By Naomi Yamamoto - Minister of State for Small Business
and John Winter, president and CEO, BC Chamber of Commerce

VANCOUVER - Small business is a key economic driver in this province. Over one million people own, operate or work for a small business. We've done a lot of great things to make the business environment more friendly in B.C., but we wanted to do more.

So that's why one year ago today, government acted on a recommendation of the BC Chamber of Commerce and created the B.C. Small Business Accord. This accord has provided guidance to government to ensure that the proper tools, support and regulations are being developed to make B.C. the most business-friendly jurisdiction in the country.

The B.C. Small Business Accord and its six principles were established to help foster a progressive business culture where government initiatives support current and future generations of small business owners across our province. In support of B.C.'s business community, the accord ensures that the needs of small businesses are front-and-centre in government decision-making.

Building on the efforts of the Small Business Roundtable, the Action Plan for Small Business and the Regulatory Reform Initiative, government toured the province, held open houses and engaged online through the government's BC Jobs Plan website, Facebook and Twitter.

As a living document, the accord is intended to evolve and change to meet the ongoing needs and interests of the small business community in B.C., and we have already seen great progress on this front. Over the past year, a number of initiatives have been implemented in support of the goals of the accord, including launching MentorshipBC, developing a small business succession mobile training program and holding the Open for Business Awards to encourage local governments to create a small-business friendly environment.

This week, the B.C. government released the Small Business - Doing Business with Government project report, which contains 12 important recommendations to reduce the barriers facing small business and make it easier to do business with government. Government has committed to accept all 12 recommendations and begin taking action to implement them. Government is creating long-term growth opportunities for small business through government procurement. This is yet another win under the accord.

Together, these recommendations will build on the work of the BC Small Business Accord and help us toward our goal of making B.C. the most small business-friendly jurisdiction in Canada.

We encourage you to stay connected though Twitter on #BCBizChat or #SmallBizBC and the BC Small Business Roundtable at: www.smallbusinessroundtable.ca