Minister of State for Small Business Naomi Yamamoto was joined by nine Fraser Valley municipalities in Surrey today to announce that they have agreed to implement a one-year, inter-municipal, business-licence pilot, making it easier for businesses to operate in those communities.
The Mobile Business Licence (MBL), also referred to as an Inter-Municipal Business Licence, reduces red tape by allowing mobile businesses to operate in more than one municipality by purchasing one licence, rather than by obtaining non-resident permits in each municipality in which they operate.
The nine Fraser Valley cities worked collaboratively with their boards of trade and chambers of commerce to agree to adopt a common city bylaw allowing businesses to purchase an Inter-Municipal Business Licence for specified trades. The cities include: Surrey, Langley, Township of Langley, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, and District of Hope.
Working with local governments to expand the MBL program is a key commitment in the provincial government's BC Jobs Plan and these communities implementing an inter-municipal licence reinforces that commitment.
“By allowing businesses to obtain one license that can be used in multiple municipalities,” said Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts. “We are cutting red tape, simplifying processes and helping to foster a competitive environment for investment.”
The MBL was successfully piloted in 2007 by 17 communities in the Okanagan-Similkameen, and since then, Sicamous and the Central Okanagan Regional District have joined that group.