The first inter-community business license has now been issued in the Kamloops area.

The city’s business license inspector Dave Jones says that license was sold in Chase.

It’s part of a new program that 11 communities in the area are involved in, aimed to streamline the process for contractors to work around the region.

“All the communities that are involved are also spreading the word. So for the most part, the small business ventures, the mobile business ventures, are starting to call us, sending in applications. It’s slowly rolling out, but what a great opportunity for small business.”

Jones says all local governments closer to Kamloops will be on board by the end of the month, which are Tk’emlúps, Chase, Logan Lake, Merritt and Barriere.

“I believe, last we heard, we still had Lytton to come on board, we still had Lillooet to come on board, Ashcroft, Cache Creek and Clinton. I would suspect those smaller communities, maybe middle of 2020.”

The idea for the regional business licenses was first pitched by the Kamloops Chamber years ago, and since then many other regions have brought it online but not the Thompson-Nicola until now.