Bay of Quinte Small Business Week, a joint effort between the Chambers of Commerce for Belleville, Prince Edward County and Quinte West kicked off on Monday.
Brett Prikker, a Business Centre Manager with the BDC, provided the keynote address talking about the four trends shaping growth as Canada recovers from the pandemic.
Many companies are dealing with a lack of workers but Prikker says the labour shortage is not solely the result of COVID-19.
“An aging population in baby boomers leaving the workforce translates into low labour force growth. The labour participation rate is the portion of the population that is working It has been dropping since 2011 and is expected to keep doing so until 2036.”
The rise of e-commerce, remote work and dealing with uncertainty are the other trends.
Local business owners are invited to participate in several workshops that are being held throughout the week, most virtually.
But Quinte West Chamber of Commerce CEO Suzanne Andrews says they’re really looking forward to Wednesday’s in-person event, the Mega Mingle at Batawa Ski Hill.
“We invite all businesses from across the region, whether you’re in Belleville, Prince Edward County or Quinte West to come and join us at Batawa Ski Hill, and network, and get to know each other if you don’t already have those relationships established.”
Click here for details on how to register for this week’s seminars.
Small Business Week winds up Friday Quinte Business Achievement Awards, a combination live and virtual event being held at Heroes Landing Banquet Hall in Quinte West.
