October 22, 2003
Small Business in Burnaby Heights
MLA Statement
R. Lee: I would like to acknowledge Small Business Week and the tremendous role small businesses play in our communities. There are few urbanized regions in B.C. that can boast having a neighbourhood that's almost entirely composed of healthy and successful small businesses. Fortunately, I have the pleasure of representing a constituency that's home to a most extraordinary exception to the rule.
Burnaby Heights neighbourhood on East Hastings Street is home to 600 small businesses, including close to 60 restaurants and cafés. I'm also pleased to report that the spirit of the Heights is alive and well, despite the fact that these businesses are going head-to-head with no less than three major shopping centres in Lougheed, Brentwood and Metrotown.
I can tell you that it's the people who make the Heights the success story that it is today. These are people who care about their businesses, their neighbour's businesses and their community. They are not just providing us with goods and services. They are cleaning our sidewalks. They are painting over graffiti. They are taking a role in anti-crime initiatives to keep their streets and customers safe.
The Heights Merchants Association deserves a pat on the back for helping small businesses bring a sense of old-fashioned community spirit back to Hastings Street. The same can also be said about the Burnaby Board of Trade, which is helping small businesses across Burnaby achieve their dreams one day at a time.
As we celebrate Small Business Week, let's not forget that small businesses constitute 98 percent of all B.C. retailers and that the B.C. retail sector provides us with more than $3.8 billion in provincial sales tax each year to help us provide health care, education and other crucial public services.
In closing, congratulations to small businesses in Burnaby and throughout B.C. Keep up the good work.
