Kelowna is the best place in British Columbia to start a small business, according to a new report out next week.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB) decided to assess how easy or difficult it was to start a business in 20 communities across the province. Using a secret purchasing technique, CFIB states that it poses as a member of the local community to assess the usefulness of community responses to small business inquiries.

Kelowna was first with 86 out of 100 points, Delta second with 81 points and Langley third with 78 points. Coquitlam (76) finished fourth, Prince George (75) fifth.

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The top 10 were rounded off by Langley (74), Surrey (73), Richmond (72), Victoria (72) and Vancouver (70). Out of 20 parishes, 17 of which were in Metro Vancouver, Port Moody (42) came last. According to the CFIB, the grades were based on three components: access to information, information quality and legal framework.

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It added that these three categories “get to the heart of how red tape affects business owners every day. Problems like duplicate processes, unnecessary regulations, paperwork, and poor customer service are just some of the types of red tape businesses can face. The presence of these factors increases the cost of doing business in a community and further puts pressure on small business owners. “

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Two areas in which Kelowna excelled were the cost of retail licenses and the legal framework. Kelowna’s cost of a retail license was reported at $ 140.94, with the average of all 20 being $ 210.72. The lowest costs went to Delta ($ 110), Maple Ridge ($ 110), Langley ($ 127.50), and Richmond ($ 139). The most expensive licenses went to Surrey ($ 274.25), White Rock ($ 275), Prince George ($ 280), and Burnaby ($ 600).

In terms of legal framework, Kelowna scored 40 out of 40 in six categories. Delta (34) and Langley (31) took second and third place in the regulatory framework.

Remarkably, Kelowna’s score could have been higher, but it dropped the ball in one area: online and / or downloadable business license application. According to the CFIB, Kelowna was the only city that didn’t have one.

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