As a voice of British Columbia’s small business community, the Small Business Roundtable board is pleased to present the 5th Small Business Roundtable Annual Report to Government. The report summarizes Roundtable key activities since the 4th report to government in October 2009.

In last year’s annual report, we anticipated British Columbia’s small business sector would persevere and, with resiliency and innovation, play a pivotal role in the province’s road to economic recovery. Our belief has been realized: as clear signs of economic recovery emerge, B.C.’s small business sector continues to be key in job creation and economic growth.

2010 marks the beginning of a new decade. During the past ten years, considerable efforts have been made to improve the small business climate in the province and to help offset, as well as prepare for, changes in the economy. However, despite these efforts, gaps remain where more effort is needed. The board has included our recommendations, to government as well as to the small businesses community, to help focus the ongoing work needed to address these gaps. We believe these recommended actions will foster an even stronger small business climate in B.C.

The 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games showcased the province to the world. B.C.’s hosting programs facilitated economic development connections during the Games and opened up new opportunities and relationships, which are continuing to benefit communities throughout the province. We believe this Olympic legacy- combined with the shared vision of an economic environment where taxes are increasingly competitive, businesses face less red tape, trade barriers are minimized and export growth is enabled- will help shape the future for small business in B.C.

The chair of the board, Hon. Iain Black, Minister of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development, along with the 20 board members from various regions and business sectors, would like to applaud the efforts and resilience of the small business community over the last year. With continued dialogue among small businesses, governments, industries and research organizations, our strong economic vision can be realized in this post-Olympic decade.