Revelstoke is one of the 13 finalists for the 2014 Open for Business Awards, which recognize communities that support small business through local-government measures, says a statement from City Hall.
The province is providing awards of $10,000 to each winning community to support the implementation of measures that benefit small business.
Evaluation criteria for the award are based on how communities enhance small business competitiveness, recognize the contributions of small businesses and promote the principles of the BC Small Business Accord.
The City of Revelstoke has directly met the evaluation criteria in many ways that include:
- Contributing financially to the operations of the Chamber of Commerce, which helps to keep the Chamber fiscally solid and remain a strong voice for local business;
- A comprehensive downtown beautification program that helps to make the business district attractive and appealing to visitors;
- Progressively reduced the taxation burden on business;
- Reduced development applications processing times by over 50%; and
- Restructured City Hall to reduce costs and improve customer service.
“I am delighted that the province is recognizing the dedicated efforts of our community to promote small business in Revelstoke,” Mayor David Raven said in the statement. “Small business is the core of our community and it is essential that a business-friendly environment is encouraged.”
Community Economic Development Director Alan Mason said the City has provided support to the Chamber of Commerce for over 20 years, and the current City Council has “made it a priority to improve our interaction with local business.”
“The City is committed to improving our various business and development application processes and making City Hall a ‘business-friendly’ environment,” he said.
Other communities nominated for the award include Delta, Grand Forks, Kelowna, City of Langley, Nelson, Parksville, Port Coquitlam, Salmon Arm, Smithers, Surrey, Vernon and Whistler.
Council will be at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) annual conference in Whistler when the winners will be announced on September 24.
