Esquimalt council has adopted a new bylaw to get on board with allowing for an Island-wide business licence, the first municipality in the Capital Region to do so.
The licence, being considered by 24 Vancouver Island municipalities, costs $170 and would allow businesses to expand their reach on a geographically larger scale. Currently, an inter-municipal licence is available in Greater Victoria.
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“I think this is the way to go in terms of business licences,” Mayor Barb Desjardins said, adding the scope of the initiative is very significant. “We have all kinds of workers that work in so many different communities and up and down the Island.”
The bylaw “includes but is not limited to trades, plumbers, electricians, cleaning services, pest control or other similar businesses. This does not include fruit stands, flea markets, trade shows or other similar businesses.”
The new bylaw also includes the retail sale of cannabis, despite the details of marijuana legislation still being in the works for all three levels of government.
Each of the other 12 municipalities in the region are set to consider similar bylaws of their own, according to Township staff.
The goal of the Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology is to have participating municipalities adopt the bylaw and bring it into effect Jan. 1.
– With files from Dawn Gibson
