Connecting with the Karhiio Business Community
This September I will be hosting Council Connect - a partnership with the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce and the Sifarish Network. In Ward Karhiio, we have amazing local businesses and entrepreneurs who contribute to building a vibrant community and foster local economic growth and well-being. This event is an opportunity for the local business community to join me for a Ward Karhiio-specific town hall to pose questions on topics that matter to you, share your valued input, and build relationships and connections with other local businesses.
When I was door-knocking during the 2021 municipal campaign, I met a lot of small business owners in the community. Many were newcomers and immigrants, mom and pop shops or family-owned and run operations. People were working hard to try to pay their bills, feed their families and keep their businesses afloat through tough economic times. They worked tirelessly through the pandemic, many of them without additional support or resources. And importantly, they helped to keep our communities, our ward and our City running.
It was these connections at business doors and storefronts, and hearing the personal stories, struggles and dreams behind many small businesses, as well as many years being involved in the startup tech community and hearing directly from entrepreneurs and investors alike that helped me to build a platform responsive to the needs of our business community, and better understand the gaps in resources that they were experiencing.
In addition to direct conversation with the businesses, I have also seen firsthand the gaps in information pathways with small businesses. Early on in the pandemic, I helped to broker a partnership between a banking institution and a philanthropic organization, which catalyzed the revamp of the ATB BoostR platform to provide immediate relief to small businesses impacted by COVID. I recognized that despite best efforts, there are businesses outside of Business Improvement Areas (BIA), which not all businesses in the city are a part of, and the ATB Network who weren't accessing some of these much needed resources. It was these experiences and stories that led me to put forward a motion for the City to provide better support to small businesses outside of BIA zones when I joined City Council. I see the importance of leveraging partnerships that can reach wider and diverse communities in Southeast Edmonton to share information about supports, grant funding and strategies to help businesses weather the storm, no matter what it is.
This upcoming Council Connect event and forum is the first of many opportunities where I hope to connect with the business community, and where businesses in the ward can connect with each other. I’m interested and excited to learn from business owners and entrepreneurs about the types of support and resources they need to thrive, and how I can better represent their voices at City Council. I am also grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Chamber of Commerce and the Sifarish Network - two amazing organizations supporting, connecting, and advocating for the business community on the ground. I see a lot of shared values between our organizations, allowing us to hopefully amplify the voices and needs of the business communities we mutually serve.
I hope you will join us at our first Council Connect event this September, and if you are a business and are unable to attend please reach out to me with any questions, concerns, or opportunities at keren.tang@edmonton.ca.
Event details:
Date: September 8th 2022
Time: 4PM-6PM
Location: Zaika Bistro (2303 Ellwood Dr SW, Edmonton, AB T6X 0J6)
You can purchase tickets online at the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce website. Be sure to register early as space is limited. https://business.edmontonchamber.com/events/details/council-connect-8173
