Conference to support local businesses in Vancouver does everything but
In response to the Vancouver Economic Commission’s
post on their Facebook page advertising the local economy summit aimed at developing
local businesses, I ask the question of just how useful these conferences
really are for small-to-micro sized local businesses. With costs of just
attending at $200, not to mention costs in time and other expenses: is this
kind of development purely aimed at those with comfortable government salaries
or larger ‘local’ businesses?
Hosted at the Westin Bayshore (not a local brand by
far) and supposedly attended by “advocates from around North America, local
government leaders, officials from across BC, and well-known economic
development experts”, the list excludes the local business community entirely.
You know, people that the event is supposed to support. Simultaneously, the
event is failing to support local business as their conference is being hosted
at an international hotel chain. How does the hosting of a conference to
promote and, I would hope, support local businesses get hosted at a large
international hotel chain?
We are witnessing the spending of local tax payer
money through the attendance of BC government officials on a taxpayer salary
and they are excluding the small underfunded businesses that would most benefit
from such exposure and networking.
Seeing this lavish use of local tax money to
effectively pat each other on their backs while ignoring the real issue of
growing local businesses begs the question; what does the government really do
to support small businesses?
The government does little but pander to big business
with such broad economic policies as the BC Jobs Plan and fails miserably in
addressing the issues of small businesses. Small Business, the main source of
new jobs, as opposed to big business who are cutting staff to remain LEAN.
Discussions of tax regulations and other macro level
solutions that are of little value to the start-up entrepreneur who would find
more value in good connections and accessible opportunities are all too common
Furthermore, the BC Jobs Plan that aims to create jobs
does little more than add fundinginto an already bloated public education
system. A system that already produces more graduates than jobs in many sectors
and does little to create new businesses in the province. The additional
funding into education seems as mindless as the failure to recognize local
businesses.
The BC government and other organizations supposedly
trying to support local business or create jobs in the province fail to
understand the fundamental building blocks required for small entrepreneurs to
succeed. With the exception of companies like Lulu Lemon, or the Jim Pattison
group, most jobs are either directly in our government or lost to international
competition supported by the same government.
Failing to bring entrepreneurs attainable and
realistic opportunities or providing them with the tools and knowledge to
create them, the government cannot hope to create new jobs in the economy.
Likewise, investing further funds into an education system that is not known
for producing entrepreneurs so desperately needed by the local economy will
have little effect.
One Comment on “Support for small businesses falling short in BC”
This event peels the cover off the reason that the
entire North American Continent is in for a really big surprise in the next six
to eight years. Public money is being pushed into middle and higher education
in an “effort to compete in the World Economy”. What we have here is the
quintessential “chicken, or the egg” question. What we will be left with is a
glut of B.A.’s, M.A.’s and PhD’s looking for non-existent jobs. Your
“conference” in Vancouver is nothing more than the 1% trying to decide on what
feel good story they are going to tell the 99%. Major problem #1: the Public
(99%) swallows this garbage hook, line, and sinker. Wake up, folks! You are not
being sold down the river; you are already there, just waiting to be loaded
onto the ships. You are allowing History to repeat itself. You are fast
becoming slaves to the ruling class. Stand up before it’s too late! REVOLUTION, NOW!
