Many still suspicious of TILMA

April 1st saw both BC and Alberta move closer to harmonizing many of the ways that they do business and conduct trade in Western Canada. The TILMA protocol came into effect on Sunday, a government initiative that stands for Trade Investment Labour Mobility Agreement and depending on who you talk to it is either going to open up brand new markets and opportunities or lay waste to the social safety so carefully guarded for all these years.

As is anything to do with Canadian bureaucracy, it was passed without much information being provided to the public, not that we seemed to be particularly inclined to seek it out in the first place.

Like the Free Trade Agreement of the Mulroney years and NAFTA that followed, it’s one of those government initiatives that has many baffled, though apparently not moved to action just yet.

As we discovered a week or so ago, the prospect of the Agreement coming into effect had more than a few local residents wondering why there hasn’t been much investigation into the program and how it may affect the local municipal structure.

With the program now in effect, The Daily News examined some of the local reaction to the debut of TILMA in the Tuesday paper.

‘FIND OUT HOW DEAL BETWEEN PROVINCES AFFECTS US’
By James Vassallo
The Daily News
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Page one

Community members are calling on the city to take an active interest in the newly created Trade Investment Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA).

“Some of the possibilities that (TILMA) can have on municipalities makes my hair curl, and I don’t know enough about it,” said Peggy Davenport during the open session of last week’s council meeting.

“This is a binding agreement which gives investors and individuals the right to sue because of government programs and regulations that may restrict or impair investment.

“I would really feel a lot better if I knew that Prince Rupert was doing it’s own investigation so that we can protect ourselves.”

As of April 1, B. C. and Alberta are responsible for complying with the general rules and special provisions of TILMA, an inter-provincial free trade agreement that supporters say will save the two economies billions by making the movement of goods, services, investment and workers easier.

“I’m appreciating already that we’re (noticing) money coming from Alberta to here,’ said Davenport, who is concerned the agreement may increase the likelihood of private health care locally. “They have lots of money up there and we don’t. They’re beginning to buy property, invest; they’re beginning to look around here. What if they just decide to move in and do their own thing and override what we want because they have the money, they have the investment and they’ll have the TILMA agreement behind them?”

Among changes are that B. C. and Alberta will not require businesses located in either of the provinces to maintain local offices or be residents as a prerequisite to carrying on business.

Alberta and B. C. companies will also be able to bid on an expanded range of government goods and services contracts in both provinces and many commercial vehicles will not longer need additional registration and permits to carry goods across the B.C.-Alberta border. As well, professional requirements for a number of occupations will also be reconciled between the provinces allowing people to work in either B. C. or Alberta. Standards have already been reconciled for acupuncturists, chiropractors, occupational therapists, and water and waste water operators with more professions to become uniform during the next two years.

The agreement could have a wide range of effects. As Coun. Tony Briglio noted, there seems to be just as many positives as there are negatives making it difficult to decide how to feel about the legislation.

“We can’t sell ourselves short in regards to the kids of protections we have, that’s one of the reasons why I think it’s important that we get on to finalizing the Official Community Plan, that in itself is a protection,” he said.

“We ought not to be overly scared of something – what we need to do is get a better understanding of it and through the (Union of B. C. Municipalities) is one way to do that.”

Mayor Herb Pond, a UBCM director, was asked to bring back any information on the agreement as it relates to municipalities.

Following a two year transitional period, TILMA will be fully implemented on April 1, 2009.