B.C. government adds funds to recovery grant program for small and medium B.C. businesses
The B.C. government has announced an infusion of millions of dollars in additional funding to help small and medium businesses stay afloat until step three of the province’s reopening plan.
Officials say the money will fund the Small- and Medium-Sized Business Recovery Grant until July 1.
“We built this grant program for the business community,” said Ravi Kahlon, B.C.’s minister of jobs, in a news release.
The government says the grant program has helped 10,000 B.C. businesses, with more than 41 per cent of the money going to tourism-related businesses.
“This additional support was a call to action from the Tourism Task Force to provide relief to people and businesses that were struggling,” said Melanie Mark, minister of tourism, in the same release.
Mark is encouraging tourism-related businesses to see if they’re eligible for the grant money.
The province says its business recovery grant program, combined with its circuit breaker fund, has committed $560 million to help B.C. businesses affected by the pandemic. The latter program closed to applications on Friday.
“The grant money I received not only benefits my business, it has a ripple effect on the community and makes people optimistic that the local economy is starting to rebuild,” said Leanna Carlson, a pottery store owner in Prince George, according to the government release.
Owners of businesses that employ up to 149 B.C. residents are eligible to apply for the small- and medium-sized business grant. Applications close on July 2.
Step three of the province’s reopening plan includes a return to normal indoor and outdoor personal gatherings, a resumption of indoor fitness classes and a return to Canada-wide travel for non-essential purposes.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air travel is expensive. WestJet wants the government to do more to change that
WestJet is asking the federal government to put measures in place to lower ticket costs for travellers, but questions remain on who would foot the bill.
Dangerous brew: Ocean heat and La Nina combo likely mean more Atlantic hurricanes this summer
Get ready for what nearly all the experts think will be one of the busiest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record, thanks to unprecedented ocean heat and a brewing La Nina.
'Looking over our shoulders': A killing looms large in a little B.C. town
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished.
Officer who arrested Scottie Scheffler is being disciplined for not having bodycam activated
The Kentucky police officer who arrested top-ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler outside the PGA Championship is receiving “corrective action” for failing to have his body-worn camera activated.
Hundreds have applied for this 'adventurer' job in Banff National Park
Coined as Banff's 'ultimate summer job,' the Moraine Lake Bus Company says hundreds of people from across the world have applied for its adventurer position.
Potential tornado 'surreal' for residents who witnessed damaging storm in southern Ontario
Witnessing a potential tornado was 'surreal' for residents who caught a glimpse of the damaging storm in southern Ontario on Wednesday night.
Jennifer Lopez's response to question about Ben Affleck is a reminder of their decades of love in the spotlight
Plenty of people are wondering if Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are having problems in their marriage, but one person had the nerve to ask in a public forum.
Was this the bug that stung you? Wasp sightings revive murder-hornet concerns; no detections confirmed
As temperatures rise out of a mild El Nino winter, Canada's buggy season is already upon us again, and this year, the bugs are looking especially big.
New bill would let Canadians pass citizenship rights down to children born abroad
A new government bill tabled in the House of Commons on Thursday would allow Canadians to pass citizenship rights down to their children born outside the country — a move that would add an unknown number of new citizens.