Share the story of your struggles with getting a Vancouver business license or permit
Daily Hive Urbanized wants to hear your stories about receiving a business license or permit from the City of Vancouver.
After we published our article last week that the average wait time for business licensing and permits in Vancouver is over eight months, resulting in an average loss of $720,000 per business due to the delays, operators and owners of restaurants, shops, and services reached out to us that their personal experiences aligned with the findings.
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Based on a recent study by LOCO BC, supported by local business improvement associations, each week of wait time results in an average loss of $31,160 per business, which includes opportunity cost losses.
“Together these challenges contribute to an environment that causes instability and uncertainty for businesses in addition to increasing costs. Businesses can’t estimate time or costs of even the simplest renovations,” reads the study.
“The complexity and length of the process creates a disincentive for businesses to follow the rules; some businesses proceed with small renovations without permits, and those who get permits are then put at a disadvantage for abiding by the rules.”
Moreover, the study’s survey respondents noted that, “City of Vancouver staff lack a customer service approach” and show “little concern” for the various negative impacts of wait times on their business.
Given the volume of unsolicited responses that we received, we have created a new formalized way for readers to submit their stories.
Submissions in the online form below will be compiled for future articles, and used to provide added evidence towards pointing the need for a more business-friendly, customer service-oriented approach for the City of Vancouver’s business licensing and permitting processes.
We want to know how long you’ve been waiting for your permit, or if you’re still waiting? What has your application experience been like? What financial impact has your business encountered as a result of the delays? How have the financial impacts of the delays impacted your personal/family’s well-being? How can the process be changed?
With businesses, especially small businesses, facing an unprecedented economic climate during these difficult times, they need all the help that they can get to stay open and keep their staff employed.
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