END the Banff, Canmore + Kananaskis Non-Resident Business License fees for Wedding Professionals

Towns (including Canmore and Banff) are taking lists of vendors for couples from planners, on-site coordinators, or looking at instagram tags and are targeting them via email indicating they will need to purchase a license to photograph. Additionally more town officials and CO's are cracking down during weddings.

Additionally, parks Canada has stopped many photographers who are often there for only a short time with couples insisting they pay a commercial photography permit which is well over $1000. However a wedding does not fall under any of the guidelines listed on the Parks Canada Website. A wedding, engagement or couple's shoot is non-invasive and is not considered a Commercial Shoot by any means.

Why does this need to end? Because it is a poor way of attracting business and infusing the economy in these areas. It significantly impacts a vendors ability to do business.

Here is the breakdown:

BANFF:

$176 base fee + $176.00 (non-resident fee) + $ schedule B fee (see below) $527.24 + $879.24

Temp license is base fees plus over $300

Source: https://www.banff.ca/index.aspx?NID=669

"The majority of the money collected goes to the Tourism Bureau to help promote the destination"-

We ask - how does this promote destination when there are exorbitant fees for not only photographers but other vendors who provide services in the mountain regions for some, only a couple days out of an entire year? Source: https://globalnews.ca/news/210068/calgary-photographers-upset-over-banff-bylaw/

CANMORE:

Non – Resident License: $600 – Source https://canmore.ca/business/business-licenses/apply-for-a-license

KANANASKIS: $575 http://kananaskisid.ca/p/business-licenses

For photographers, having to pay their Calgary business license on top of those for each of these three areas, EVEN if they only have a couple weddings there a year or an engagement sessionamounts to $2054.24 per annum for the three areas.

Additionally, other vendors such as florists, hair and makeup, DJ's are also being targeted. This means for the average couple who wants choice in their services for their wedding day (not being limited to the smaller offering of choices in Banff) they are penalized. Ultimately these costs as business owners are not sustainable and must be passed onto the consumer. For ONE wedding a couple may have a DJ, Wedding Planner, Photographer, Videographer, Cake artist, Florist, Hair and Makeup who all must pay $879.24 – that is $7033.92 in profit for the town of Banff alone for ONE wedding.

 Even when a temp business license is purchased the two base fees and the $300 temp fee must be paid which is absolutely not a savings at all.

Considering the numbers of weddings held there yearly, the town stands to have a significant money grab.

This is certainly a premium tax on small business – most especially egregious as it is during a difficult time in the economy. These premium taxes do not encourage tourism or growth when couples are faced with higher costs. 

Nickel and diming vendors results in referring couples to book elsewhere which would be a serious hit to the economy in the mountain areas.

There are many photographers and vendors that bring an extreme amount of business to these areas, to show their thanks, these towns are penalizing us for it?

When the city of Calgary was consulted about a wedding photographer shooting for one or two weddings they laughed and indicated no license was needed. A commercial photographer hired for a commercial job in Toronto is not required to purchase an annual business license.

Think of the fees incurred if every vendor would need to pay a yearly business license for every city in Canada if they had one event there. It's ludicrous.

Where is the line? Does every public speaker at a conference held in Banff need to pay the fees? Musicians performing a concert for one night bringing many tourists? All media outlets that attend these events?

At the VERY LEAST A sliding scale rate or a more reasonable temporary rate (rather than $176 base, $176 non-resident and $300 temp license) needs to be found. It forces vendors into a corner with no choice.

Couples want specific talent and when they are forced to choose from a pool of talent that doesn't necessarily align with their wants, and their wedding is big budget – they will go elsewhere.

It is our opinion that these areas should be free for all to take pictures in as it contributes hundreds of thousands of dollars already to the economy of these areas.

These towns should be doing everything in their power to make sure they are attracting customers and tourists without penalizing those that are bringing the business to them to infuse their economy.

By only increasing these costs over the last 7 years, these towns have done very little to affect their image in the eyes of the vendors who bring so much to their economy so that others can enjoy the benefits of our beautiful land. ­

We will bring this petition together before council and stage a peaceful protest if our voices continue to be ignored.