JULIE LAWLOR
On May 28th-29th, for the second year running delegates from chambers and boards of trade across the province stayed in their home communities and met virtually for the BC Chamber of Commerce 69th Annual General Meeting & Conference.
“The event included the annual policy sessions where 70 policy resolutions, submitted by 24 Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade, were tabled, debated and voted upon. Sixty resolutions were approved and will be included in the BC Chamber’s 2021 Policy & Positions Manual, four were not approved and six were referred to the BC Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for consideration.”
Why this matters is because while COVID-19 has required a whole new set of supports and advocacy for business, the pre-COVID issues have of course not gone away. Policy development within the BC Chamber network takes place at a grass roots level, which means that policy is developed by chambers/boards of trade to respond to a business issue.
This year policy was passed in a range of areas, including “Encouraging hiring by amending the Employer Health Tax,” “Enhanced push for intermunicipal mobile business licenses” and “Emergency medical services for British Columbia.”
Rather poignantly given the tragic discovery in Kamloops, another policy that was passed with input from chambers across the province including ours was “Creating a comprehensive action plan to build a sustainable business relationship with Indigenous Peoples.” This policy sets the framework for the work chambers and business can do to respond to the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, specifically around recommendation 92.
The WestShore Chamber of Commerce was pleased to submit its first ever policy, “Empower Municipalities to Support Their Business Communities in Times of Crisis: Amending the Community Charter.” This policy was supported in advance by 12 other chambers from across the province, and after some lively debate and proposed amendments, it was passed. The Policy & Positions Manual will be available in early July, at which time you’ll be able to read about all of the policies that will be the BC Chamber network’s focus in engaging with the provincial government in 2021-22.
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Julie Lawlor is Executive Director at the WestShore Chamber of Commerce.
