Hamilton councillors approve measures to support small business recovery

City councillors have approved a series of motions aimed at helping Hamilton businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The measures, approved by the general issues committee on Wednesday, are based on recommendations from the Mayor’s Task Force on Economic Recovery.

Task force chair Ron McKerlie presented their final report to councillors, saying there’s “unified hope that the city will champion the causes of Hamilton’s businesses and workers.”

McKerlie adds that one consensus across all economic sectors is that some groups of people have been impacted more than others by the pandemic.

He cited the example of students, often working in the restaurant, retail and hospitality sectors.

McKerlie notes that they were “among the first to lose their jobs, and it seems likely they will be among the last to be able to return to work to support themselves.”

He singled out “women, racialized residents, new immigrants and low-income earners” as other disproportionally affected groups.

Among the immediate actions approved by councillors is special one-time funding of $10,000 for each of the city’s 13 business improvement areas (BIAs) to support “buy local” initiatives.

Other motions brought forward through the task force recommendations will freeze a variety of business fees and permits at 2020 levels, create a small business tax sub-class create a COVID-19-related information resource centre for businesses, basically a one-stop shop for information.

The fees to be frozen at 2020 levels in 2021 include general business licence fees, trade licence fees, taxi and personal transportation providers (PTP) fees, and film permit fees.

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The general issues committee also voted to request support from the federal and provincial governments on a variety of initiatives to position the city of Hamilton for long-term, sustainable and equitable economic recovery.

Those include universal paid emergency leave, universal child care and extending the commercial rent assistance program.

Ward 8 Coun. John-Paul Danko hopes council has been “strategic with our municipal taxes to provide some tax relief to those business areas that have been the most heavily impacted.”

He singles out “independent, locally owned, the BIAs, those types of small independent business” as the ones that have been hardest hit.