Surrey’s Downtown Business Association has launched a holiday campaign urging Surrey residents to shop locally in a show of support for businesses that are taking a “significant economic hit” on account of the pandemic.
The BIA represents more than 1,400 businesses in the city centre and provides a list of local merchants seeking your patronage.
“Downtown Surrey is home to a vibrant business hub that functions within the heart of our community,” notes DSBIA CEO Elizabeth Model. “These businesses – many of which are family owned and operated – have helped establish the foundation for Surrey’s long-term growth and are now facing dire economic uncertainties due to the global pandemic. This holiday season, we’re encouraging Surreyites to shop local and give businesses in our own neighbourhood a better chance to weather this storm.”
READ ALSO: Surrey Board of Trade calls for ‘immediate’ government help for businesses shut down
READ ALSO OUR VIEW: Businesses in Surrey need us this Christmas
Earlier this week the Surrey Board of Trade called on the provincial government to provide financial help to businesses and organizations that have been forced to shut down because of the pandemic. Anita Huberman, the board’s CEO, says “immediate support is necessary.”
Huberman noted that while some businesses and industries have been asked to temporarily shut down while they wait for health and safety plans to be approved “with new guidance” from the provincial health officer, “they still have payroll and other expenses that they are obligated to pay.
Meantime, the City of Surrey also has a program aimed at helping local businesses weather the pandemic, called Open with Care, in an effort
to “make the public feel more comfortable in revisiting local businesses and to show how valuable they are to our community,” the city’s website explains.
Meantime, Surrey council meeting Councillor Allison Patton, on behalf of Mayor Doug McCallum, read out a proclamation at the Nov. 23 concerning BC Buy Local Week, which runs from Nov. 30 to Dec. 6, in Surrey.
“Purchasing goods and services from locally owned businesses strengthens the local economy, fosters community and contributes to a greener province,” Patton read.
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.comLike us on Facebook and follow Tom on Twitter
