When the financial crisis rocked global markets and world economies in 2008, Mayor Dianne Watts responded by ushering in a ground-breaking job creation and investment action plan. At its heart was a commitment to work with businesses large and small to make Surrey a major destination for new investment in British Columbia.
“The foundation of any healthy city is a vibrant and thriving economy – I want young people, entrepreneurs and investors to know that Surrey is a great place to launch new ideas and grow great companies.”, stated Watts.
Following the establishment of two economic investment zones, a first for any city in Canada, Watts appointed Councillor Linda Hepner Co-Chair of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Investment and Job Creation and Chair of the recently established Mayor’s Red Tape Advisory Committee. Explained Linda Hepner, “our focus is to make Surrey top-of-mind when people are looking for new opportunities – by removing the needless bureaucracy that is a significant barrier to the growth and to new jobs, businesses small and large can thrive.”
Surrey’s innovative approaches to job creation are working – the Real Estate Investment Network named Surrey the Best Place to Invest in BC three years in a row.