Chamber Alliance with Island Chambers on the SGIs
The Chambers of Commerce on Mayne, Galiano, Pender and the Saturna Resident Association explored opportunities to consolidate their activities in the areas of funding, tourism issues, tourism partnership, small business events and assistance have agreed to a four Chamber Alliance. It is more important than ever that the four Chambers share a common voice and a common ground.
The SGICRC facilitated discussions to align the SGI Chambers and services on all the four Islands and the decision to consolidate forces was unanimous. Working as a consolidated set of Chambers will be more advantageous for all the Islands providing a stronger influence on government policy, wider member services, better training and programs, and savings on overhead costs such as insurance and software. The result is reduced costs for the area, shared staff, more assistance for local businesses, a larger audience for events as well as more power in advocacy. There is strength in numbers. Still, retaining each Island’s local identity will be a priority and the SGICRC will ensure that the Alliance has an accessible and effective voice for all businesses on each Island and the SGIs as a whole.
General Partnerships
Bringing government, other non-profits, businesses, and Islanders together builds an adaptable and resilient non-profit and small business sector. Creative Partnerships help introduce funding opportunities, donations and investment possibilities to Island businesses and help create capacity building programs. A climate of social entrepreneurism for the SGIs will enable the development of untapped resources, access to business mentorship and assistance.
Partners are required for many of SGICRC activities and projects from Broadband to Edu-tourism, Social Enterprise to developing financial channels. The value of SGICRC’s partnerships will be seen in their ability to help the organization advance its objectives while improving environmental and cultural sustainability on the Islands.
Current partners:
RIEP – The Rural Islands Economic Partnership (RIEP) promotes economic resilience across the rural islands of British Columbia. Together with partners and supporters, RIEP fosters community engagement, coordination, and collaboration to achieve local economic goals sustainably.
Community Futures Cowichan – Community Futures is BC’s most important small business development organization with a variety of services and tools available to help entrepreneurs and small business owners achieve their goals, including business support services, business planning advice, and loans. Community Futures Cowichan also provides resources and support to community projects that benefit local and regional economic growth. They play a complimentary role to the SGICRC.
Local SGI Community Organizations – The SGICRC works closely with many community partners on all the SGIs believing that a strong community is the key to enriching every facet of Islanders’ day-to-day life. These partnerships encourage growth and expansion of all services on the Islands as the SGIs have a substantial number of nonprofit, charities and small businesses that contribute to the resiliency of the Islands.
A full directory of SGI services and small businesses will be published online in 2023.
Next Steps
Over the next year, the SGICRC will work with these partners and across sectors to understand business needs, support to help scale existing programs and services and fill gaps with creative and collaborative solutions. With our partners we will work to achieve these outcomes:
- stronger shared understanding
- enhanced collaboration in supporting the growth of social impact initiatives
- increased interest, knowledge, and skills,
- increased investment/collaborations to the sector
Join us in our journey toward a stronger, healthier, and more resilient SGIs.