A Small Business Playbook for the Southwest Coast

Sunset in the cove - Skylar Skinner

Burgeo’s small businesses are defined by resilience and hard work. But there is one thing even the hardest working entrepreneur cannot overcome: the fog of uncertainty.

When the rules of the road feel uncertain - when a major decision like the proposed Southwest Coast Fjords National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA) hangs in the air - people pause. They delay a renovation, a new hire, a new menu, or a new tour. This hesitation could be a hidden tax on rural business, costing money and momentum.

The opportunity before us in the Town of Burgeo is to replace rumour with a plan that every citizen and business owner can actually read. The NMCA debate, at its heart, is a debate about certainty, and the path to certainty is clarity.

Structure, Not Improvisation

Parks Canada describes NMCAs as places designed to balance protection, conservation, and ecologically sustainable use. The potential benefits are tangible, including support for fishery resources, recreation and tourism, scientific research, and broader social and economic benefits for our community. This is not a promise that every business wins, but it is a commitment that the work will be structured, not improvised.

And structure is exactly what entrepreneurs need to plan around.

The economic mechanism of tourism is real and powerful: protected natural spaces draw visitors, and their spending creates a tangible economic flow within local communities. While Burgeo doesn’t need to become Banff, it does need a stable, trustworthy reason for people to come - and to come back. Further, when new protected areas are created, federal partnerships can bring tangible resources. For instance, agreements in Nunavut tied $54.8 million over seven years to development, job training, and governance. These initiatives can clearly come with capacity-building funding, not just new regulations.

The Small Business Playbook - Ask for Specifics

Ultimately, public confidence affects investment. If a destination is constantly seen as being at war with itself, both partners and visitors hesitate. With recent polling showing support for the Southwest Coast Fjords NMCA at 90%, it signals that many people are open to a version of conservation that respects livelihoods.

So, what is the small business playbook here?

It is simple - treat clarity like working capital.

Business owners must ask for the kind of specifics that turn anxiety into planning. We need:

· Clear Maps and Zones

· Clear Timelines and Signage

· Clear Review Cycles

If you run accommodations, ask for visitor education that reduces conflict on the water. If you run tours, ask for certainty about sensitive areas and seasons. If you sell food, ask how sustainable branding will be communicated to help local operators thrive.

And when misinformation inevitably appears, the Town has set the strategic tone - correct the information, don’t attack the messenger, and avoid conflict with local industries. This approach is a strategic way to keep the community investable.

In the end, clarity is the most valuable product Burgeo can offer. Tourism follows clarity. Investment follows clarity. And the best local businesses, the ones built for the long haul, will be the ones that help write that clear, confident future.