Small-business owners want B.C.’s new Christy Clark government to intervene in the marketplace and limit rent increases on commercial properties. The proposed changes to the province’s Commercial Tenancy Act would kick in when leases for small-business owners expire and would be aimed at providing property rent stability for independent businesses.
The idea of rent control, however, has plenty of critics because it flies in the face of free enterprise.
“There are reasons to regulate commercial leases,” said Mary Brookes, who owns Sophie’s Pet Palace on Commercial Drive. “One is to protect small businesses who employ locally, use local suppliers and create jobs, which has spinoff benefits.”
Vancouver Island University geography professor Don Alexander, who has co-written papers on the concept of commercial rent control, agreed.
“Small businesses contribute an enormous amount to the local economy because the money circulates more than if it goes to a chain store,” he said. “Small businesses are a benefit to social well-being and possibly to environmental well-being, so there’s a rationale in not allowing these guys to be as scarce as hen’s teeth.”
