sa国际传媒鈥檚 is extending the deadline to apply to its oversubscribed small and medium-sized business recovery program until July 2 and is boosting its total investment to $430 million.
The grant program has had 鈥渢remendous uptake and helped thousands of sa国际传媒 businesses position themselves for a strong recovery as we embark on sa国际传媒鈥檚 restart plan,鈥� Ravi Kahlon, minister of jobs, economic recovery and innovation, said Friday.
sa国际传媒 is putting in $140 million more than originally anticipated, he said.
Monies will support more than 20,000 businesses and 260,000 employees.
So far 10,000-plus grants have been awarded to businesses, with more than 40 per cent going to tourism-related businesses.
鈥淔or thousands of businesses, the grant has been a lifeline,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t has allowed them to pivot to purchase new equipment, to build a patio or pay their employees. The program has been very well received. In fact, it鈥檚 now oversubscribed.鈥�
After tourism businesses, the next largest group to apply for grants has been the hospitality sector with its restaurants, pubs and breweries, Kahlon said.
The program offers grants of $10,000 to up to $30,000, and an additional $5,000 to $15,000 for tourism-related businesses.
Other support programs offered include sa国际传媒鈥檚 circuit breaker business relief grant, which is providing more than $130 million to hospitality and accommodation businesses. The application deadline for that program closed early last month.
While international border closures remain and cruise ships will be passing by Victoria, Kahlon said, 鈥淚 think in the next phase certainly we鈥檙e going to be encouraging people to discover your backyard, travel within sa国际传媒鈥�
Provincial officials are talking to the federal government about the metrics it takes into account when deciding when to open up, he said. 鈥淲e want to see international tourism back when it鈥檚 safe to do so.鈥�
Bruce Williams, chief executive at the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, reiterated calls sa国际传媒 to extend the recovery grant program to non-profit organizations.
鈥淎 lot of non-profits are in serious trouble and their services will be going away if they don鈥檛 get some support.鈥�
The demand on their services has been greater than usual because of the pandemic and that will continue, he said. In addition, these organizations provide jobs to many citizens in Greater Victoria.
Grant money could make the difference between these agencies 鈥� which take care of physical and mental health 鈥� staying open or closing, Williams said.
鈥淭heir fundraising has been impacted hugely鈥� as a result of the pandemic.
When it comes to the local hospitality and tourism sector, Williams said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 not great. Everybody鈥檚 down obviously 鈥� some have been able to rebound and make up with take-out and delivery but a lot of them just haven鈥檛 been able to do that.鈥�
The biggest impact is on downtown 鈥渂ecause there are no workers there,鈥� he said.
There鈥檚 no guarantee that government workers now doing their jobs at home because of the pandemic will return to downtown, Williams said. 鈥淭he restaurants are suffering from that a great deal.鈥�
He encourages residents to go to the shops and eateries downtown, he said.
Williams is also urging sa国际传媒 to encourage the federal government to continue wage and income support programs for tourism and hospitality sector into the spring 2022.
