What do you think about the TILMA?

Agreement good for British Columbians, insists minister

by Collen Dane

Mar 30, 2007

It’s an agreement that will make a real difference in the lives of ordinary British Columbians, Minister of Economic Development Colin Hansen said this week.

In an interview with the Record, Hansen explained some examples of the benefits of Canada’s most comprehensive internal trade agreement — TILMA, which comes into effect Sunday.

“I think regular, ordinary people will find labour mobility easier,” said Hansen.

Where there are times that some are struggling to find employment in one place, the TILMA will ensure that their skills are recognized in the neighbouring province. There were 62 professions, said Hansen, that stood out as a challenge for people if they wanted to move between provinces.

For people not looking to move, Hansen suggested that their tax increases could be minimized as a result of TILMA — if governments have more choice in the provision of services, that will likely create a downward pressure on price, he said.

Those are a few examples, he said, of the benefits of an agreement that he insists is a good thing. The issue of inefficiencies in Canada’s internal trade agreement, he said, has been debated for a long time — the TILMA, said Hansen, is B.C. and Alberta deciding to address the problem themselves.

While the agreement was a sleeper in the public eye, Hansen said the two-year implementation period until April 1, 2009, when local governments will be included, will focus on ironing out details and continuing consultation.

They will address what he called wrong assumptions about the agreement. For example, local governments would not be punished for turning down a development proposal by an Alberta company — unless it was done simply because it was based in the other province.

They would not be fined for not allowing billboards by an Alberta firm, unless it was simply because it was Albertan, he said.

In a letter to the Union of B.C. Municipalities, he writes “TILMA is not intended to constrain local governments’ ability to establish or maintain bona fide, non-discriminatory measures such as zoning bylaws, height restrictions or rules applying to signage. Working with your full participation at the negotiators table, it is our intention to ensure the interests of local governments, their residents and the business communities.”

For more information on the TILMA, visit www.gov.bc.ca/ecdev.