Economic Gardening Policy Resolution Presented to Minister of Jobs, Tourism & Innovation
On Tuesday, July 10th, the Honorable Pat Bell, BC's Minister of Jobs, Tourism & Innovation was the luncheon keynote at the Osoyoos Golf & Country Club. Speaking on all three areas within his profile, Mr. Bell indicated that he believes there are unique aspects to BC that positions it to potentially have strong growth moving forward if we can take advantage of the opportunities.
In agriculture, our South Okanagan region is a smaller niche player compared to other larger markets but one with incredibly high quality product, referring to both fruit and wine crops. International education is another industry poised for growth, citing the local Okanagan Hockey School as one example of this. He noted of the approximate 94,000 international students currently in BC, 60% are enrolled in private schools and those schools are recognized as delivering high quality product. BC also has a unique niche in tourism in that from almost any tourism town, visitors can escape to beautiful wilderness in a very short time, which is attractive to Asian travelers in particular. The technology sector is another area of potential growth and while Minister Bell was reluctant to talk specifics, he noted the BC government was imminently going to release its new technology plan.
At the conclusion of the presentation, Mr. Bell was presented with a copy of the Economic Gardening policy resolution that the South Okanagan and Penticton Chambers brought forward to the BC Chamber AGM in May. The BC Chamber has adopted this resolution into its policy manual and will help the local chambers encourage the government to support the initiative. The local chambers, in conjunction with Community Futures Okanagan Similkameen, hope funding will be provided to expand a successful regional pilot into a provincial program. The program uses technology which allows businesses to go beyond traditional data analysis and incorporate geographic location into viewing and analyzing business, demographic and consumer spending data to better target their marketing. The pilot brings together business, education, economic development officers, Trusts and Provincial ministries to assist in the growth of small business revenues and increase jobs.
Identify Potential Energy and Money Saving Opportunities In Your Business
The Livesmart BC: Small Business Program makes it easy for thousands of BC businesses to save money and reduce their energy consumption. If you are a small or medium sized business and spend less than $50,000 per year on electricity, then you may be eligible to participate. Business Energy Advisors are available now to visit eligible businesses and work directly with them to identify potential energy and money saving opportunities including lighting, hot water and HVAC improvements. These advisors can help businesses also access other available incentives and Program components, including coordinating the installation of equipment. There is a time limit to these programs and businesses must be registered. Book your free assessment by calling 1.800.469.7830 or emailing advisor@greenstep.ca. To learn more about the programs, visit http://www.livesmartbc.ca/incentives/small-business
Free Information Webinars for Small Business
Canada Revenue Agency has just launched three new information webinars for small businesses on the topics of payroll information, Tax GST/HST, and Electronic Services. Follow this link to take advantage of the free information they provide: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/vnts/bc/menu-eng.html
August Edition of Business Examiner Thompson Okanagan Community Focus is Penticton
Joanne Iormetti of the Business Examiner TO tells me the upcoming August edition will feature Penticton and the booking deadline is July 20th. If you want to showcase your Okanagan company to the entire business community of the Okanagan Valley in this issue, contact Joanne for ad space at joanne@businessto.ca or toll free at 1.866.758.2684.
