The City encourages Calgarians to Support Local this holiday season

We're kicking off our Support Local YYC campaign to encourage Calgarians to shop locally-owned businesses this holiday season.

Now in its fourth consecutive year, the campaign highlights the benefits of supporting local when gift-giving and planning celebrations during this important time of year for our economy.

"Small businesses are the engine of our economy, accounting for over 95 per cent of businesses in the city and generating four times more economic activity than large corporations,” said Mayor Jyoti Gondek. “As the holiday season approaches, choose to support local. Whether it's an independent bookstore, a multicultural shop, or your neighbourhood restaurant, we all have the power to sustain our small business community."

There are many ways Calgarians can support local during the holidays, including exploring local shops and services, ordering food and treats for gatherings from local restaurants and bakeries, purchasing locally-made products, buying gift cards for a friend or family member from a local spa, salon or recreation facility, and more.

A helpful resource for local shoppers is The City’s directory of 15 Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) in Calgary. These BIAs are home to a variety of amenities and can help shoppers explore options for local businesses to support both within their own neighbourhoods and across other areas of Calgary.

“December is an important month for business owners,” said Erin Chrusch, leader of Business & Local Economy at The City of Calgary. “While we encourage Calgarians to support local throughout the year, for the majority of small businesses in Calgary this is the season that determines their survival and growth. By supporting local, we’re not only helping these businesses thrive and grow, but we’re also supporting local jobs and workers, and ensuring more money stays in our community.”

More than half of every $100 earned by local businesses ends up recirculating in the Calgary economy making it a win-win for local businesses and Calgarians alike.

There are also non-monetary ways Calgarians can support local businesses, such as leaving positive reviews of places they love on social media and online.

We encourage you to use the hashtag #SupportLocalYYC to spread the word about local businesses, shops and restaurants they’re supporting this holiday season.

For more information, including helpful tools and resources for local business to help boost their business, visit calgary.ca/supportlocal.