October is Small Business Month

In recognition of October being Small Business Month, I thought it might be of interest to share a few statistics relating to small businesses in British Columbia.  These statistics have been compiled by BC Stats, using data from Statistics Canada.  Small businesses are defined as businesses with fewer than 50 employees     and includes self-employed businesses without paid help.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SMALL BUSINESS PROFILE 2010

• Small business makes up 98 per cent of all business in the province.  At the South Cariboo Chamber of Commerce, 90% of members are small businesses, 8% are non-profit associations, 1% are non-voting associates and 1% are businesses with more than 50 employees.
• About 395,900 small businesses were operating in the province last year – up three per cent from 2008.
• Small business provides nearly 57 per cent of all private-sector jobs in British Columbia, the highest rate in the country. B.C. small businesses employed over a million people last year.
• British Columbia ranks second in Canada for the number of small businesses per capita, with 88.9 businesses per 1,000 people.
• Women make up 35 per cent of self-employed people in British Columbia, the fourth-highest rate in the country.
• Small business accounts for 32 per cent of British Columbia’s gross domestic product, above the Canadian average of 28 per cent.
• For the third straight year, British Columbia’s share of self-employed workers was the highest in the country, accounting for 19.7 per cent of total employment.
• The number of self-employed people in British Columbia rose 14 per cent between 2004 and 2009, well above the national average of 10.1 per cent.
• More British Columbians receive wages from small business than anywhere else in Canada. In 2009, B.C. small businesses accounted for 33 per cent of wages paid to workers – the national average was 27 per cent.

For the complete Small Business Profile report released October 18, please visit http://www.resourcecentre.gov.bc.ca/pdf/SmallBusProfileEngWeb.pdf     

Invitation to join "100milefood" conversation

Please join the South Cariboo conversation on all things related to our foodshed. This listserv offered through the B.C. Food Systems Network can serve as an excellent vehicle to sustain a dialogue on all local food issues and the many issues surrounding this critically important aspect of our community.
 
To join, an individual or organization just has to submit a subscription request found at this web address: http://bcfsn.org/mailman/listinfo/100milefood_bcfsn.org. While the current volume of postings is minimal, we hope to expand both the membership and the flow of information and commentary. If e-mail volume is an issue, you can elect to batch all correspondence into one daily file.   


For more information, please contact Howard McMillan at 250-395-6775.

Chamber Opportunities

Watch for the next edition of the 100 Mile House Free Press, to be published Wednesday October 20.  There will be a two page Chamber Opportunities  feature on the South Cariboo Chamber, its members, benefits and activities.  Featured this edition will be profiles on three Chamber Members Central GM, South Cariboo Creations, and GP Recovery Services.

Chamber Lunch October 19

As mentioned previously, we are holding lunch at the Community Kitchen and will enjoy a fabulous meal prepared from local ingredients, grass fed beef and produce out of the Community Garden.

Date: Tuesday October 19
Time: 12 noon to 1 pm
            (always a good idea to come a few minutes early)
Venue: Valley Room of the Lodge (behind the Red Coach Inn)

We will collect $15 from each member and donate the money collected to the Community Kitchen program, which is a branch of the Cariboo Family Enrichment Centre.

We have two speakers lined up to follow lunch.  First, Trish Chung, will speak about the Community Kitchen program.  Second, Howie MacMillan will update Chamber members on the development of the South Cariboo Meat Co-op.  Both individuals are well versed on local food issues and will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

To attend, please RSVP by emailing at me or please leave me a message at 250-395-6124.

Volunteer for the Chamber, Halloween Town coming up & Chamber lunch October 19

First up this morning, the Chamber is fortunate to have a volunteer assisting us from now until the end of the year.  Dawn McGrath will be assisting me with some of the Chamber's event planning, as well as updating our members' contact information, among other things.  Please give Dawn a few minutes of your time when she phones to update your contact details.  As a non-profit organization operating on a tight budget, we are really pleased to have a volunteer on board to help us be that much more effective for our members.


On another note, many of you will have already been contacted by Bev Lund from the South Cariboo Recreation Centre.  Each Halloween, the South Cariboo Chamber partners with the Rec Centre to put on a community celebration and fireworks display.  Please support our Halloween Town efforts this year, which will include a huge bonfire, free skate, candy and tattoos for the kids, prizes for best costumes, and of course the highly anticipated fireworks. For more information or to sponsor the event, feel free to contact me at 250-395-6124 or Bev at 250-395-1353.

Finally, please take note that our Chamber lunch this month will be held on a Tuesday and will be a little bit different from the usual.  We will be having lunch at the Community Kitchen, in the Valley Room of the Lodge on Tuesday October 19.  The $15 collected from each Chamber member in attendance will be donated back to the Community Kitchen program.  The Community Kitchen is a program of the Cariboo Family Enrichment Centre, one of the Chamber's non-profit members, focused on teaching participants to cook, using local food and trying new healthy recipes.  After lunch, Trish Chung, the organizer of the Community Kitchen will be giving an overview about what the program is all about.  Howie MacMillan will also be joining us to speak to us about another food-related initiative underway, the South Cariboo Meat Co-op.  Come and see what this fantastic program is doing for our community.