A Thriving Local Economy

It’s too hard to start, scale, and sustain a business of any kind in Vancouver, because City Hall keeps getting in the way.

The OneCity Team is betting on small and scaling businesses to drive economic growth and give you more time back in your life. Whether you’re trying to make a passion project into an income, or get your kids to school before the bell, OneCity’s Local Economy Action Plan will build a city where you can see your dreams come true. 

The Local Economy Action Plan will make it easier for hardworking Vancouverites to start a business across the city through:

• Modernized home-based business rules – legal pathways for residents to run low-impact businesses from home, supporting everyone who can't afford expensive commercial rent.

• More corner stores and small neighbourhood shops – grocers, bakeries, cafés, florists, barbers, bike repair, and pharmacies permitted in residential areas, so you don’t have to drive across town to get what you need.

• Common sense rules to manage impact – backed up with rules on noise, waste, accessibility, and hours of operation, so more opportunity across neighbourhoods is paired with regulation that keeps people safe and healthy. 

• Simpler approval for small cultural and community venues. 

• Streamlined permitting for pop-ups and temporary uses – vacant storefronts, plazas, libraries, and underused civic space opened up for markets, food vendors, and local business testing.

We’re going to make it easier, faster, and cheaper to start and scale a business in Vancouver,  so that everyone benefits from thriving local shops, restaurants, and services by:

• Filling Vacant Store Fronts – Match chronically vacant storefronts with short-term renters (like artists and entrepreneurs) to foster community activity while identifying structural barriers and developing durable solutions. 

• Establishing an Entrepreneur Liaison Office – Build a one-stop-shop for entrepreneurs to meet regulatory requirements and access programs, so they can follow their dreams. 

• Small Business & Community Micro Grants – Create a tiered micro-grant system that will provide the necessary capital for average people to start, scale, and sustain built-in-Vancouver businesses.

• Streamline Change of Use – Reform the City’s existing Change of Use to ensure that low-risk businesses can occupy existing spaces faster, saving small businesses money, and ensuring that enforcement focuses on safety – not just more pedantic paperwork. These reforms will address licensing, upgrades, occupancy, zoning, and new development all in one place.

• Help Businesses Get Safe to Open – Create a pilot of micro-grants specifically for businesses, non-profits, and service organizations to get quick funding for repairs, replacements, and responses to vandalism and property crime.

OneCity will encourage external investment and businesses of all kinds - not just flashy conferences and corporate HQs like ABC has been courting through: 

• A New Business & Investment Office – Build a new Business & Investment Office (BIO) while working to reform, fund, and stabilize the regional Invest Vancouver so that Vancouver’s new BIO will have a partner they can count on.

• A Good Jobs Procurement Standard – City contracts that reward fair wages, responsible contractors, apprenticeships, safety, and local jobs – not just the lowest upfront price. 

• Buy Vancouver – Establish a procurement pilot which will ensure that City tax dollars prioritize supporting Vancouver businesses first, and Canadian businesses next. 

• Re-Establish the Vancouver Industry Commissioner – Appoint a dedicated Industry Commissioner empowered to attract, engage, and deliver investment on Industrial Lands in support of businesses impacted by the US Trade War to achieve shared prosperity.

Where You Can Get Where You Need To Go

Finally, OneCity will champion workers by providing more opportunities for good-paying jobs, and making it faster and easier to get to and from work so you can spend more time living and less time commuting, by: 

• Making the Bus Go Fast & Transit Suck Less – Adopt a citywide Transit Signal Priority System so buses get the VIP Pass at stoplights they deserve, which can save you up to two weeks per year on your commute. And, work with Translink to ensure that every part of Vancouver has access to fast, frequent, affordable transit through bus priority corridors.

• Expanding Low Income & Under 19 Transit Passes – Advocate for the expansion of the Get on Board! Program for youth and expand it to Low Income Transit Riders.

• Building the SkyTrain to UBC – Work with the Provincial and Federal governments to secure the funding necessary to connect the Broadway line to UBC. 

• Nationalize Mobi  – OneCity will explore ownership of Vancouver's bike share system, to protect it from the financial instability and make it more accessible for everyone. 

What this means for you:

With OneCity, you can make your dreams a reality without getting tied up in red tape. When your business needs a hand, the City will help you stay open instead of shutting the door. We’ll create more opportunities by welcoming innovative businesses of all sizes to open an office in Vancouver, and we’ll ensure your tax dollars go to making your commute faster, creating good jobs for Vancouverites, and ensuring everyone can access the city.