Minister of State for Small Business Naomi Yamamoto and BC Chamber of Commerce president and CEO John Winter celebrated the BC Small Business Accord's one-year anniversary this morning at local business and accord participant, Oh My Gift, in Kitsilano.

The BC Small Business Accord was developed by small businesses throughout the province to establish a list of priorities to make B.C. the most business-friendly jurisdiction in Canada. The six accord principles guide the manner in which government interacts with and considers the interests of the small business community. The principles were approved by government and announced on March 19, 2013, along with six related action items.

Over the past year a number of action items 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 government to create a small-business-friendly environment. See attached backgrounder for more detail.

Quotes:

Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of State for Small Business -

"Small businesses form the backbone of our communities and our economy, so it's imperative that we do all we can to ensure B.C. has a business-friendly climate that allows them to grow and succeed. The BC Small Business Accord holds government accountable for doing all we can to support small business. We listened to small business owners and now we're taking action."

John Winter, president and CEO, BC Chamber of Commerce -

"It's great to see this accord bearing fruit for B.C.'s small businesses. With tangible actions such as the launch of MentorshipBC, the development of a succession training program, and the creation of the Open for Business Awards, this accord is driving wins for B.C.'s small business community. We look forward to many more such successes under this accord."

Lynne Jacobs, owner of Oh My Gift -

"We here at Oh My Gift applaud the B.C. government's efforts to harness the collective wisdom of the B.C. small business community. We strongly support the Small Business Accord principles and are very excited to be a part of this opportunity for the small business community."

Quick Facts:

Small Business Accord Principles:

• Consider the needs and impacts of small businesses in policy and program decisions to enhance business certainty, access to qualified labor, access to capital and technology adoption.
• Foster a regulatory environment that small business can access, navigate and influence effectively and efficiently.
• Design government programs and resources affecting small business so that they are well developed, accessible, properly funded and effectively communicated.
• Foster thoughtful collaboration among all levels of government, including First Nations.
• Deploy educational and training programs that are future-focused and aligned to meet the changing needs of small business and the labour talent it develops.
• Create long-term growth opportunities for small business through government procurement.

Learn More:

To learn more about the BC Small Business Accord, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/smallbusinessaccord

To find out more about starting and growing a business in B.C., visit: www.gov.bc.ca/businessandinvesting

To find out more about the BC Small Business Roundtable, visit: www.smallbusinessroundtable.ca

To learn more about regulatory reform, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/regulatoryreform

To find out more about the BC Chamber of Commerce, visit: www.bcchamber.org

Media Contact:

Media Relations
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour
250 387-2799

BACKGROUNDER

Small Business Accord action items accomplished

Action: Develop a Small Business Awareness Strategy

• Developed a video showcasing small business and held events led by small business organizations and local governments in six communities.
• Developed a Small Business Accord website.
• Provided funding to the International Women's Forum Leadership Conference in October 2013.

Action: Encourage Provincial/Municipal Collaboration in the Adoption of the Small Business Accord Principles

• Developed the "Open for Business" award, adjudicated by the Small Business Roundtable, which provided a $10,000 incentive to seven communities to highlight local governments that operate within the spirit of the accord.

Action: Reduce Barriers to Government's Procurement Process

• Updated a booklet to clarify the procurement process. This booklet is available on the small business resource website.
• Launched the Doing Business with Government consultation with small businesses: an interim report was released in December 2013; the final report with recommendations to government was released today.
• To reduce paperwork for opportunities less than $250,000, a new two-page Request for Proposals was developed and is currently being piloted, with roll-out across government expected in Spring 2014.
• Procurement baseline measure research is in progress to determine how much business government already carries out with small business and to measure outcomes toward government's commitment to a 20% cent increase.

Action: Raise Awareness of Small Business Mentorship Programs

• Provided support to BC Innovation Council for the development of MentorshipBC.
• Launched the MentorshipBC web portal in November 2013 to help business owners find mentor programs.

Action: Develop a Mobile Trainers Program for Remote Communities

• A mobile training pilot focused on succession planning launched in February/March 2014 in partnership with Community Futures and Venture Connect to address the Small Business Accord commitment, and to respond to recommendations from the Small Business Roundtable.

Action: Support Additional Skills Training

• In collaboration with the Labour Market Programs Branch, expansion of the Get Youth Working program has provided financial incentives to help employers hire and train youth with little or no work experience.

Media Contact:

Media Relations
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour
250 387-2799