Susan Continues Her Assault on the Canada Line Juggernaut

The EditorProvince - Small Business Week feature - October 16/07Abby Palmer - "Growing her Business"

Abby really is a wonderful example of the kind of entrepreneurial spiritthat it takes to be successful. She's energetic, thoughtful, creative,determined and she did her homework.

That said, we would not be celebrating the success of her business had shestill been in her location on Cambie Street. All around where her shop was,are empty stores and struggling family run businesses. The RAV/Canada Lineand every level of government neglected to do their homework and factoradequate compensation into their business plan, to ensure that the smallbusinesses would survive this unprecedented hardship.All mitigation has clearly failed, and after two years of construction manyfamilies are in financial crisis as a result.

It is outrageous that we areexpected to bear this unfair burden, and are being forced into businessfailure by the Province of BC and this several billion dollar governmentdriven project.

The best laid plans, and decades of hard work are now in jeopardy for hundreds of people, as the ripple effect of business losses reach not justowners, but employees and suppliers, and the residents as well.The Province indeed should be celebrating the successes of the smallbusiness community as we represent 98 percent of all business in theprovince, and have made a major contribution to the 4 billion dollar surplusthis year. And they are showing their appreciation by destroying thelivelihoods of the small independant shops that line their RAV/Canada Lineroute by refusing to take responsibility for the consequenses of thisconstruction. If this can happen in our neighbourhood, it can happen to anysmall business anywhere in the province. This is wrong and must be maderight.These families and all small businesses deserve better than bankruptcy.

Compensation is the right thing to do.

Susan Heyes Hazel&Co