With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1071224
Talk to Us Now E M A I L bcb@canadawide.com W E B S I T E BCBusiness.ca T W I T T E R @BCBusiness F A C E B O O K BCBusiness W hen we publish our annual ranking of the Best Cities for Work in B.C., it's not unusual to receive the odd objec- tion—typically that a city that wasn't included should have been, or one that was should have finished higher. In the 2019 instalment, published in the December/January issue, several communi- ties joined the Best Cities ranks, resulting in a different complaint. Sechelt resident Jeri Patterson wrote that it shouldn't be on the list, where it ranked 12th, because it is not a city but a municipal district, add- ing: "And for many of us that call Sechelt 'home,' we do not want to live in a 'City'!" Patterson is right, says Kamloops city planning assistant and geographer Andrew Macaulay, who compiled the ranking. Not only is Sechelt not a city as defined in the B.C. Local Government Act, Macaulay explains, but every place on the list is also legally considered a municipality under the act and by Statistics Canada. "Best Municipalities for Work" just doesn't have the same ring to it. What's in a Name? ( feedback ) FEBRUARY 2019 BCBUSINESS 13 In general, do you support or oppose allowing ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft to operate in British Columbia? Poll Positions L ast fall, the B.C. government tabled legislation that opens the door for ride- hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft to enter the market in 2019. The proposed legislation includes rules requiring drivers to obtain a Class 4 commercial driver's licence and special insurance. It also enables the Passenger Transportation Board to set fares and the number of licences and boundaries where ride-hailing services can operate. In November, Mustel Group asked 300 B.C. residents if they support or oppose allowing ride-hailing services to operate in B.C. and how they feel about the NDP government's approach to introducing them. Support for ride-hailing is broad–83.2 percent of the popula- tion supports introducing ride-hailing to B.C.–but only 54.2 percent like the regulatory approach. Strong supporters of ride-hailing are even more critical of the proposed regula- tions: just 43.9 percent are in favour. "The public is eager to have ride-hailing introduced but has concerns about the way it is being introduced," explains principal Evi Mustel. "While many think the government is taking prudent measures to protect consumers and the taxi industry, there is concern that the legislation is too restrictive." n Strongly support Somewhat support 25.1% 58.1% DIRK C.A. DE VUYST & ASSOCIATES LAW CORPORATION N G I S E D