Whereas the Community Charter provides municipalities the authority to regulate businesses through a business licensing structure, while regional districts have not been granted business licensing authority and must undertake a lengthy legislative application process in order to be granted that authority through provincial regulation; And whereas municipalities may utilize business licensing as a tool to assist with the enforcement and compliance of local bylaws such as the regulation of cannabis and short-term rentals, while regional districts with similar bylaw enforcement challenges do not have that option readily available to them: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urge the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to explore options to amend the Local Government Act to provide regional districts legislative authority for business licensing similar to the authority provided to municipalities in order to ensure fair and equal access for all local governments wishing to utilize business licensing as a tool to support compliance with local bylaws.
Ministry of Municipal Affairs The Provincial Government remains committed to supporting regional districts seeking business licensing on a case by case basis. Given the diversity of regional districts, and the implications and complexity of developing a business licensing scheme that addresses a regional districts diverse interests, Ministry staff continue to be interested in working in partnership with regional districts. Such a partnership would provide a more thorough and complete understanding of regional district business licensing authority and would provide an opportunity to work through the possible implications and considerations of broader legislative changes. These implications and considerations include but are not limited to: administrative fairness the Board would receive the general power to regulate all business, not specific to any particular type of business; enforcement capacity; and an analysis of the regional challenges the proposed scheme is intended to address.