Inter-Community Business Licensing
Staff report introducing an expanded island-wide intermunicipal business license partnership.
TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL COUNCIL REPORT
TO: Council DATE: September 27, 2019 FROM: D. Miles, Development & Licensing Clerk MEETING DATE: October 15, 2019
Inter-Community Business Licensing
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT Council approve moving forward with an amendment to Business License and Regulation Bylaw No.952, 2016 to include Inter-Community Business Licensing.
CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER’S COMMENTS:
I concur with the recommendation.
DIRECTOR OF PROTECTIVE SERVICES COMMENTS:
I concur with the recommendation.
PURPOSE OF REPORT
The purpose of this report is to introduce the expanded Inter-Community Business License (ICBL) partnership that has formed on Vancouver Island. This partnership would permit the Town to offer an island-wide intermunicipal business license for all participating jurisdictions.
BACKGROUND
On February 8, 2018 representatives from the Central Island ICBL and Greater Victoria Inter-municipal Business License groups as well as the Cowichan Valley Regional District met in Duncan to discuss expanding partnerships throughout Vancouver Island. Invitations were also extended to northern (Alert Bay, Port Alice, Port Hardy and Port McNeil) and western Vancouver Island (Tofino and Ucluelet) communities that are considering intercommunity business license partnerships.
PROJECT INFORMATION
Business license analysis carried out by the Province of British Columbia (Province) indicates that expanded ICBL partnerships will support a significant number of mobile businesses throughout Vancouver Island by reducing unnecessary administrative burden, fostering positive intercommunity partnerships, increasing compliance, displaying business friendliness without substantial impact to municipal revenues.
In 2017, the Province requested business licensing information and received data from a little over half of participating Central Island and Greater Victoria ICBL communities. The data shows that approximately 10% of non-resident businesses purchased licenses in both Central Island and Greater Victoria communities.
Statistics Canada indicates that over 32,000 businesses on Vancouver Island are in the construction sector alone. This number is the best figure the Province has representing the total businesses that might be mobile in nature throughout Vancouver Island. If we assume that 10% of these businesses are working between ICBL regions, then a substantial 3,200 businesses could benefit from broader ICBL partnerships.
Created in partnership with local governments, the Union of British Columbia Municipalities and the Province, ICBL agreements streamline and simplify the licensing process, making it easier to do business in participating communities. ICBLs allow mobile businesses (e.g. contractors, caterers, and other service providers) to operate across the participating government jurisdictions, without having to apply for multiple businesses licenses.
The Greater Victoria Inter-Municipal Business License program has successfully met these goals since 2001 and the Central Island ICBL program has done likewise since 2014.
Communities continue to recognize the benefits and success of ICBL programs. British Columbia now benefits from 15 intercommunity business license agreements with 91 different participating communities, including four new agreements launched in the Kootenays and northeast in 2017. More information can be found at www.gov.bc.ca/smallbusiness.
Strategic Plan
Expanding the Central Island ICBL agreement is a straightforward process to build on success and expand partnerships throughout Vancouver Island.
Central and Greater Victoria communities considered several partnership options and agreed expanding the Central Island ICBL was clearly the best option. The process to amend the bylaw only requires adding new communities to the list of participating municipalities and updating the fee to $170. To date 11 of the 13 Greater Victoria municipalities are in various stages of completing the adoption of the ICBL.
Greater Victoria communities will adopt the amended Central Island ICBL and maintain the Greater Victoria Inter-municipal business license as a $100 option for local mobile businesses.
Central Vancouver Island mobile businesses are likely to accept the nominal $20 increase in the ICBL fee (from $150 to $170) in return for the ability to work more broadly throughout partnering Vancouver Island communities.
RECOMMENDED PROCESS
- Council moves forward with Vancouver Island-wide ICBL option;
- The Town of View Royal will amend/develop ICBL bylaw as follows: a) Update the list of local governments under “Participating Municipality”; b) Increase the fee to $170; and c) Add to the fees section “The annual Inter-Community Business License fees prescribed in this bylaw may be reduced pro-rata in respect of any person who becomes liable to be licensed AFTER the commencement of the license period, on the same basis as the municipal business license.’”
- Council will give notice of its intention to adopt the bylaw by publishing notice in the newspaper and will provide an opportunity for people to make representation to Council at a hearing;
- Bylaw Amendment will be given, first, second and third readings;
- The Town will adopt the ICBL bylaw;
- The Town will use business license renewal notices and work with the Province to develop a joint news release as communications opportunities to raise awareness about the newly expanded and pro-rated ICBLs and community’s ongoing business friendly initiative;
- The Participating Government will offer an ICBL to all business owners starting January 1, 2020.
RECOMMENDATION
THAT Council approve moving forward with an amendment to Business License and Regulation Bylaw No.952, 2016 to include Inter-Community Business Licensing.
SUBMITTED BY:
D. Miles, Development & Licensing Clerk
REVIEWED BY:
P. Hurst, Director of Protective Services
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