The Parksville & District Chamber of Commerce and Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce received overwhelming support for their policies presented at the BC Chamber 2019 AGM and Conference held in Burnaby last week.
The policies presented were part of the collaborative work done with the joint policy committee for the Parksville Qualicum Beach region. The committee includes three members from each chamber board of directors, along with Anne Dodson, CEO Qualicum Beach chamber and Kim Burden, executive director, Parksville & District chamber.
Jeannie Maltesen, president Parksville chamber, and Meghan Walker, president-elect Parksville chamber, joined the chambers; executive, Burden and Dodson to present their polices and vote on behalf of membership on another 70 policies brought forward by the chamber network.
‘The Thriving Orcas Thriving Communities’ – with input and support from 17 Vancouver Island Chambers of Commerce and the West Coast Fishing Guide Association was submitted, with recommendations outlining scientifically verified approaches to enhancing Chinook populations and the southern resident killer whales without jeopardizing jobs and economic benefits from sport fishing in the waters around Vancouver Island.
In addition, an amendment was proposed to the local Government Act that provides local government with a choice to accept land or money during the sub-division approval process for either attainable housing or parks. The current act requires land or money acquired during the subdivision process must be for parks, said Burden.
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Policies were presented on issues such as housing, environmental issues, labour shortages and infrastructure from across the province and were debated and passed resulting in viable solutions that the BC Chamber can work with at provincial and federal government levels.
Maltesen said she is “very pleased to have been part of the policy process at the conference and to represent business in the Parksville region.”
“Many hours of work go into creating, presenting and debating policy and we remain positive with our decision to work collaboratively with the Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce to influence public policy and to represent as a region, our support for the local economy,” she said in a press release.
— NEWS staff, submitted