Small businesses are still waiting too long for permits related to natural resource industries, despite promises by the Liberal government to speed up the process, according to Stikine NDP MLA Doug Donaldson.
“We’re hearing from small business leaders that the government simply hasn’t put the resources in place to ensure that their permit applications pass through the appropriate checks in a timely fashion,” Donaldson said in a press release.
He said the standing committee on finance and government services recently heard from Bev Vandersteen, executive director of the Fort Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce, who said larger companies are getting prompt responses to their permit requests – some within 60 days. However, she said many are still taking up to a year to be cleared.
“Often, when an application is filed, they don’t even hear if it’s been received for many months, and we’re looking at an average of about a year to achieve an answer — yea or nay — on an application,” Vandersteen recently told the committee. “In some cases it has taken up to four years. Clearly, this is unacceptable.”
“A year is an awfully long time for a small business to wait,” Donaldson said. “The inability to get an answer from government is undoubtedly killing jobs and harming communities.”
