One of the new provincial ministers on Premier Christy Clark’s revamped roster appeared in 100 Mile House within one month of being appointed.
Minister of State for Small Business and Regulatory Reform Naomi Yamamoto appeared as a special guest of the South Cariboo Chamber of Commerce at round-table discussions recently.
She asked the 21 local businesspersons in attendance what her ministry could do to further improve the outlook for small businesses in the South Cariboo.
Clark’s government already leads Canada with the lowest personal income tax rates, Yamamoto said, as well as in regulatory requirements, reduced by 42 per cent in the past decade.
“What I am doing is talking to small businesses to find out how we can help them thrive in British Columbia.”
Government needs to look at specific sectors, such as agriculture, tourism, and the high-tech sectors, to ask what help they need to operate effectively, she explained.
While large businesses have people to deal with red tape and regulations, the minister noted those take valuable time away from small business owners, as well as from families and communities.
“Especially in a place like 100 Mile House or Williams Lake, you’re looking at people who aren’t just business owners; you’re looking at people who are huge volunteers — they’re part of the Rotary Club, they’re raising money for a foundation, they’re coaching kids in soccer or Little League — they’re always doing something.
“I think the most valuable thing you can give back to small business owners is time.”
She said 98 per cent of businesses in the province are small businesses, defined as those with less than 50 employees, and of those, the majority has fewer than five employees.
“B.C. actually leads the country in terms of small businesses, and small business start-ups.”
When the national economy took a nosedive in the fall of 2008, small businesses kept the B.C. economy strong with employment levels experiencing only a 0.5 per cent hit, the new minister explained, while large businesses reduced staff by almost nine per cent.
Yamamoto added she is “really comfortable” in her new role.
“My 22 years of owning my own small business certainly prepared me for this job. And prior to that, I worked for my family’s small businesses for 10 years.”
The North Vancouver-based entrepreneur said she developed her own business, now sold, to provide graphic design and digital printing to serve the “huge” television industry in B.C. with printed props and “set-dec” (backdrops).
Now, Yamamoto is looking at red tape and regulatory reform, to reduce or eliminate aspects such as duplication of paperwork or the need to speak with “six or seven different people to get an answer.”
“... B.C. has done a really good job; I just want to make sure we don’t stop.”