TERRACE CHAMBER ADVOCACY AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT

These policies, once approved by the Terrace Chamber Board of Directors, are submitted for review by the Provincial Chamber Review Committee.  Once finalized they are then debated (quite heatedly at times) at the BC Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting and Conference.

On issues ranging from skills, taxation, energy, tourism, through to transportation and land-use no other organization advocates so successfully on such a wide range of issues as the Chamber.

Policies adopted at the AGM are then bound and presented to our Provincial Government along with the support and advocacy of the BC Chamber Executive.

The success of our policy development process was demonstrated during the last year by the report of the Competition Council, created by the Premier to review and provide recommendations on how to enhance the provinces competitiveness, of the 46 cross section recommendations made by this group nearly half matched policy recommendations from the BC Chamber.

This progress highlights the fact that our policy process has been successful by generating innovative policy solutions through local evidence-based analysis as well as information and judgments about the needs of our communities, the values of influential stakeholders and community members.  In short it is only through the direct input of local chambers that the process will be able to continue to offer real solutions to real challenges facing business in the province.

TheTerrace & District Chamber of Commerce has been active advocating and proposing policies to the BC Chamber on issues that have and will affect our area and the North.

Some of the policies that the Terrace Chamber has presented and have been passed unanimously by the membership of the BC Chamber are:

·    Power Transmission Line:A comprehensive power transmission plan that would expedite mining and industrial projects.

·    Resource Access Roads:  The government invests in resource roads where there is a proven payback.

·    Site C Development and Market Facilitation:  The development of the Site C dam on the Peace River.  With a forecast of an increase of 30-35% in electricity consumption by the year 2022/23 the need for immediate supply-side additions is irrefutable. Standing still on the provincial power supply will put us further behind on the needs of electrical power.  There is no question that Site C should be developed.

·     Minister of State for industry and Advanced Manufacturing:  BC needs to develop an advanced manufacturing retention and attraction strategy that will allow BC to grow on past successes and develop into one of the world’s top sites for advanced manufacturing and industry.

·    Fisheries: The Federal Government provides the resources required to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to accelerate the implementation of the Environmental Process Modernization Plan with the objective of expediting sustainable development in British Columbia.

·     Non-National Airports in BC:  The National Airports Policy was brought into effect in 1995.  Since that time ownership of all but the top 26 airports in Canada have been transferred to non Federal governing agencies.  There 89 “Designated” aerodromes in Canada of which 19 are in BC.  All of these airports are significant assets in the economic development potential of their respective communities and of the province.  Only 5 of these 19 are considered to be National Airports, Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna (owned by the City of Kelowna), Abbottsford and Prince George.  Of the remaining 14 of these airports are, in effect, a peripheral part of the national airport system and need an advocate to speak on their behalf in the interest of the Province of BC.  The federal government has not shown leadership in developing an integrated national multimodal transportation policy that will position Canadato take advantage of its natural resource advantage in the Global economy.

·     Asia Pacific Gateway Strategy – North:  The provincial government set a senior office in the Northwest that will pursue the goals of the Asia Pacific Strategy and work to develop the potential of Northern BC.  They should also consider decentralizing certain ministries based on a cost benefit analysis.  Moving ministries to where the wealth is created would offer economic diversification and stability to these rural communities that are vital to the economic growth of the province.

·     Common Carrier Break Bulk Terminal – Kitimat:  The Provincial Government has undertaken an Asia Pacific Strategy that holds tremendous promise for the people of British Columbia.  A major component of this strategy is port access both in the lower mainland and in the new Port of Prince Rupert.  This strategy to date has focused significant provincial energy and resources on container traffic.  An Asian Pacific Strategy needs to look at all of the opportunities and integrate the movements of all products into the Asian market including those in break bulk form.   The policy is…that the Provincial Government, in partnership with the Federal Government, immediately assign resources to assist in the development of a Common Carrier Port Facility in Kitimat for the movement of break bulk products.

The importance of this policy process cannot be overstated.  As demonstrated by Budget 2006 the government has created the economic conditions that will allow them to begin looking at enhancing and reforming many of the social programs so cherished by British Columbians.  This will mean that the provincial government will face significant competing interests that will strive to set the agenda for the provincial government.  As an organization we cannot forget that there is always far more demand for government action than can be considered at any one time.  It is therefore imperative that the Chamber continues to set the agenda.  Before a policy can be formulated, it must first command attention.  Participation in the Chamber policy development process will get us that attention.

Stacey Mann,

Executive Director,

Terrace & District Chamber of Commerce