It’s official—Grand Forks is open for business.
The City of Grand Forks was awarded the prestigious and sought after Open for Business Award at the recent Union of B.C. Municipalities annual conference in Whistler.
The announcement was made Wednesday afternoon to delegates at the conference.
Grand Forks was one of only nine other B.C municipalities honoured with the B.C. Small Business Roundtable’s Open for Business Award.
The award recognizes local policies, projects and programs that support small business. Evaluations were based on local measures that make it easier to do business in the community.
Mayor Brian Taylor said he was thrilled the community won the award.
“Recognition as one of the most business friendly communities in B.C. is truly the best reward for all the hard work that council and staff have done to make the city an attractive place to do business,” Mayor Brian Taylor said.
As an incentive to promote an open-for-business culture, the BC Small Business Roundtable provides $10,000 to each winning community to fund local, small business friendly programs that align with the principles of the B.C. Small Business Accord.
“Part of the application process included an outline of what the city would use $10,000 towards and council decided that developing a long-term economic development action plan would be essential for moving forward in a way that would benefit the community most,” said Chief Administrative Officer Doug Allin.
The local chamber of commerce was also thrilled to learn of this important award.
“This is fantastic news for Grand Forks, and a tribute to our city’s excellent leadership in creating a business-friendly community,” said James Wilson, executive director of the Boundary Country Regional Chamber of Commerce. “It’s great to see Grand Forks recognized as a standout performer in all of B.C. We hope this award will telegraph to businesses throughout B.C.: ‘Come to Grand Forks, your business can thrive there.’”
The BC Chamber of Commerce also commended Grand Forks for its win.
“Grand Forks should be very proud of what it’s achieved here,” said John Winter, president and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce. “These awards recognize role model communities throughout the province that are taking tangible steps to build a better British Columbia.”