British Columbia's Small Business Task Force to make one stop in Northwest BC

British Columbia's NDP government is dispatching a Small Business Task Force
to cross the province to take the pulse of the small business sector in June
(photo from BC Government photo stream)

A road trip is on the horizon, should the members of the City of Prince Rupert's Small Business Advisory Committee, along with any other residents of the city  wish to share some thoughts with the provincial government on the state of small business on the North Coast.

That as the Province sets a travel agenda for a Small Business Task Force that will pull up about ninety minutes short of Prince Rupert.

The province announced formation and itinerary for its Small Business Task Force on Wednesday and among the seven cities selected for the month long consultations in June, was Terrace, which will host its session on June 13th.

Bruce Ralston, the Minister of Jobs. Trade and Technology rolled out the new Task Force in Surrey on Wednesday morning, noting how he was looking forward to its recommendations to build the small business sector and create employment in the province.

“The new Small Business Task Force will listen to entrepreneurs and business owners throughout the province, so we can continue to improve B.C.’s small business climate,” said Ralston. “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. The Small Business Task Force will make recommendations to build on this sector’s strong growth, and enhance job creation for people in every corner of B.C.”

As Task Force Chair Michael Hwang noted at the launch, the scope of the Task Force is to review the challenges and examine the opportunities found across the province.

“We want to hear from small businesses in every community in the province,” said Hwang. “The task force will examine the opportunities and challenges facing small business owners to make recommendations that build on the strengths of the sector, and help create good jobs throughout the province.”

The Task Force also plans to offer an opportunity for British Columbians to participate in the review through an online public engagement website, with the details on that initiative to come sometime in the future.

The group has until the fall of this year to deliver their recommendations to the Province for their consideration.

You can review the background to yesterday's announcement and learn more about the members of the Task Force here.

Prince Rupert City Council recently received a report from the City's own Small Business Committee which provided a glimpse into some of the challenges facing the local business sector, the document mirroring many of the current themes that Council has put the spotlight on in recent months.

Small Business Committee Report finds common ground with many City Council initiatives
City's Small Business advisory Committee to deliver report to Council tonight

You can chart their progress on their trek across the province through the Small Business Roundtable website,  Twitter feed and Facebook page.

Our look at the Northwest Business sector can be reviewed here.

More items of interest related to the work of the BC Legislature can be found on our archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.