BC Business
Changes in the pipeline Just a day after Burnaby North-Seymour Liberal MP Terry Beech repeated his election promise that National Energy Board (NEB) processes will be revised, the NEB announced that final oral arguments on the proposed Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion have been rescheduled for January and February. Kinder Morgan wants to triple the capacity of the Trans Mountain pipeline bringing oil from Alberta to Burnaby, resulting in an increase of tanker traffic in Burrard Inlet and along the B.C. coast from five to 34 tanks a month. The Burnaby Board of Trade is wary of the project, and seven B.C. mayors have criticized the NEB process. (via Burnaby Now)
Goodbye, big spendersIt could become harder to buy your way into municipal office. Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Peter Fassbender has introduced legislation to limit expenses for candidates and third party advertisers in local government elections. The goal is to make expenses reasonable, workable in different-sized communities and less of a deterrent to running for office. The proposed legislation is based on a June 2015 report from an all-party Special Committee on Local Elections Expense Limits. Public feedback is being accepted until November 17.
Hurry up and wait There is so much construction in Vancouver that the city can’t keep up with the demand for building permits—and it’s affecting business. Eastside Fitness on Fraser Street is caught between needing to move to larger premises and being unable to get a permit to renovate by the moving date. With approval taking six to eight months, owner Darnelle Moore is paying nearly $2,000 for city staff to work overtime so she won’t have to cover two leases. The city plans to open a small business renovation centre next spring. It has processed more than 4,000 permits so far this year. (via CBC)