The Beat November 2019 Vol 4 Issue 10

COUNCILLOR’S CORNER:
Laura Dudas
Small and medium-sized
businesses are the backbone
of our local economy.
On October 21, 2019, I had the
opportunity to attend the
launch of Small Business Week at
Ottawa City Hall. Small Business
Week is an ode to the many small
businesses that operate in our city,
and a recognition of the value that
they bring to our economic fabric by
creating jobs and prosperity for our
communities.
Small businesses are what keep
our city humming, providing
much-needed personal services
that enhance our daily lives. In the
majority of cases, these businesses
are owned and operated by people
who live, and are invested, in our
local community. Communitybased
entrepreneurs such as the
seamstress whose skilled fingers,
deft with a needle and thread, runs
her own dry-cleaning and alterations
shop in Chapel Hill North; or the
husband of a young family whose
love of cooking hearty, culturallyinspired
meals runs a new eatery
on St. Joseph; or the optometrist
who wanting to become her own
boss, launches a mobile glasses
business.
Then there are the technology
start-ups that push the limit of
innovation and have the potential
to succeed in ways that defy the
imagination. While there are wellknown
Ottawa-based companies,
such as Shopify, there are many
locally-born technology companies
specializing in everything from
drones, to clean tech, to defence,
security and aerospace, that are
entering the spotlight.
According to Statistics Canada, in
2017 small businesses employed
8.3 million people in Canada, or 69.7
per cent of the total private labour
force. On average 33,000 new
entrepreneurs enter the workforce
per year and small and mediumsized
businesses contribute slightly
more than half of Canada’s gross
domestic product.
Success as a small business owner
is by no means guaranteed, and
launching a business requires a
steely determination. I commend
the entrepreneurs who follow
their passion, see a niche area
of the local market, and armed
with a strong business plan,
launch their business. The City
of Ottawa celebrates these
determined, business people
during Small Business Week,
and works to support them
throughout the year with efforts
to minimize bureaucratic red tape
and streamline services, as well
as provide incentive programs in
areas meant to stimulate local
businesses, such as along St.
Joseph Boulevard and in Orléans.
Successful small businesses are
essential to our City’s economic
well-being. We need to ensure they
are celebrated and supported.
Laura Dudas
City Councillor, Innes Ward
Deputy Mayor
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