As B.C. gears up for the upcoming provincial election, small businesses are primed to make their voices heard by outlining their top concerns to political leaders.
The Business Improvement Areas of BC (BIABC) has been actively surveying its members to pinpoint the most pressing issues they face with candidates preparing to hit the campaign trail.
While the results trickle in, a common theme is apparently emerging.
“A couple of the main areas that keep coming up are around crime, street disorder issues, and the escalating costs imposed by government,” said Jeff Bray, President of BIABC.
Bray highlights that the survey aims to craft an informative questionnaire for all major political parties and candidates, seeking their policy solutions to these critical issues.
“Somebody will form government after the election, and we will have specific commitments that have been made that we can then follow up on and ensure are carried through.”
Bray acknowledges a growing level of fatigue among business owners regarding the “ongoing” issues.
“These are not six-month-old issues or two-year-old issues; in some cases, they’ve been ongoing for years.”
Bray tells CityNews that some owners are also grappling with the decision of whether to continue running their businesses at all, pointing to “stress and concern for safety” as key factors prompting operators to ask themselves, “Is this worth it?”
“That’s very concerning because anyone who lives in a city or town knows that these independent businesses are sort of the heartbeat of the community,” said Bray.
“If that heartbeat is starting to fade, it should be concerning for everybody.”
The provincial election is slated for October 19th.