Some of the major priorities brought to their attention:

• Support policies that reduce the burden of payroll taxes on small business (e.g. reform the Employer Health Tax using short term relief solutions and a long term phase-out plan and urging the Federal government to delay or halt CPP increases)
• Support legislating "split assessment" to lower the property tax burden on local businesses in rapidly developing areas like Metro Vancouver, and phase-out the education tax
• Ensuring the realities of small business are reflected in any changes to WorkSafeBC and Employment Standards. Redo the biased WorkSafe consultation  with a balanced panel, or simply reject the current review's proposals so the WCB's funded positions is not put in jeopardy 

Minister Meetings

Not pictured: meeting with Minister Sims, MLA for Surrey-Panorama and previous Minister of Citizens' Services.

Some of the major priorities brought to their attention:

• Fix the Employer Health tax (e.g.  using short term relief solutions and a long term phase-out plan)
• Work with stakeholder groups like CFIB to tackle the rising issue of the shortage of qualified labour in our province
• Legislate "split assessment" to lower the property tax burden on local businesses in rapidly developing areas like Metro Vancouver, and phase-out the education tax

Submissions Made

• Employment Standards Consultation - March of 2019
• Living Wage Consultation - March of 2019
• BC Pre-Budget Submission - June of 2019
• Workers' Compensation Review - July of 2019
• Plastics Action Plan CleanBC - October of 2019
• Farm and Ranch Consultation BC - November of 2019

Thank you for another year of your support for CFIB, and taking the time to complete our surveys so we can amplify your voice.