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Policies & Issues

The Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce is working on behalf of its members on a variety of issues. The following pages contain a brief background of each issue currently being watched by our Policy Committee. Also included are any decisions or statement made regarding the issues.

To comment on an issue or a Board decision, please contact us in any of the following ways, attention Jill Cook, Executive Director:

Email: jcook@tricitieschamber.com
Fax: 604.464.6796
Mail: Attn: Jill Cook, Executive Director
Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce
1209 Pinetree Way
Coquitlam, BC V3B 7Y3

We welcome all member comments and suggestions.

Good afternoon, my name is Dennis Marsden, I am a long time resident of the Tri -Cities and President of the Tri -Cities Chamber of Commerce. I would like to start by thanking you for allowing us to appear before you today and provide our priorities for the upcoming 2008 Provincial Budget.

The Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce represents 840 businesses within our geographic area; our region is rapidly expanding and we have benefited from the vibrant economy over the past several years.  However, this success has not come without ongoing and continued challenges which we are confident will be addressed in the upcoming budget. It has been clearly stated that the 2008 budget will be seen as a Green budget and we are comfortable that our priorities will fit well within this mandate.

Transportation and infrastructure have long been the number one priority of this region; it is not coincidence that the current Ministry of Transport project is entitled “Gateway” as it is true that the Tri-Cities are the gateway to the rest of the province in terms of movement of goods, services and our most valuable resource, our people. As you know, traffic gridlock is a major concern in all areas of the Lower Mainland. The Northeast sector is currently the fifth largest (and growing) community in BC.  With our close proximity to many areas of light manufacturing, Highway 1, the Interior of BC, and major port facilities, many businesses are electing to locate in our area and create jobs that generate tax income for all levels of government. With the influx of these companies and their employees, the movement of goods, services and commuters in, out, and around the area continues to be a major concern.

We want to acknowledge and thank the government for the progress being shown in terms of the current construction of the Golden Ears and Pitt River Bridges, the ongoing planning for the Coast Meridian Overpass, and the consultation and procurement process now underway for the Gateway project. Each of these pieces will help complete the puzzle that is the transportation infrastructure necessary in the Northeast sector of Metro Vancouver.

This said, the significant piece of this puzzle that is still missing is the finalization and delivery of a rapid transit system that will provide the movement of our residents not only in completing their daily duties, but in addressing the chaos that is the morning commute to work. We recognize clearly the distinction between the senior levels of government and the Translink body that is responsible for construction of this project, yet we have sat on the sidelines observing the constant cry for funding by Translink and the inactivity or lack of leadership by our senior elected officials.

It has been said that the Provincial government lacks the legislative authority to simply inject needed capital to this project, to which we cannot argue; however, we can request that the Provincial government at the behest of this body institute the necessary legislative actions to inject the funding and perhaps receive matching federal funding to complete the design and construction of a sufficient rapid transit system for the region.

We believe that, under the leadership of Premier Campbell, sufficient precedents have been set to allow the injection of additional funding for major provincial projects from either budget line items or budget surpluses. We were pleased to hear from both Premier Campbell at the recent meeting of the Union of BC Municipalities and Finance Minister Taylor in recent media reports that funding is not the issue for the Evergreen Line and that the Line will go through “when everyone’s ready to go”. This is a new message that we have not previously heard, as such we will continue our request until such time as formal specific announcements and budget commitments are made.

At a time when this Region is building at an unprecedented pace in order to meet its Livable Region commitments and do its part in reducing greenhouse emissions, not enough emphasis seems to be being placed on the issues in this Region and to implement timely solutions to our ever growing problems.  

The Tri -Cities Chamber of Commerce is not blind to the review of Translink  or to the pending P3 review for the Evergreen Line and we look forward to the imminent release of this review as we are confident that it will provide the necessary direction to move forward and deliver rapid transit to our region. What is required and we ask of this committee, is the necessary funding support to ensure that upon release and review of the Evergreen P3 project, steps are immediately taken to deliver on the promise of rapid transit to the citizens of the Northeast sector in Metro Vancouver.

So, while we know there are a catalogue of necessary expenditures which will be considered at budget time, we want to make our position clear. Transportation infrastructure for the North East Sector deserves the highest priority. It is an urgent need that a forward thinking government recognizes this and deals with the problem. Now is the time to spend money on the future sustainability of the fifth largest (and growing) community in BC.

We are experiencing traffic gridlock today. By tomorrow, we will be fundamentally inaccessible. We need a guaranteed investment in our future. While I do not wish to dilute the urgency of our transportation message, I would also like to take this time to bring to light a made in the Tri -Cities policy that has been adopted by the BC Chamber of Commerce which relates to the Property Transfer Tax. We will not go into great detail as to the origins of the tax, suffice it to say that the price points of homes in our province have escalated significantly since the introduction of the tax; however, the tiers and tax levels have not been adjusted.

We propose the tax be revised (not eliminated) whereby the government collects 1% on the first $375,000 of purchase price and 2% on the balance. We also ask that this tax be linked to the first time buyer exemption price point, so that when the budget calls for changes to the price point for first time buyer exemption of the PTT, then the tiers for the PTT tax itself would be amended accordingly. Thank you for your time today.

Coquitlam, BC – The Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce has successfully added three new resolutions to the BC Chamber’s Policy Book. Often consulted by the provincial government when setting new business policy, the BC Chamber Policy Book contains the official stance of the BC Chamber membership on many business-related issues. The Tri-Cities Chamber has added policy regarding the need for upgrades to transportation infrastructure in the Tri-Cities, the need for a reduction of the Property Transfer Tax, and the need for a GST operational rebate to businesses collecting the tax on the federal government’s behalf. All three proposals were voted into policy Friday, May 25, 2007 at the BC Chamber’s AGM in Victoria, BC.

“We’re very pleased that the BC Chamber membership has agreed that these issues are important to business in British Columbia,” noted Chamber President Dennis Marsden, “It is crucial for the Tri-Cities Chamber to hear its members’ concerns and to act on their behalf. We have achieved that here today.”

The first resolution, Transportation Infrastructure for the Lower Mainland North East Sector, sets out the extreme importance of improving transportation corridors, including the need for a rapid transit system, in light of the Tri-Cities’ booming population.

“With a major port, rail lines, bridges and highways playing a large part in the Tri-Cities, it is important for the Chamber to highlight how the lack of improved transportation infrastructure affects business, especially the movement of goods, services, and human resources, “ said Marsden.

The second resolution addresses the high Property Transfer Tax homeowners pay due to the high property values. Currently, non-first-time-homeowners pay 1% tax on the first $200,000 of the price of their new home and 2% on the remaining amount. While the average house price was $123,800 in 1987 at the time the thresholds were set, the average price in 2007 is $641,500. The Chamber has proposed sliding the 1% tax threshold to $375,000.

“Revenue generated from this tax has risen from $140 million in 1987 to $950 million in 2006,” noted Marsden, “Salaries have not, unfortunately, followed suit and this tax can add enormously to a homeowner’s financial burden.”
 
The last resolution sent to the AGM addressed the operational costs, including credit card and interact merchant fees, associated with collecting the GST on behalf of the federal government. The provincial government has made an allowance for the collection costs by allowing a 3.3% rebate to the business up to a maximum dollar value on a monthly basis. The Tri-Cities Chamber is proposing the federal government offer the same.

“It is actually costing businesses a portion of their revenue to collect the GST for the federal government,” points out Marsden, “The Chamber feels this is an unfair burden to place on all businesses, especially small businesses.”

The Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce successfully added another resolution on the importance of fast-tracking professional foreign credentials in 2005.

Tri-Cities Chamber Adds Policy to Canadian Chamber Lobby Agenda

Coquitlam, BC – Strong business.  Strong Communities:  this is your local Chamber’s tagline.  Our recent representation at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting in Markham, Ontario, illustrated our fundamental values at work.  The Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce brought forward a key resolution on a GST rebate for businesses that must collect and remit the tax.  The resolution reads: 

That the federal government makes an allowance of a 3.3% rebate incorporated into each filing period for businesses collecting GST on the government’s behalf.

Since the implementation of this tax, the burden of collecting the GST has been borne by the businesses collecting this tax on behalf of the government.  We at the Chamber believe this to be an unfair cost which has been passed to our members.  The Canadian Chamber of Commerce will now make this resolution part of their “lobby agenda” and work to ensure that this rebate becomes a reality for our businesses

“It is actually costing businesses a portion of their revenue to collect the GST for the federal government,” points out Dennis Marsden, President of the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce, “The Chamber feels this is an unfair burden to place on all businesses, especially small businesses.”

The Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce successfully added another resolution on the importance of fast-tracking professional foreign credentials in 2005.