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Hello and Hadih, Chamber members and friends.
At its June board meeting, the Chamber’s board of directors approved a three-year advocacy plan, which you can find on the advocacy page on our website. “We advocate for our members to give them a voice in government decisions that impact their businesses,” is the first sentence. The document goes on to explain who we advocate to, what we advocate about, how we identify and develop advocacy priorities, and communicate and monitor our efforts.
All levels of government look to community Chambers across BC and Canada, as well as the BC Chamber and Canadian Chamber of Commerce, for constant input on a variety of business issues. And even if those elected officials and senior bureaucrats are not looking for our input, we give it to them anyway! Being an advocate means telling governments what they need to know to make better decisions, not what they necessarily want to hear.
The Chamber has identified three strategic advocacy priorities it will focus on over the next three years: Indigenous Affairs, Natural Resources, Environment and Energy, and SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises). The first two speak to the defining characteristics of the regional economy and how those matters play out in Prince George, the region’s urban hub. As for SMEs, this is where issues around public safety, skill training and education, workforce recruitment and retention, regulations and taxation reside.
This doesn’t mean the Prince George Chamber doesn’t care about technology (AI, cyber security, intellectual property), trade, transportation or infrastructure. Of course we do. It means we will prioritize our advocacy efforts in our three main buckets while supporting the advocacy work by fellow Chambers, other business groups and local government in those additional areas.
A key time for the Chamber to advocate to local government is at election time, which is on Oct. 17, just a few months away. That’s why we’ve launched our municipal election questionnaire. We hope you take a few minutes of your time to grade how the current mayor and council have performed on the key files, as well as identify the issues and priorities that matter most to you. We need to hear your voice to be your voice, so please take part.
In September, once nominations close, we’ll ask similar questions of the candidates and then share all of the results, so you can see how your views compare with the rest of the community and the candidates seeking your support at the ballot box.
Looking forward to hearing from each of you.
All the best to you and your business,
Neil
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