Disbanding B.C. Small Business Roundtable is a slap in the face to small business

Losing business voices

Photo: Chung Chow/BIV

A woman walks by signs for small businesses on Water Street in Vancouver's Gastown. Critics argue the B.C. Small Business Roundtable’s quiet exit leaves entrepreneurs without a seat at the table.

During this week’s the annual CFIB Red Tape Awareness Week, (Jan. 26-30) we want to draw attention to the recent disbandment of the B.C. Small Business Roundtable.

These days, if you own a business in B.C., you might not think anyone has your back. Until recently, someone did—that was the BC Small Business Roundtable. Established in 2005 to bridge the gap between entrepreneurs and the Ministry of Jobs, the roundtable was the province’s primary engine for cutting red tape and advocating for a "business-first" economy. The CFIB had representation on the board, among many other policy influencers in the province.

The roundtable was quietly disbanded, without consultation, notice or discussion. For more than 20 years, we had the privilege of volunteering with it and, as former members, we want to celebrate the successes of round table and hopefully to create awareness towards action.

The roundtable worked because it was independent, experienced, regionally diverse, and grounded in lived business reality, boots on the ground. It existed not to validate government decisions but to challenge them constructively. That kind of institution strengthens democracy.

As two entrepreneurs from different regions and industries, we came to the roundtable with different experiences, challenges and communities behind us but with the same unwavering belief that this was not a symbolic committee. This was a real bridge between the government and people who carried the weight of British Columbia’s economy on their backs—builders, employers, risk-takers, entrepreneurs, the ones signing the pay cheques.

The disbandment of the roundtable arrived as a cold, unprompted form letter, a slap in the face delivered without warning or consultation, erasing decades of expertise and silencing the only forum where small business voices weren't filtered or softened.

At a time when B.C.’s entrepreneurs are already under siege from rising crime, labour shortages and crushing costs, discarding the people who actually understand the reality of payroll, break-ins and survival, this isn't just disappointing, it is reckless.

What made the roundtable exceptional was its pan-provincial and regional diversity, with representation from every corner of B.C.,including the Okanagan, Vancouver Island, the Kootenays, the North, the Cariboo, the Lower Mainland, coastal communities and First Nations.

It gave voice to a tourism operator, a tech founder, a manufacturer, an Indigenous entrepreneur and a rural business owner to influence the same policy discussion. That diversity wasn’t optics, it was operational intelligence. ensuring government policy was grounded in the reality of the entire province, not just urban centres.

There were so many instrumental improvements we were able to be a part of that we can celebrate today.

On regulatory reform, the roundtable conducted more than 50 regional consultations, hearing firsthand from thousands of business owners across the province. Those voices shaped practical reforms like the Mobile Business Licence Program, a boon to entrepreneurs with less paperwork, lower costs and the freedom to operate across municipal boundaries with a single licence.

Economically, the roundtable consistently advocated for predictable, CPI-linked minimum wage adjustments, recognizing the harm caused by sudden increases that were implemented without consultation or tied to inflation. We also raised serious concerns about the impact of mandated paid sick days on small businesses, and successfully pushed to reduce the requirement from five days to three days, the Small Business Lens and Regulatory Reform Checklist helped B.C. earn an “A” grade for regulatory reform. The Small Business Accord, developed with input from more than 35,000 participants, created a shared framework of accountability and respect between government and business.

The Skills Training for Micro-Business Pilot supported more than 1,200 business owners, recognizing that micro-businesses, those with five or fewer employees, are the backbone of our economy and often the most vulnerable to policy shifts. The Starting a Small Business Guide and Import/Export Guide became trusted resources because roundtable members ensured the information reflected real-world challenges, not just regulatory theory.

More recently, the roundtable was instrumental in streamlining the Vandalism Grant application process to file for and expedite applications.

One of the roundtable’s proudest commitments was its work with Indigenous entrepreneurs. Through Aboriginal small business consultations, we championed youth mentorship programs and opened pathways for First Nations communities to participate in the Open for Business Awards, acknowledging that inclusion matters and economic reconciliation must include opportunity, recognition and access to provincial platforms.

Trade and economic growth were strengthened by an early Asia-Pacific focus and by opening government procurement to small businesses. A two-page RFP transformed access, making it faster and easier for small vendors to compete. In 2014/15 alone, 89 short-form RFPs were issued, exceeding targets and breaking down long-standing barriers to participation.

The Open for Business Awards became a source of pride, not just for winners, but for the entire province. Communities competed not for marketing, but for excellence in how they supported small business. The inclusion of First Nations communities marked a shift toward true economic inclusion.

In climate policy, the roundtable was consulted to ensure small businesses were part of the solution. The LiveSmart B.C. Small Business Program helped companies reduce $6 million in energy use. Today, its legacy continues through BC Hydro and FortisBC business energy advisors, resulting in millions of dollars of rebates to small businesses.

These weren’t accidental successes. They came from a table built on trust, experience and accountability.

So, when a body with the roundtable’s cohesive depth and diversity of knowledge for the good of the whole disappears without a clear transition, without a successor and without recognition, it should concern every entrepreneur in this province.

Small businesses do not close quietly. When small businesses disappear, communities feel it immediately. When their voice disappears from governments the damage unfolds more slowly but it is just as real.

When business voices are missing from policy development, regulation becomes theoretical, compliance becomes punitive and innovation slows. Small businesses deserve more than periodic consultation. They deserve a permanent, empowered seat at the table.

The quiet disbandment of the B.C. Small Business Roundtable should not be the end of small business advocacy, it should be the moment we demand its renewal. Small businesses are not just a sector of the economy. They are the foundation of our communities, our employment and our provincial resilience for decades to come.

We look forward to dialogue with the stakeholders in the province to explore pathways to repairing this dialogue bridge.

Ashley Ramsay is CEO and co-founder of Yeti Farm Creative animation studios in Kelowna and ran unsuccessfully as an independent candidate in Kelowna-Mission in the 2024 provincial election. M.J. Whitemarsh is a business consultant on Vancouver Island. Both are former members of the B.C. Small Business Roundtable.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.