Chamber: No Voice For Business

BC Chamber Press Release

With a provincial election under our belt and attention firmly focused on the political theatre unfolding in Ottawa it is easy to forget that on November 19 communities across the province will vote in important local elections that could have a profound effect on the economic prosperity of their community.

The accepted wisdom is that local governments have little or no role in economic development and are powerless regarding economic decision-making. This is a dangerous misconception.

The Community Charter has given an unprecedented degree of autonomy and power to local government. Giving power to a municipality over a particular subject matter is essentially a determination that decisions regarding the subject matter should be made based on the perspective of the local voter. It elevates the importance of the local voter relative compared to the perspective of the individual, individual businesses, the region, or the even the province as a whole. While we don’t take issue with these powers, we do take issue with the lack of protections and remedies for business that currently exist.

This is not to suggest that all local governments use these powers improperly. However, the simple fact is that due to the nature of local government’s electoral base, many local governments have tended to be particularly responsive to issues of concern to a motivated public. If municipal decision making is based on the proposition that resident voter pressures will predominate whenever placed in conflict with economic issues, the result will be the stifling of that economic activity.

Business owners have become the silent taxpayers. With no voice they have become an easy target for municipal councils looking to raise revenue without losing votes. While many business owners may live outside their jurisdictions they are an integral part of the community as the provider of economic opportunity and the employer of local residents.

The business community is essential to the health and vitality of the economy and is the backbone of communities across the province. With this in mind we invite all prospective elected officials to begin a dialogue with their business community on ways to build a new relationship between city hall and their business community.

We would also urge all candidates to commit to working with the business community and the provincial government on the re-introduction of a business vote in the province as an essential tool in ensuring that the business community has a voice in the future of their community.