May 20, 2020
Notice: The BCEDA COVID19 Bulletin will now be emailed on Monday, Wednesdays & Fridays.
Resources for Businesses
Live Resources for BC Businesses Document
Recently Updated:
- The CECRA for small businesses application portal will be available May 25, 2020
- B.C. COVID-19 Temporary Pandemic Pay supports health, social services and corrections employees
- Vancity: What COVID-19 economic aid means for your business – 11 ways to help you and your employees weather the storm
- Shopify partners with Facebook to launch Facebook Shops - free tool to create customized online storefronts
- BCRFA: 9 Restaurant Reopening Tips for Success
- Province of BC Webinar: Canada's Free Trade Agreements and B.C.’s Venture Capital Tax Credit Program
- Canada Post: The urgent support your business needs
- Get up to $10,000 to #hireaBCstudent
- Does your company require PPE as Canada returns to work?
WorkSafeBC Safety Plans & Industry Information
COVID-19 Safety Plans
Every employer is required to have a COVID-19 safety plan that assesses the risk of exposure at their workplace and implements measures to keep their workers safe. If a formal plan is not already in place prior to operation, you are expected to develop it while protecting the safety of your workers.
To help you develop your plan, the pages in this section provide information and resources on keeping workers safe in industries that have been providing essential services since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. We will continue to update these pages, but you can also refer to COVID-19 and returning to safe operation for additional information, including a template for a COVID-19 Safety Plan.
WorkSafeBC will be reviewing plans of individual employers during their inspections of your workplace. Please be reminded that in accordance with the order of the Provincial Health Officer, this plan must be posted at the worksite. During a WorkSafeBC inspection, we will ask employers about the steps they have taken to protect their workers and to see the plan if it has been developed.
Download the Safety Plan Template
Returning to Safe Operation
- General guide to reducing risk
- Arts and cultural facilities
- Health professionals
- In-person counselling
- Education (K-12)
- Offices
- Parks
- Personal services
- Real estate
- Restaurants, cafes, and pubs
- Retail
- FAQs
- What workers should expect
Industry Information
Join a BC Restart Plan Townhall
At upcoming virtual townhalls, British Columbians will have the opportunity to ask questions about BC's Restart Plan and what it looks like moving forward.
K-12 Education Townhall
Wednesday, May 20 at 7:15 pm (PDT)
With Minister of Education Rob Fleming and Stephanie Higginson, President of British Columbia School Trustees Association and Dr. Trevor Corneil, Vice President Population Health and Chief Medical Health Officer for Interior Health Authority.
Hosted by: Ravi Kahlon, MLA for Delta North and Parliamentary Secretary for Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.
Submit your questions by noon on Wednesday, May 20
Submit your Education Questions
Workplace Safety Townhall
Thursday, May 21 at 7:15 pm (PDT)
With Minister of Labour Harry Bains, Al Johnson, Vice President of Prevention Services – WorkSafeBC
Hosted by: Janet Routledge, MLA for Burnaby North
Submit your questions by noon on Thursday, May 21
Submit Your Workplace Safety Questions
Prime Minister announces expansion of support for workers and small businesses
May 19, 2020 - Ottawa, Ontario
Throughout the pandemic, the Government of Canada has focused on keeping Canadians safe and healthy and helping families pay their bills. That’s why we have introduced strong measures to protect middle class jobs and support businesses, so they can keep Canadians on the payroll during this challenging time.
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced an expansion to the eligibility criteria for the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) to include many owner-operated small businesses. This extended measure will help small businesses protect the jobs that Canadians rely on.
The changes to the CEBA will allow more Canadian small businesses to access interest free loans that will help cover operating costs during a period when revenues have been reduced, due to the pandemic.
The program will now be available to a greater number of businesses that are sole proprietors receiving income directly from their businesses, businesses that rely on contractors, and family-owned corporations that pay employees through dividends rather than payroll.
To qualify under the expanded eligibility criteria, applicants with payroll lower than $20,000 would need:
- a business operating account at a participating financial institution
- a Canada Revenue Agency business number, and to have filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return.
- eligible non-deferrable expenses between $40,000 and $1.5 million. Eligible non-deferrable expenses could include costs such as rent, property taxes, utilities, and insurance.
Expenses will be subject to verification and audit by the Government of Canada. Funding will be delivered in partnership with financial institutions. More details, including the launch date for applications under the new criteria, will follow in the days to come. To date, over 600,000 small businesses have accessed the CEBA, and the government will work on potential solutions to help business owners and entrepreneurs who operate through their personal bank account, as opposed to a business account, or have yet to file a tax return, such as newly created businesses.
Government announces support program for large employers is open for applications
Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF) will support Canada’s largest employers, whose needs during the pandemic are not being met through conventional financing.
This program will provide emergency funding support for large Canadian enterprises facing financial challenges in light of the economic impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic. CEEFC has been formed to administer this mandate.
LEEFF will be open to large Canadian employers who (a) have a significant impact on Canada’s economy, as demonstrated by (i) having significant operations in Canada or (ii) supporting a significant workforce in Canada; (b) can generally demonstrate approximately $300 million or more in annual revenues; and (c) require a minimum loan size of about $60 million.
Broader sectoral dynamics for LEEFF applicants will be considered by Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada. As part of this process, applicants will also be contacted by ISED officials.
ABM Without Borders
Develop New Business in a Borderless Online Environment of New Ideas
A well-known business matching forum has innovated its proprietary technology to create virtual events that eliminate geographic boundaries and encourage relationships across all industries and countries.
Advanced Business Match (ABM) launched ABM Without Borders this month, with online business matching events that offer 10 appointments over the course of half a day, scheduled based on time zones.
Pacific – June 16, 2020
Central – June 18, 2020
Eastern – June 23, 2020
ABM Without Borders is curated in the same fashion as ABM’s usual events, ensuring they too are hyper-productive, partnership-driven and result-oriented.
Interested businesses and communities apply online. ABM ensures their projects and goals are a fit for the tailored ABM network. Once registered, ABM delegates prepare potential business matches by reviewing detailed online profiles and selecting virtual appointments with each other within ABM’s private online platform.
These events allow access to ABM’s international contacts and partners in a much more dynamic way than previously possible. Managing Partner for ABM, Katrin Harry, says “ABM Without Borders will allow you to make connections across Canada and, in fact, the globe catapulting your business into a diverse, borderless environment of ideas, shared knowledge and business opportunities.”
Advanced Business Match connects communities and companies with complementing goals, supporting economic diversification and innovation while providing fertile ground to form partnerships that result in new ventures, stronger market presence and a sharper competitive edge.
Contact ABM at info@advancedbusinessmatch.com or 1-604-483-3532.
Resources for Economic Developers & Local Leaders
BCEDA Economic Response & Restart Call, May 21
Thursday, May 21 at 2:00pm PST
BCEDA is very excited to welcome back BC Economic Summit Keynote, Becky McCray!
We will be joined by Becky and her teammate, Deb Brown from Saveyour.town, to hear about Refilling the Business Pipeline.
The old way of going into business doesn’t fit today’s economic crisis realities. Entrepreneurs will need new, more accessible business formats and new ways of doing business, including pop-ups, shared buildings, businesses inside of other businesses and more. Find out how entrepreneurs are already using these smaller scale experiments and tests to learn what works before making a huge investment. Learn how you can adapt them for your community and pull down the barriers to entry.
Case Study: How economic developers can prepare for the recovery
The speed at which COVID-19 has impacted businesses is unprecedented. In a few short weeks, revenues have been slashed or disappeared completely, creating severe liquidity problems for thousands of businesses.
Numerous government programs have been launched to help businesses weather the immediate crisis but competition for this funding is fierce and businesses need to make a strong case to be successful. Economic developers across the country have responded quickly by providing essential information, advising on safety requirements, running surveys and matchmaking businesses to suitable assistance programs.
As the crisis shifts from the response to the recovery phase, the needs of businesses will evolve as they begin rebuilding or resuming operations. Those economic developers that adapt quickly and are ready to respond will have greater success helping their business community bounce back.
What BC Communities Are Doing
How the Songhees Nation is preparing to rebound
Prince George hosts Transportation Business Titan Talk
Cowichan Strong Launches Post-Disaster Needs Assessment Survey
Economic recovery task force asks City of Penticton to relax patio regulations, remove permit costs amid COVID-19
Share your community's news by emailing info@bceda.ca
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