Starting a business in British Columbia
From Metro Vancouver to the Kootenays and the North Coast, B.C. is a province of very different regions. Here’s what people start here, where to get help, and how to get online.
B.C.’s entrepreneurial landscape
Metro Vancouver and Victoria are full of first businesses: designers and developers, consultants, trades and renovation crews, cleaning and care services, food trucks, cafés, studios and online shops — many started by newcomers, students and people working for themselves after years in a big company.
The rest of the province follows its geography. The Okanagan has orchards and wineries, Vancouver Island and the coast have fishing, boat services and year-round tourism, the Interior and the North have forestry, mining, ranching and the trades that serve them, and the mountains bring ski towns and outdoor guides.
B.C. has a francophone community spread across the province, and many Indigenous entrepreneurs building businesses rooted in their nations and territories.
Real help for new entrepreneurs
Help for new entrepreneurs in British Columbia:
- BC Registries and Online Services — Where you register a business name or incorporate in British Columbia.
- B.C. resources for entrepreneurs — The Province’s page of programs and supports for people starting a business. The Province’s own list of current programs for people starting out.
- B.C. provincial sales tax (PST) — Who must register for PST and what it applies to.
- PacifiCan — Pacific Economic Development Canada, the federal agency dedicated to British Columbia.
- Community Futures British Columbia — Local loans and business coaching in communities across B.C.
- SDÉCB — The Société de développement économique de la Colombie-Britannique, for francophone entrepreneurs.
- BC Chamber of Commerce — The network of local chambers of commerce across the province.
- Futurpreneur — Start-up financing paired with a volunteer business mentor, for entrepreneurs aged 18 to 39.
- BDC — The Business Development Bank of Canada: financing, plus free guides and templates for people starting out.
Your first steps in B.C.
- Register your business name with BC Registries if you use a name other than your own.
- Understand GST and PST. B.C. has no HST. There’s the 5 % federal GST (register with the CRA once taxable sales pass CA$30,000 over four quarters) and B.C.’s 7 % PST, which applies to many goods and some services and has its own registration rules.
- Find local support. Community Futures offices help in communities across the province; PacifiCan is the federal agency for B.C.; SDÉCB works in French.
- Show up when people search. A free Google Business Profile, a website and an email at your own domain help new businesses get noticed.
Canada Revenue Agency: get a business number · CRA: GST/HST rates by province
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Questions
Do I have to charge B.C. PST?
It depends on what you sell. The Province’s PST page explains what’s taxable and who must register.
Can I get support in Pacific time?
We answer by email from Atlantic Canada, four hours ahead of Pacific time, in English or French. Write whenever suits you.