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Greetings!
The Public Affairs Update is your weekly insight, perspective and analysis on politics in British Columbia and Canada. This newsletter is brought to you by the largest, and most broadly-based business organization in the province, the BC Chamber of Commerce - the Voice of Business in BC. |
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Adrian Dix Addresses the BC NDP Leader's Levee
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BC NDP Leader Adrian Dix held his second Leader's Levee in Vancouver last week, addressing a crowd of nearly a thousand.
In the introduction of his speech, Mr. Dix reinforced his pledge to change the discourse in BC politics, stating that he remains determined not to engage in negative politics against other party leaders. He identified three key challenges for the province that the NDP would prioritize, should they form government in May 2013: poor productivity in the BC economy; income and social inequality; and sustainability.
In light of those challenges, Mr. Dix highlighted his proposed solutions: first, addressing BC's skilled labour and trades shortage; second, improving the relationship between government and local businesses, particularly in procurement of services; third, matching 'taxation to action', citing the Carbon Tax as an example where those funds should be allocated directly to sustainable initiatives; and finally, improving the province's local government relations.
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Small Business Accord Announced
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The BC Chamber of Commerce and the Hon. Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of State for Small Business, have announced a consultation process to create a Small Business Accord and reduce red tape for business.
"This Accord will ensure that the government is held accountable for its actions in regulating business," said John Winter, President & CEO of the British Columbia Chamber of Commerce. "Through an extensive consultation process with small businesses across the province the government will develop a regulations framework to reduce red tape and help make BC the most business-friendly jurisdiction in the country."
Be a part of the consultation - take the online survey - and help develop key guiding principles that should be included in the Small Business Accord.
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Liquor Laws for Non-Profit Organizations Clarified
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Minister of Energy, Mines and Natural Gas Hon. Rich Coleman has announced that the province will clarify liquor laws to allow non-profit organizations to conduct fundraising using gift baskets or similar items that have liquor as one of its components. The law will be permanently clarified by legislative changes at a later date.
Presently, BC law requires anyone who sells liquor to be licensed and for the liquor sold under that licence to be purchased from the Liquor Distribution Branch or another approved outlet, such as a BC winery.
The new approach enables charities and non-profits to conduct certain types of fundraising, such as auctions, using liquor provided as part of a gift basket or an equivalent basket of goods. The liquor must have been commercially produced and must not be consumed at the event.
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BC Modernizes the Justice System
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Minister of Justice and Attorney General Hon. Shirley Bond has announced ten steps intended to reduce backlog, improve access to services and increase transparency within the BC Justice System.
These steps stemmed from A Modern, Transparent Justice System, a white paper released in August 2012. This white paper was drafted in response to an independent review of BC's justice system and an internal government audit. It recommended changes that would improve timeliness, court administration and the experiences of victims in BC.
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This weekly report produced for the BC Chamber of Commerce by Fleishman-Hillard. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information included in this publication as of the date of issue, events and government policies are subject to frequent change. Therefore, the BC Chamber of Commerce and Fleishman-Hillard cannot assume any responsibility for actions taken solely or principally on the basis on the information contained herein.
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