Small and medium-sized B.C. businesses looking to expand their export capacity and access new markets will soon benefit from a new partnership between the Province and the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, Finance Minister Michael de Jong announced today.

The Province is providing a $2.5-million grant that will support new programming to help small- and medium-size B.C. businesses capitalize on B.C.’s position as Canada’s only Pacific province. The programs will be available beginning in 2017-18.  

Increasing the province’s exports and expanding markets for B.C. goods and services are important drivers of economic growth and stability, and job creation. As part of the funding agreement, the Board of Trade will work in partnership with the BC Chamber of Commerce to deliver the programming, allowing chamber members to take part in these programs as well.

The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade is developing plans for three initiatives:

• Trade Acceleration Program: Intensive workshops will partner industry and government experts with B.C. entrepreneurs to help build their capacity to trade internationally.
• Regional Trade Services Program Integration, Coordination, and Development: After reviewing the services currently available to businesses, the board will create a suite of integrated and in-demand services.
• Development of a Greater Vancouver “Internationalization Framework”: The board will identify sectors with significant growth potential and develop a strategy to accelerate growth in these sectors, including targeting export opportunities for First-Nations-owned enterprises.

This partnership with the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade is another way the Province is helping businesses develop their export capacity, and complements the services offered by B.C.’s trade and investment representatives, as well as B.C.’s Export Navigator pilot project.

Quotes:

Minister of Finance Michael de Jong –

“Diversification of B.C.’s export markets is an important element of B.C.’s plan to continue growing our economy and creating more jobs for British Columbians. This partnership will help ensure B.C.’s small and medium-sized businesses are reaching beyond our borders to find new markets and reach new customers.”

Robin Silvester, 2016-17 chair, Greater Vancouver Board of Trade and president and CEO, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority –

“It is clear that when we engage in exporting, we are good at it. Our role is to seize the opportunity afforded us as Canada’s only Pacific province; to fulfil our exporting potential by looking to Asia and the other markets accessible to us through Canada's Asia Pacific gateway and by counting on our vibrant SME community.”

Val Litwin, president and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce:

“Our recent BC Chamber "Collective Perspective" survey identified international trade as a top growth opportunity for SME in the next five years. Now we're working closely with our grassroots provincial network to ensure that all B.C. businesses are ready to capitalize on this exciting global growth opportunity.”

Learn More:

Find out more about the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade: https://www.boardoftrade.com/

Find out more about the B.C. Chamber of Commerce: http://www.bcchamber.org/

For more information about B.C.’s Export Navigator pilot project, visit: https://www.britishcolumbia.ca/export/export-navigator/