Welcome to ECN, mate. I think that the Moderator of this area, Doug, would be your best source of info, after all he has been through this before and he is in your part of the world.
I use a flat rate system for resi service calls, and basic circuits. Permits are taken out on BC Online, and my service software does the invoicing and estimates.
great for getting them instantly. BC hydro needs permit for each service disconnect , the other night had a main breaker replacement i could hand the hydro guy a copy of the declaration before he even pulled the meter.