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From YouTube: OCT 17 2022 Statements Todd Stone
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
3rd Session
42nd Parliament
A
Opposition
house
leader,
thank
you
honorable
speaker.
This
is
Small
Business
Week,
a
celebration
of
BC's,
hard-working
entrepreneurs
and
the
many
people
they
employ
in
our
communities.
Small
businesses,
indeed,
are
the
backbone
of
our
economy,
providing
important
goods
and
services
in
contributing
to
the
vibrancy
of
our
neighborhoods.
A
While
many
of
us
make
the
point
of
buying
local,
our
small
businesses
are
facing
numerous
challenges
to
remain
viable.
Many
of
these
businesses
continue
to
struggle
to
recover
from
the
impacts
of
the
pandemic.
Revenue
losses
were
staggering
for
some
business
owners,
forcing
them
to
lay
off
staff
or
reduce
their
hours
and
speaking
of
workers.
Many
of
BC's
small
businesses
are
trying
to
cope
with
a
growing
labor
shortage
that
has
made
it
difficult
to
maintain
their
usual
levels
of
service.
A
I
was
pleased
to
see
some
recent
changes
made
to
the
unnecessary
taxation
on
the
unused
airspace
above
some
business
establishments,
a
good
idea
if
I
ever
heard
one
honorable
speaker,
we
all
want
our
local
businesses
to
not
only
survive
these
challenges
but
to
thrive.
We
all
benefit
when
our
small
businesses
are
successful.
A
These
entrepreneurs
not
only
contribute
so
much
to
our
economy,
but
they
employ
our
family
members,
friends
and
neighbors.
They
are
indeed
the
heart
and
soul
of
our
communities:
So,
This,
Small,
Business,
Week
and
Beyond
I
hope
we
will
all
make
it
a
priority
to
buy
local
and
support
these
very
important
establishments
in
each
of
our
communities.
Thank
you.