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Business Licence Bylaw Renewal
Why a Review is Needed
Business Licence Bylaw 13138 establishes the rules and regulations for granting licences to businesses that meet the basic criteria for doing business in Edmonton. The current bylaw was introduced in 2002. While there have been several housekeeping amendments to the bylaw since 2002, the regulatory framework and needs of businesses have changed significantly over the past two decades and a complete review and update of the bylaw is needed.
What the Review Will Achieve
A robust and modern Business Licence Bylaw will support the City’s vision by helping to ensure all businesses are an integral part of livable, safe, and sustainable communities. It will provide businesses and industry with clear, consistent, and reasonable regulations, and it will allow City administration to improve the value of business licensing for stakeholders.
The Business Licence Bylaw Renewal project has 3 main objectives:
- To remove unnecessary barriers for businesses and enhance service efficiency
- To enable administration to respond quickly and decisively when new business types emerge
- To improve alignment with regulatory partners and facilitate a more timely and effective response to compliance-related issues.
Project Overview
The Business Licence Bylaw Renewal project began in June 2018 by identifying gaps in the current legislation and potential areas for improvement.
On May 21, 2019, Administration presented an information report to the Urban Planning Committee with 23 emerging recommendations for the framework and fee structure of the new bylaw (item 6.1). Recommendations were informed by a review of business licensing programs in 10 Canadian municipalities, consultation with internal partners from planning, municipal enforcement, law enforcement, safety codes, and fire prevention; and engagement with business owners and local business associations.
In January 2020, administration completed a second round of engagement with business owners, business associations, and internal partners. The emphasis on this round of engagement was licensing requirements for specific types of businesses and industries.
Next Steps
City administration was scheduled to present another information report to the Urban Planning Committee in May of 2020, but this was not possible due to the operational impacts of COVID-19. Instead, administration will present 35 recommendations for changes to business licence categories along with a proposed outline and fee schedule for the new Business Licence Bylaw to the Executive Committee on October 26, 2020 as part of a larger report on reductions to small business regulations. This report will be made publicly available 1 to 2 weeks before the Committee meeting.
The timeline for implementing the Business Licence Bylaw has been affected by COVID-19. However, administration is currently drafting the new Business Licence Bylaw and taking steps to prepare for its implementation. Updates will be provided as they are available.