Small Business in Western Nova Scotia: Why Buying Local Matters More Than Ever

By Wade Cleveland, Western REN

Small business in Western Nova Scotia deserves a celebration, and Small Business Week is the perfect time for one. This year’s BDC Small Business week is coming quickly – it’s happening October 19^th through the 25^th.

The sponsor of Small Business Week, the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), reports that across the country small and medium-sized businesses employ 63.6 per cent of private sector workers, roughly eight million people, and generate 48 per cent of private sector GDP.

Those are big numbers.

Here in rural Nova Scotia, those numbers are more personal. Behind every one of those jobs is someone we know. They are our neighbours, our friends. They are our family.

What a small business looks like in rural Nova Scotia

It helps to be clear about what a small business really looks like in Western Nova Scotia and throughout rural Nova Scotia. The independent fisherman heading out before sunrise is a small business. So is the skilled tradesperson working for himself, the hairdresser running her chair out of her home or renting one at the local salon, and the farmer selling vegetables from a roadside stand or the farmer’s market. The bakers and craftspeople set up at that same farmers market? Absolutely.

Official counts only include businesses with employees on the payroll, which means a lot of what makes up our local economy never shows up in the tally. The real number is bigger, and it is a lot more familiar than a spreadsheet suggests.

Small business in Western Nova Scotia by the numbers

Even the official numbers tell us something. According to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Nova Scotia had 24,903 small businesses with employees at the end of 2024, which is 98.1 per cent of all the employer businesses in the province.

BDC also notes that small and medium-sized businesses account for 78 per cent of the GDP in accommodation and food services, 77 per cent in construction, and 76 per cent in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting. Those are the industries you see on our main streets, our wharves and our back roads.

Why local dollars stay local

Here is why that matters at home. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has found that for every dollar spent at a small local business, 66 cents stays in the community. At a big international chain, it’s 11 cents.

Dollars earned stay here, too. Local owners live here, hire here, buy from local suppliers, use local accountants and mechanics. They are the ones sponsoring the kids’ sports team. Both the dollars earned and the dollars spent keep circulating through our communities, and that circulation is what gives a rural economy its vitality.

Buying local in a time of tariffs

This message carries more weight than it did even a year ago. Small business is on the front line of the tariff war with the United States. Small businesses account for 37.9 per cent of Canada’s exports, so when trade gets harder, they feel it first. Our region knows better than most what it means to depend on a market next door. You can follow the latest developments on our tariff updates page.

We cannot negotiate the tariffs ourselves, but we get to decide, every day, where our money goes. A coffee, a haircut, a set of tires. A loaf of bread, a Friday night meal out. Each one is a small vote for the people who keep this region running.

How to celebrate Small Business Week

This Small Business Week, make buying local a habit and not just a gesture. Shop locally when you can. And do some things that will cost you nothing: Follow those local businesses on social media, like their posts, comment on them and share them. Leave a good review and tell your friends about them. When you are there, ask the person behind the counter how business has been, and listen to the answer. Let those businesses know you support them.

Western REN supports local small business

At Western REN, we are proud to work alongside the entrepreneurs and business owners who drive our region forward, from connecting employers with skilled workers to supporting business transitions and growth. Small business is the backbone of rural Nova Scotia, and it is worth celebrating loudly.

Because when we choose local, we are investing in us.