Surrey's Board of Trade is urging the Federal Government to be careful with anti-spam legislation.

They say Board business will be affected, along with charities and not-for-profit organizations trying to contact the public. Under the proposed legislation, they will need to get permission from recipients before sending mass emails.

Minister of Canadian Heritage James Moore says it's not a crime to send business related emails, but people want to avoid being bombarded by spam.

"The public should be protected from noise and non-sense they don't want to get.  Trying to do a carve-out specifically for non-profits is a challenge, but we're aware of the need to do so."

The Board says the Canadian Chamber of Commerce also has concerns with the legislation, and is urging them to lobby the Federal Government.