NEW BUILDING/DEVELOPMENT FEES: All proposed changes PAGES 6-7
$1.50
inc. GST
THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2023
ANNIE’S ADVENTURES
VOL. 48 NO. 50
BIUndercurrent
To Alaska and back
BowUndercurrent www.bowenislandundercurrent.com
PAGE 8
Bowen biz licences boom in past year
SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF NEW LICENCES IN SHORT TERM RENTALS ALEX KURIAL Editor
SUNSET SAIL: Rafal Izdebski captured this stunning shot while riding on the QueenofCapilano onTuesday night. Hopefully it will be one of many colourful Howe Sound scenes over the coming year.You can see some more shots from our island photographers on Page 10. / Rafal Izdebski photo
The number of business licences issued on Bowen last year jumped by a third as the program entered its fourth year on the island. The total licence number for 2022 was 676, up 34.1 per cent from 2021’s mark of 504. This resulted in total revenue for the municipality of $73,525, a new annual high since business licences were introduced on Bowen in 2019, and up 61.8 per cent from the previous year’s total of $45,450. The types of businesses seeing the largest jumps were residential guest accommodations (+49), non-resident businesses (+49), bed and breakfast (+31), and contractors (+23). Manager of planning and development Daniel Martin was the non-resident business jump is likely due to a more proactive position taken by the municipality during the past year to make sure professionals working as subcontractors on a project, such as plumbers or electricians, are also fully licenced. While it certainly generated more business licence revenue, the increase of 80 short term rental (STR) licences has Martin concerned however. The 2022 additions continue the rising STR trend on Bowen which began in mid-2021. At that time there were fewer than 80 such licenced operations – today there are more than 180 active. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Thanks to all my clients for a successful 2022 my second year in a row as Bowen’s Top Producing REALTOR®
2020-2021