City of Burnaby makes permanent Inter-Municipal Business License

Following a successful two year pilot project, The City of Burnaby has passed a new bylaw to make permanent the Inter-Municipal Business License (IMBL) for construction and trade-related businesses.

The new license allows eligible businesses to operate across participating municipalities and regional districts while streamlining and simplifying the licensing process, reducing costs, and making it easier to do business across the region. Trades contractors and other professionals related to the construction industry can operate across six different cities (Burnaby, New Westminster, Vancouver, Surrey, Delta and Richmond) under the program.

The IMBL has received positive feedback and steady growth from local businesses since the City of Burnaby entered into the pilot project in 2014, following strong advocacy from the Burnaby Board of Trade, who first appeared as a delegation on the matter to City Council in 2013.
Prior to the program, businesses operating across municipal boundaries had been required to obtain a valid business license in each city they do work in—long considered an inconvenient and costly burden for many businesses.

“We’re happy to have been able to play a part in achieving this important reform and will continue to advocate for ways to make doing business in Burnaby even easier,” said Burnaby Board of Trade President and CEO Paul Holden.

The permanent IMBL is expecting to commence on January 1st, immediately upon expiration of the pilot project.