“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy.”

That’s from Prince George Chamber of Commerce CEO Quynlan Young as Small Business Week in the province continues until Saturday.

Young told MyPGNow.com because PG acts as a service centre for the north, we often see people traveling into the northern capital for dining and retail experiences.

“Because small businesses are so deeply rooted into our community it just fosters this sense of belonging and pride for not only the people that live here but also the people that visit here.”

Like any business advocacy group, Young admits more assistance is needed from all levels of government as storefronts fight to keep their doors open.

“We are never finished growing and supporting. That is something the Prince George Chamber really works on and strives towards supporting those small businesses and advocating all three levels of government to create as many support streams as possible.”

The Chamber is hosting its 38th annual Business Excellence Awards tomorrow night (Friday) from the Prince George Playhouse.

Roughly one-in-10 provincial residents are small business owners or entrepreneurs of some kind according to the province.

There are more than 500,000 small businesses in our province that makeup 98% of businesses in B.C.

In 2022, small businesses contributed 34% to B.C.’s GDP, the highest in Canada.

Minister of Jobs, Economic Development, and Innovation has released the following statement on Small Business Week 2023:

“While the last few years have been challenging, from the impacts of global inflation, rising interest rates, and labour shortages, we have worked hand in hand with small businesses to find new and innovative ways to help them succeed. Through the StrongerBC Economic Plan, we have reduced childcare fees by up to $550 a month to help more parents enter the workforce, allowed restaurants to purchase alcohol at wholesale prices, provided flexibility in the municipal tax rate, and increased access to the small business corporate income tax rate, and more.

“In the coming weeks, our new Securing Small Business Rebate Program will help small businesses recover the cost of crime and vandalism and fund vandalism prevention. I encourage all small businesses who have experienced property damage to apply.

“As we move forward our government will continue looking for more ways to support people and businesses as we build a sustainable and inclusive economy that works for everyone.

“This Small Business Week, let’s go out and support our local restaurants and businesses and let them know how important they are to all of us.”