The City of Maple Ridge is inviting Maple Ridge business owners and operators to a free workshop to kick-off the City’s participation in the province-wide BC Buy Local initiative.

The workshop takes place Monday, April 8 from 5.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. in the Fraser Room at the Maple Ridge Public Library (130-22470 Dewdney Trunk Road). Maple Ridge businesses can register free of charge at mapleridgebuylocal.eventbrite.ca.

Presented by Loco BC, the founders of the BC Buy Local initiative, the workshop will help local businesses understand the impact they have on the economy, the depth and breadth of their connections throughout the community and the consumer appetite for local goods and services. It will also provide information on tools and campaigns to communicate and support their businesses.

Local businesses enhance our community, connect and support residents socially, and enhance wealth and employment by circulating dollars many times between businesses. In a report from Loco BC, research shows that BC local businesses create more than double the economic impact of their chain competitors.

For every dollar spent with a B.C. local business, $63 is recirculated back into the B.C. economy (versus $14 for multinational corporations). Local business owners live in and provide jobs in their community, support local events, teams, and charities, and are more likely to buy other local products and services.

About BC Buy Local

Going strong into its twelfth year, BC Buy Local is a province-wide initiative that aims to build awareness of local businesses and promote the local economy and the power of purchasing goods and services closer to home. With the distinctive magenta BC Buy Local stickers and marketing collateral being deployed in more than 30 communities and business districts across the province, Maple Ridge is leveraging the power of a local-owned and developed concept that is instantly recognizable and impactful.