Pending Policies

Co-operatives have always been an integral and essential part of BC’s economy. In key sectors like agriculture, financial services, retail, housing, and health care, co-ops provide essential goods and services to British Columbians. Co-ops are very good at the following: 1. Mobilizing and securing community capital for local economic development. 2. Providing goods & services that people need at a cost they can afford, particularly in the area of social care; 3. Empowering ordinary people with modest means to create new wealth through enterprise by sharing risks, skills and resources with others; 4. Diminishing economic inequality and providing stability and resilience, particularly in times of economic crisis. Social enterprise is a new and powerful concept developing globally. BC is already in a leadership position in this new category of company that aims to achieve social good with at least as much emphasis as return on investment. The spin-off benefits from highlighting social enterprise as a valuable investment, is that the economic and social value they produce is likely to vastly outweigh any cost in tax credits. Resolved that when in government, the Green Party of BC will implement strategies to assist in the economic development of co-operatives and social enterprises in BC by: • Extending to co-operative and social enterprises British Columbia’s tax credit for venture capital corporations (VCC’s) and eligible small businesses (ESB’s) which has been a productive facilitator of equity investment into BC companies. • Amending the Small Business Venture Capital Act to designate “Social Enterprises” and “Co-operatives” as a new eligible category for VCC’s and ESB’s. • Re-allocating $1 to 2 million from other categories in the Provincial budget to signal our commitment to support these creative new entities that have the promise to deliver so much more to society than pure profit-oriented companies. • Creating a co-op and social enterprise development and incubation initiative to provide financial and technical support for new co-op and social enterprise start-ups; for further development of existing co-op and social enterprises; and, for assisting in the transition of financially viable but challenged companies to a co-operative or social enterprise form through employee buy-outs. • Creating tax incentives to promote investment by members and community supporters in co-operative and social enterprises. • Adopting innovations in the financing of co-operatives and social enterprises by removing barriers to local investing; • Enhancing job and business retention by providing assistance to employees who want to buy-out; • Developing an affordable business space strategy that can assist in the incubation, start-up and development of co-operatives and social enterprises throughout BC. The Green Party of BC believes that the co-operative and social enterprise form will be integral to the more efficient provision of community based health, education and social services. Be it resolved that a Green Government will: • Establish an initiative to support the development of co-ops and social enterprises for the provision of community-based health, social and education services • Mandate that Requests for Proposal (RFP) processes and selection criteria by all government bodies will facilitate participation by health, social service and education co-operatives and social enterprises. • Establish education programs about co-ops and social enterprises in the training and retraining programs of existing health, social service and education professionals; for Health Authorities and social and educational agencies; and, for the governing bodies of these professions. The Green Party of BC recognizes that co-operatives and social enterprises can provide vital, community-based care to vulnerable individuals and the broader community. Be it resolved that the Green Party of BC will: • Support co-ops and social enterprises as a means of training and employing marginalized individuals and people with disabilities. • Remove income and social assistance restrictions to individuals being trained by social co-ops and other social enterprises. • Promote the use of social co-ops and social enterprises to serve high priority groups, especially the elderly and those living with disabilities. • Develop a co-operative and social enterprise shared service strategy to support the growth and competitive capacity of small and medium firms in strategic sectors. The Green Party of BC recognizes that co-operative housing in BC has been successful in providing affordable housing options for lower-income British Columbians. Therefore, be it resolved that when in government, the Green Party of BC will: • Partner with the co-op housing sector and other levels of government to: o Support the development of new, non-profit housing co-ops for low and moderate-income households, and o Explore the potential for using the co-op model to create affordable home ownership opportunities for British Columbians. To ensure the cooperative and social enterprise economy is developed in BC, the Green Party of BC will assign the Co-operative and Social Enterprise development to a Ministry for Economic Development.