On Sept. 27, Minister of State for Tourism and Small Business Naomi Yamamoto and Canadian Federation of Independent Business Executive Vice President Laura Jones host a noon-hour Twitter town hall with B.C. small business representatives.

As a lead up to Small Business Month in October, the B.C. government and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) are asking for input from the small business community to identify their top priorities for cutting red tape in the province.

British Columbia experienced modest growth in employment in August. The province had a net increase of 6,200 jobs, with part-time employment increasing by 16,000. This gain was off-set by a decrease of 9,800 full-time jobs.

To ensure British Columbians are first in line for the skilled jobs of the future, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour Shirley Bond announced that Jessica McDonald is appointed as independent review lead for the review of the Industry Training Authority.

Three new webinars will help British Columbians to learn about strategies, tools and resources available to help them to spur economic development in their communities.

The Province has announced the 15 finalists for the 2013 Open for Business Awards.

The Province has taken another step to cut red tape with the appointment of a senior official to work with small businesses to break down barriers and increase small business procurement by at least 20 per cent.