BC Chamber of Commerce Welcomes Federal Government’s $5.5million investment in Shop Local Campaign in B.C.

The BC Chamber of Commerce welcomes the announcement made by the Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Digital Government and M.P. for Vancouver Quadra, on June 24, 2021, that funding of up to $5.5 million is ear-marked for British Columbia as part of a national Shop Local initiative designed to encourage people to shop locally and support businesses as they reopen. 

The funds are part of a national investment of $33 million to support Shop Local campaigns across the country, announced by the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, on June 21, 2021.

In response to the announcements, the BC Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Fiona Famulak, released the following statement:

“Over the last 15 months, small- and medium-sized businesses across B.C. have worked hard to keep their doors open, and to keep their employees, customers and communities safe, while responding to Public Health Orders and restrictions that changed often as the virus evolved.

It is that effort, along with the continued success of B.C.’s vaccination program, that has allowed our province to progress from Step 1 to Step 2 of the BC Restart Plan and that has us tracking towards Step 3 in the near future. Shopping local is once again a reality!

We thank the federal government for its continued support of business during the pandemic and look forward to working with them to launch a Shop Local initiative in B.C. that will help our businesses recover, our communities flourish and our economy get back on track.”

Details of BC’s Restart Plan, including its Steps 1-4, can be accessed here.