Top issues for B.C. businesses in the 2018 municipal elections: poll

In July, Mustel Group polled 300 B.C. residents on behalf of BCBusiness, asking "As a business owner, what do you see as the most pressing issue in the upcoming municipal elections?" The responses were then filtered to focus on businesses with one or more staff. "People without employees are really...

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Economic policies, taxes and housing head the list

In July, Mustel Group polled 300 B.C. residents on behalf of BCBusiness, asking “As a business owner, what do you see as the most pressing issue in the upcoming municipal elections?” The responses were then filtered to focus on businesses with one or more staff. “People without employees are really more independent consultants, and I can tell they’re reacting more as a citizen rather than as a business owner,” explains principal Evi Mustel.

Among the 176 respondents who employ staff, the top issues were economic/business-friendly policies (20.5 percent overall), taxes (19.3 percent overall) and affordable housing (14.2 percent overall). “Affordable housing is always an issue because it’s an issue for hiring people as well,” Mustel says.

The small base size make the results a bit spotty when broken down by region, she admits, but priorities do vary from one area to another (see results below). “The economic climate is much more of an issue outside the Metro Vancouver region, whereas transportation, housing, which are very much related, are more of an issue in the Metro Vancouver area,” Mustel notes.

What she found interesting was the lack of concern about the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion. “In all our polling, it’s not showing up very much as a big issue,” Mustel says. “It could be also [a feeling that] we need this for economic development.”

Economic/business-friendly policies (issuing of permits, applications)
Metro Vancouver: 17.2%
Other B.C.: 27.8%

Taxes
Metro Vancouver: 21.3%
Other B.C.: 14.8%

Affordable housing (empty houses, foreign owner tax, etc.)
Metro Vancouver: 17.2%
Other B.C.: 7.4%

Transportation (public transit expansion, traffic congestion)
Metro Vancouver: 16.4%
Other B.C.: 5.6%

Overdevelopment (loss of Agricultural Land Reserve, densification, etc.)
Metro Vancouver: 10.7%
Other B.C: 3.7%

Crime (gang violence, public safety, fentanyl/opioid crisis, etc.)
Metro Vancouver: 4.9%
Other B.C.: 11.1%

Affordable commercial real estate
Metro Vancouver: 4.1%
Other B.C.: 9.3%

Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion
Metro Vancouver: 4.1%
Other B.C.: 7.4%

Environment (expanding recycling, renewable energy, etc.)
MetroVancouver: 3.3%
Other B.C.: 3.7%

Welfare and social issues
Metro Vancouver: 0.8%
Other B.C.: 3.7%