Kitimat could soon see improvements to its business licence system, aimed at simplifying the application process for local businesses and enhancing the district’s ability to monitor economic activity.
Council has approved a motion to apply for a grant through the Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT) Northern Healthy Communities Capacity Building Program. If successful, the funds would hire a consultant to review business licence bylaws, application processes, and classifications within the district.
“We're finding that some of the classifications we use don’t fully reflect what businesses are doing,” said Kiona Enders, the district’s deputy CAO, during the Oct. 21 council meeting. “For example, if you were to ask me how many acupuncturists are in the community, I wouldn’t be able to answer that. I wouldn’t be able to break that out.”
The proposed review would suggest bylaw amendments, streamline application procedures, address gaps in business classifications such as home-based craft businesses, and reassess the current fee schedule. A regional business licence could also be explored to unify operations across a larger area.
Councillor Mario Feldhoff raised the question, “Do we have an idea of where our processes fall short?” The deputy CAO responded by noting that approximately 51 new business applications had been processed in 2024, but some businesses were being placed into categories that didn’t fully match their operations.
The NDIT program targets communities experiencing significant economic growth, and Kitimat’s eligibility stems from the large-scale industrial developments, including LNG Canada and Coastal GasLink.
