“This Small Business Week, let's celebrate the incredible local businesses that make up our community, but more importantly the incredible people behind them. They help feed our families, they create local jobs, they grow our economy, and they reflect the qualities and characteristics that make our neighborhoods unique. Our government knows how difficult the last two years have been, and that small businesses continue to face challenges, but we will continue to support them by making life more affordable and ensuring they have the resources they need to succeed.” – The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade
Our riding of Aurora- Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill is home to many small businesses that provide a wide range of services and manufacture products used across Canada and the world. Aurora has a strong entrepreneurial spirit, with approximately 84 per cent of small businesses employing less than 20 people. Richmond Hill is part of Canada's largest technology cluster. A visit to your municipal website will tell you about the story of business in your community. And there are organizations to support businesses such as the Aurora Chamber of Commerce and the Richmond Hill Board of Trade as well as the Business Improvement Associations and other local government supports.
We all know that know small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the heart of healthy, vibrant communities. They make up 98% of Canadian businesses, they are the mom-and-pop shop that has been a pillar in the neighbourhood and the young entrepreneur just starting their ventures and contributing to Canadian innovation and advancements.
Our government knows how important our small and medium businesses are and has supported small business owners and entrepreneurs throughout the pandemic. We are continuing to listen to you and respond to your concerns with new initiatives and programs.
I extend a heartfelt thank you to all our small and medium sized enterprises in Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill. Let’s all show them some love and support
this coming holiday season and throughout the year.