Green Party of Vancouver promises to cut red tape for small businesses
With the municipal election less than a month away, the Vancouver Greens are proposing a plan to cut City Hall’s red tape for small businesses.
They said that doing so would make the process of opening a small business easier by streamlining permitting and licensing, as well as by creating one point of contact for businesses.
Bridget Burns, a Green City Council candidate, said that a business idea can be hindered when applicants have to “navigate multiple layers of City processes.”
“Opening or growing a small business shouldn’t require becoming an expert in how City Hall is organized,” reads the Green Party’s press release.
Burns said that when people are opening a business, their time “should go into customers, staff, and the work itself.”
“City Hall should help, not hinder, your success. Our opponents talk about running the city like a business, but running a business starts with customer service, and we’d like to bring that culture to City Hall,” she said in a release.
The Vancouver Greens said that they would lower permit costs and speed up approvals for small businesses, create a business navigator service to give small businesses a point of contact throughout their application process, and coordinate applications across City departments.
Further, they said they would “simplify and fast-track change-of-use permits” for existing commercial spaces and extend temporary occupancy permits for pop-ups in vacant spaces.
The Green Party of Vancouver also said they would allow multiple uses and publish open data so that applicants can see what approved uses are ahead of time.
“Small business owners already take on enough risk,” said Burns. “The City can be clear, responsive, and practical about the things it controls. Entrepreneurs should build businesses, not battle bureaucracy.”
What are other major municipal parties pitching?
In August, OneCity Vancouver pitched a business plan that they said would loosen rules for small businesses to try to make it easier for residents to operate businesses within residential neighbourhoods, like a cafe or bike repair shop.
Since then, the OnceCity mayoral candidate, William Azaroff, stepped down and endorsed Pete Fry, the mayoral candidate for the Green Party of Vancouver, to pave the way for a unified progressive candidate.
The Vancouver Liberals, with mayoral candidate Kareem Allam, said they would “modernize zoning and business rules to support small businesses, entrepreneurs, creators, and the next generation of Vancouver’s economy.” They said that old industrial-era bylaws hold back the economy, and that in many places in Vancouver, small businesses can’t manufacture and sell products in the same spot.
Rebecca Bligh, the mayoral candidate for Vote Vancouver, unveiled in her party’s platform that she would create a small business concierge, giving local businesses a one-stop shop to get help with permits, regulations, and city processes.
Ken Sim, who is running for re-election with ABC Vancouver, will be unveiling the party’s 2026 election platform today.
COPE Vancouver, whose mayoral candidate Stephanie Allen also stepped down and endorsed Pete Fry, has yet to release a platform for small businesses.
Voting day is Oct. 17.