Today's hikes in raft of N.B. fees come at wrong time, say business groups
New Brunswick is increasing the public safety fees it charges for licensing and inspections. The increases apply to motor vehicle registrations, trades inspections and liquor licensing, among other things.
Some inspection and licensing fees haven't increased for decades, provincial government says
More than 100 fees for inspections and licensing in New Brunswick will jump up on Saturday, spelling higher costs for residents and businesses.
Increases apply to vehicle registrations, plumbing, electrical and elevator inspections, liquor licensing, and justice system fees.
The province expects the increases to generate an additional $45 million a year in revenue.
Increases related to motor vehicles alone will bring in more than $13 million more. Among them are fees for passenger vehicle registrations, which will go up by $5 to $15, depending on the vehicle's weight.
Higher fees for boiler pressure vessel inspections, including gas, will add $2 millio to provincial revenues.
Some increases, including fees for electrical, plumbing and elevator inspections, are jumping from $100 to $300.
Frédéric Gionet, the Atlantic director of legislative affairs for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said some businesses will be affected by several of the increases.
"Family restaurants, you know, you have health inspections, you have vessel inspections, you might have electrical inspection, you might have liquor licences," Gionet said. "All these things would be rising up."
They all make doing business more expensive, and the impact could mean higher prices to customers.
Gionet said large businesses may absorb the costs, but small businesses cannot, especially in a time of uncertainty and concerns about tariffs.
"Unfortunately, it just adds to the pile of costs that, you know, [small businesses] are dealing with. And … small businesses right now are facing a storm on many fronts."
Gionet said there is no way around these fees and licences if businesses want to be certified and have insurance.
Janick Cormier, the Atlantic vice-president for Restaurants Canada, said restaurants are already facing rising costs.
Jadesola Emmanuel, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice and Public Safety, said current fees haven’t "kept pace with rising costs."
Emmanuel said some of these fees haven’t increased in about 20 years.
"Whether it's food costs, labour costs, utilities, rent, everything's increasing at, quite frankly, an alarming rate," Cormier said. "For the government to increase all of these fees is a little bit tone deaf."
She said restaurants face a number of fees, including some that have two liquor licences if they have a bar separate from a dining room.
Full ‘gamut’ of fees going up
The province posted its list of fee increases ahead of the change.
"I don't think anybody really escapes these fees, and the end result is just going to be … the cost of doing business will be higher," Gionet said.
Liquor licences, which are renewed annually, will increase by as little as $20 to almost $200.
Licensing for chase the ace, a raffle charities use to raise money, is changing to a new system. For prizes under $1,700, the fee will be $50 while the fee for prizes over $1,700, will be three per cent of the prize total.
The cost per page to get family and criminal case transcripts will go up a dollar more, rising to $4.
Some fees are charged annually or on a case-by-case basis.
The province’s website said newly installed or modified boilers, pressure vessels or pressure piping systems must be inspected.
Any plumbing system that has been installed, altered, renewed or repaired needs to be inspected. The Public Safety Department said electrical inspections are similar to plumbing.
Gionet said that with a $1.3 billion provincial budget deficit projected for this fiscal year, higher fees might be part of the solution to the problem.
"It seems like just, you know, throw a gamut of fees in there and patch a hole in your budget," she said. "Seems to be the quick and dirty approach to doing it."
Gionet would like to see these increases happen year-over-year instead of all at once.
Cormier would like the licence and inspection process simplified so restaurants aren’t tied up with as much paper work. She’d especially like to see the province get rid of double liquor licences for restaurants with bars.
911 service fee increases
The province’s 911 service fee will jump from 97 cents to $2.59. That fee is charged on your phone bill and then sent to the province by your provider.
Nick Kyonka, a spokesperson for the Canadian Telecommunications Association, said that under provincial legislation, telecommunications providers are required to bill and collect the 811 fee.
Providers don’t get any amount of the fee for themselves.
Public Safety Minister Robert Gauvin said in a statement that the fee increase will help fund the province’s next generation 911 system.
"This modern digital system will improve reliability, location accuracy and accessibility, while ensuring the service can keep pace with evolving technology and growing demand," Gauvin said.
Some of the 911 service fee revenue will go toward the provincial hazardous materials program and the Emergency Measures Organization.
