BC Buy Local Week runs from Nov. 28 to Dec 4 this year.
According to BCBuyLocal.com, the average Canadian spends around $1600 on travel, food, drinks, and gifts during the holidays. BC Buy Local Week encourages consumers to shift 1% of that spending — just $15 — to a local business, or a locally grown or locally made product, to keep money circulating in communities and keep good jobs in B.C.
7 Ways for 7 Days
Here are seven ways to Buy Local this #BCBuyLocal Week and all year round:
BUY LOCAL ONLINE: Support local businesses out of the comfort of your home
Canadians spend $4B/month online. Two out of every three dollars spent online in Canada goes to a U.S. multinational. Support local businesses when you buy online.
SHOP IN STORE: Visit your favourite storefronts this holiday season
Brick-and-mortar stores contribute jobs and taxes that keep communities connected and strong. $63 of every $100 from storefronts is recirculated back into the local economy compared to 14% with multinationals.
GIVE EXPERIENCES: No-wait, no shipping gifts support services & tourism
Supply chain issues and shipping delays abound this year. Avoid the hassle by giving an experience. Health and beauty treatments or tourist attractions are just a start — get creative!
SUPPORT COMMUNITIES: Visit shopping streets to find unique goods and services
Money spent with local businesses has a ripple effect that contributes to the growth and health of BC communities. Local businesses contribute to the tax base and make donations to support local events, sports teams, and charities 24 times more than multinationals.
PUT LOCAL ON YOUR TABLE: Choose local ingredients, food products, beverages & food services
There are 17K+ farms in BC and 98% are family-owned businesses! BC food processors employ one in 40 BC workers, and food/beverage manufacturing is B.C.’s top manufacturing industry. BC has the most local distilleries of any Canadian province, 191 breweries (almost all craft), and 369 wineries. Every bottle of BC-made wine creates $42 in economic impact (revenue, tax revenue, wages) and local restaurants keep 68 cents of every $1 in the local economy, 2.2 X multinationals.
BUY LOCAL MADE: Support BC artists, makers & manufacturers
When you buy BC made products, you support good jobs for artists, makers, and manufacturers and build a strong local economy. Buy local made products to support BC’s ~30K working artists, and 171K+ manufacturing employees.
BUY LOCAL GIFT CARDS: Give gift cards from local stores & restaurants
The average Canadian spends ~$500/year on gift cards. You can choose to support local businesses for those gifts.
For more reports and data on the community benefits to shopping locally, visit bcbuylocal.com