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 Richard Rainey, Chair, Policy Committee:
Email: info@tricitieschamber.com
Fax: 604.464.6796
Mail: Attn: Richard Rainey, Chair, Policy Committee
Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce
1209 Pinetree Way
Coquitlam, BC V3B 7Y3
We welcome all member comments and suggestions.
Tri-Cities Chamber Adds Policies to BC Chamber Book
PRESERVATION OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE FACILITIES
May 2008 – Coquitlam, BC: The costs associated with the provision of social assistance to people with mental disabilities represent a very significant cost to all levels of government. Furthermore, as upwards of 90 percent of people suffering from serious mental disabilities are unemployed, the loss of these people to the labour market is unfortunate and costly – both from the perspective of the patient and of the potential employer. While the myriad of mental health care issues faced by British Columbians are not necessarily unique, the Chamber takes note of what may reasonably be considered a disproportionate number of people in the province suffering from mental illness either associated with or suffered in combination with acute drug addiction.
There has been a trend in recent years towards “de-institutionalization” and the re-integration of the mentally ill into the community. While the Chamber recognizes that in many cases this is laudable and clearly in the best interests of the patient, his or her family and the community at large, the Chamber expresses concern where decisions of this nature are made (or appear to be made) for reasons of fiscal constraint rather than pursuant to a sound health care policy.
Of particular concern to the Chamber is the potential loss of physical facilities which have historically been intended for use by mental health care providers. There is consensus among mental health care providers and advocates that the physical surrounding in which mental health care services are provided can play an important part in treating and managing many forms of mental illness. The loss of these facilities can represent a significant setback in the management of mental health care services in the province. This has recently been highlighted by the debate over the potential commercial redevelopment of the Riverview Hospital lands in Coquitlam, however other smaller examples exist throughout the province as the manner in which community mental health care services are provided is revisited by the province. The effect of removing these facilities from the mental health care system is two-fold: First, the facilities themselves can be expected to be irretrievably lost, principally to commercial development. Second, the likelihood of finding comparable facilities in the future will always be difficult in light of the persistent “not in my backyard” feeling that many people feel when confronted with proposals to develop mental health care facilities in their communities.
With this in mind, it is the view of the Chamber that the province must carefully protect existing mental health care facilities and should give specific consideration to taking facilities issues into special account when making future mental health care decisions and policies.
THE CHAMBER RECOMMENDS
That the provincial government:
confirm its commitment to the preservation and enhancement across the province of lands and facilities which have as their historical and principal purpose the provision of mental heath care services; in making decisions relating to the addition or deletion of lands and buildings intended principally for use in the provision of mental health care services, give paramount importance to both the input of mental health care providers and the views of the surrounding communities, in each case in priority to concerns of a commercial nature; in addition to the provision and enhancement of existing mental health care services, place urgent and immediate priority in developing a comprehensive strategy, in conjunction with all other levels of government, community stakeholders and health care providers, aimed at identifying, treating and managing drug addiction in the province; in furtherance of the foregoing, give particular priority to the preservation and enhancement of Riverview Hospital and its existing lands as British Columbia’s principal class residential and out patient mental health care services for people across the province, including the treatment of drug addiction.
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Tri-Cities Chamber Adds Policies to BC Chamber Book
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.”
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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.
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