Choice Profession

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Val Wilson Editor-in-Chief

In my experience with the BC Notaries over the years, I have found that individuals who choose the Notary profession do so for many reasons—including

• a strong interest in the law; • the wish to work with people; • the desire to make a difference; and • the career goal of independence as entrepreneurs with a measure of control over their time. Notaries build client relationships that beget relationships. Families enjoy working with their neighbourhood Notary and often recommend the Notary’s services to other family members and their friends, too.

Having your personal papers in place—a Will, a Representation Agreement, an Advance Health Care Directive, and a Power of Attorney (W.R.A.P.)—provides the peace of mind that comes with knowing your assets will be distributed according to your wishes and your loved ones have been given due consideration for the time when you are no longer with them.

For a list of the noncontentious legal services that most BC Notaries can provide, please go to page 33.

Thank you to Notary Rimpy Sadhra for suggesting the theme for this issue. It is important to note that the excellent information in the articles applies to businesses beyond the realm of BC Notaries. s

Brighter futures. One home at a time.

At EFry, we know a safe home is the foundation of stable life. We’re creating new ultra-affordable housing for vulnerable women & children. Together with offering job training, parenting support and child development programming, these homes will open the doorway to a healthier tomorrow. You can help. Please visit elizabethfry.com/donate-now.

A Clear Path Forward

The last 2 years have been incredibly challenging; the pandemic and extreme weather events have tested us all.

As tough as it has been, we’ve learned something very important about ourselves and our province. At our best, we are a community. In B.C., we pull together and look out for one another. I’ve witnessed our resilient and determined spirit—the spirit that gives us hope for a better future and points the way to an even stronger B.C.

From the beginning, we have put people first. We worked closely with small businesses across all sectors and all parts of the province to reopen, adapt, hire, and grow. During the peak of COVID-19, we provided the highest per-capita supports for people and businesses in Canada. In total, the Province has now exceeded the initial commitment to provide $1.5 billion to help people, businesses, and communities impacted by the pandemic with our economic recovery plan.

This includes more than half-a-billion dollars, (through the Small- and Medium-Sized Business Recovery, Circuit Breaker Business Relief, and COVID-19 Closure Relief grant programs), of direct support to tens of thousands of B.C. businessowners to help them navigate the challenges of operating in the pandemic and to continue to safely support the people in their communities. I know that some of you had to close your doors in the early days of the pandemic. Real estate agents couldn’t host in-person open houses. Many professionals had to figure out how to move their services online. Notaries may have found space at home

Ravi Kahlon was first elected as a member of the legislative assembly (MLA) for Delta North in May 2017 and was named British Columbia’s Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation in November 2020. He previously served as the Parliamentary Secretary for Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, where he Minister Kahlon, championed the use of mass Ministry of Jobs, Economic timber and innovation in BC’s Recovery and Innovation forest sector. As Parliamentary Secretary for Sport and Multiculturalism, he helped restore the BC Human Rights Commission and travelled the province to build an anti-racism strategy. In public life, Ravi has drawn on the values he learned growing up in Victoria, where he was raised by parents who immigrated to Canada from India. His mother owned and operated a restaurant where she had worked as a prep cook and his father worked in a sawmill. From them, Ravi gained a lasting appreciation of the contribution made by working people and small business to our economy. As Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, Ravi’s first priority has been to support families and communities through the pandemic, and he is working closely with business, workers, First Nations, and communities to develop and deliver on a strategy for long-term sustainability, jobs, and growth. Ravi’s love for sports and athletic competition has also shaped his outlook. When he was 7 years old, his father introduced him to field hockey. A two-time Olympian, Ravi played field hockey for Team Canada at the 2000 and 2008 Olympics. He has competed in more than 25 international sporting competitions. At the Beijing Olympics, 26 of Ravi’s family members attended to watch him compete in one of his proudest moments. In 2013, Ravi was inducted into the Delta Sports Hall of Fame. Before he was elected as an MLA, Ravi worked in banking. He moved to Delta, BC, in 2005, and has been active in the North Delta community for many years as a volunteer on the Boards of the Delta Parks and Recreation Committee and Men’s High-Performance Field Hockey BC. Ravi is also a certified coach and mentor to many young people in North Delta. He spends time coaching field hockey and soccer where, just like his father, he is introducing the sport to his young son.

to telework. You found ways to make it work and we’ve pulled through this by working together.

As we embrace Spring and continue taking steps to put the pandemic behind us, I want to thank the B.C. businesses that helped get us here. Your incredible determination, hard work, and adaptability are why our province leads the country in economic recovery. B.C. has seen 8 straight months of job growth. Wages are rising. Industries that were disrupted during the pandemic are thriving once again. We added 100,000 jobs in 2021. We welcomed more than 100,000 people in 2021 who are now choosing to make B.C. their new home; this is a record number for the last 60 years. They are coming because they know B.C. is the place to be—a province full of opportunity.

We are building on this momentum. When Premier Horgan appointed me to Cabinet as Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, he asked me to build on B.C.’s economic recovery strategy and to work with British Columbians on a long-term economic plan. As a first step in building this plan, we listened to thousands of people from all walks of life—business leaders, First Nations, labour leaders, not-for-profits, community and environmental organizations, and others.

It was inspiring to hear from so many and it struck me how much we care about the same things. We want homes people can afford; good schools and hospitals; for our kids to be future ready and to get the skills they need for the jobs of tomorrow; to fight climate change; to have meaningful and lasting reconciliation; for businesses to thrive; and entrepreneurs to take risks.

We also heard how the pandemic exposed deep, long-standing vulnerabilities in our society and people told us we can’t go back to the way things were before. We want a province and an economy that works for all British Columbians. We know we are at our best when everyone shares in a prosperous future.

That is why our government launched the StrongerBC Economic Plan—to help make life better for people. It is a whole-of-government plan, that is bold, ambitious, and right for the moment and for the future we want. Our plan puts forward two key goals— inclusive and clean growth—and six core missions to guide our government’s work. It’s built on the principle that by tackling big challenges like climate change and inequality, we can grow an economy that is more competitive, productive, and resilient. The six core missions will keep us focused and on track as we reach our goals. 1. Supporting people

As we embrace Spring and families and continue taking steps 2. Building resilient to put the pandemic communities behind us, I want to thank 3. Advancing, true, lasting, the B.C. businesses that and meaningful reconciliation helped get us here. Your incredible 4. Meeting our climate commitments determination, hard work, and adaptability are why our province leads 5. Leading on environmental and social responsibility 6. Fostering innovation across our economythe country in economic recovery. Our StrongerBC Economic Plan represents a fundamental shift in how we think about economic development and growth. We are determined for the benefits of growth to be felt by you and your families, in your businesses, and your communities. For example, the plan emphasises investments in child care as a means to reduce barriers to workforce participation. It adds value and jobs in our natural resource sector by leveraging low-carbon technologies such as mass timber. It improves competitiveness by closing the digital divide. It opens up new markets by leveraging B.C.’s low-carbon advantage and reputation for environmental and social responsibility. And it advances lasting and meaningful reconciliation with First Nations and Indigenous Peoples. We now know there will be 1 million new job openings in B.C. over the next 10 years and that 80 per cent of them will require postsecondary education or skills training. That is both a challenge and an opportunity. As small businessowners, you know better than I do that we already have a labour shortage in various industries. To help get British Columbians future ready and to fill these jobs for the expansion of your businesses, our StrongerBC Economic Plan

includes a generational commitment to accelerate talent development and training across the province to close the skills gap.

Of the many small businesspeople affected by the pandemic, Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour (IBPOC), women, persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQ+, immigrants, and young owners were disproportionately affected. The StrongerBC Economic Plan will provide comprehensive support, like new entrepreneur training, to these small businesspeople through the development of the Small Business Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan. By continuing to invest in people, we are developing a stronger, more inclusive workforce, and positioning B.C. to keep competing on a global scale.

I’m proud to say our province is home to more small businesses per capita than anywhere else in Canada with more than 520,000 small businesses employing

about 1 million British Columbians. You are B.C.’s bedrock. I grew up in the home of immigrant entrepreneurs and know, firsthand, the challenges my parents faced running a small business to make a living. Small businesses are pillars in their communities, creating jobs, providing Small businesses needed goods and services, and our are pillars in their government will continue to have your communities, creating back. jobs, providing needed I have been in awe of the grit and goods and services... determination shown by B.C. businesses. As tough as COVID has been, you have helped bring out our best. There are brighter days ahead. With the StrongerBC Economic Plan, we have a clear path forward. This is a plan built by British Columbians for British Columbians—because an economy built for people is an economy built to succeed. To learn more about the StrongerBC Economic Plan, visit https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/plan. Minister Ravi Kahlon, Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation

YOUR WILL CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR COMMUNITY

WILL POWERTM

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