After extensive consultation with the small business community, Minister of State for Small Business Naomi Yamamoto and BC Chamber of Commerce president and CEO John Winter unveiled the finalized Small Business Accord this morning in Vancouver.

In October 2012, the B.C. government announced it would create the Small Business Accord to establish a list of priorities to make the province the most business-friendly jurisdiction in Canada.

A consultation period was launched to determine guiding principles that should be included in the accord, and over 35,000 individuals provided feedback through community meetings, an online survey and the #BCBizChat Twitter town hall.

On Feb. 5, 2013, a Small Business Accord forum, made up of 15 business owners/operators from various regions and sectors around B.C., used the feedback from the consultation period to determine the accord principles and establish action items for the provincial government.

The Small Business Accord contains the following principles:

• Consider the needs and impacts of small businesses in policy and program decisions to enhance business certainty, access to qualified labour, access to capital and technology adoption.
• Foster a regulatory environment that small business can access, navigate and influence effectively and efficiently.
• Design provincial 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.