Celebrating Small Business Week
- EFN Staff | October 21, 2014
The Government of Saskatchewan, in co-operation
with the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), is pleased to proclaim
October 19-25 as Small Business Week 2014 in the province.
Small businesses, like Nathan Kaye's Set Tours, make up more than 98 per cent
of all businesses in Saskatchewan, which translates to more than 107,000
businesses in all corners of the province. Each year that number grows
and Saskatchewan now has the highest concentration of small businesses in the
nation, with 97 small businesses per thousand people.
“Small businesses are essential to Saskatchewan;
they employ nearly 150,000 people, produce a third of the province’s annual
economic output, and contribute to the stability and vibrancy of countless
communities across the province,” Economy Minister Bill Boyd said. “We
are always pleased to celebrate small businesses and the entrepreneurs behind
them by proclaiming Small Business Week in Saskatchewan.”
Each year, the Government of Saskatchewan
invests in a number of initiatives and programs that support small businesses,
entrepreneurs, and learning and development opportunities for the next
generation of entrepreneurs and business owners.
Some of this year’s highlights include:
- The Junior Achievement’s Rural Expansion Initiative, which will expand rural programming, fostering entrepreneurial attitudes and business understanding for rural students;
- Junior Achievement’s Student Venture program that provides hands-on entrepreneurship experience for Saskatchewan students by allowing them to establish real-life companies;
- The SASKBIZ GRID, a directory of service providers that can assist entrepreneurs with everything from start up to succession;
- Futurpreneur Canada’s Skilled Trades Training Program that offers entrepreneurial workshops geared toward skilled tradespeople to teach the basics of starting a business and entrepreneurial skills that can be applied to any employment situation; and
- The Canada Job Grant, which helps businesses of all sizes train the employees they need.
“While we call them small businesses, collectively
they contribute huge amounts to our province,” Boyd said. “We will
continue to work hard to support small businesses in Saskatchewan, and create a
positive business climate for the hard working men and women who run them.”
To learn more about small businesses in
Saskatchewan, and the impact they have on our province, please see the
newly-released 2014 Saskatchewan Small Business Profile.