Saskatchewan tourism support program renewed to help industry deal with uncertainties

The Saskatchewan government announced it would be renewing the Saskatchewan Tourism Sector Support Program (STSSP) on Thursday.

The program was launched to support the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing financial assistance to eligible tourism businesses in the accommodations, attractions and tours, events and major event facility sectors.

It provided $14.5 million in financial assistance to 761 eligible businesses between August 2020 and October 2020. The extension announced on Thursday is expected to provide approximately $15 million in financial assistance to eligible businesses.

Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison said the STSSP renewal will provide “much-needed” help for the tourism sector.

“While hope is on the near horizon with the vaccine roll-out now well underway, this support will assist tourism-dependent businesses that still face uncertainty about the 2021 tourism year as we continue to work through the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic,” Harrison said in a press release.

The provincial government also announced it’s extending the Saskatchewan Small Business Emergency Payment (SSBEP). This program was set up to provide eligible small businesses that have been ordered to close or significantly had to cut down their operations because of the public health order.

Financial assistance in the extension of SSBEP includes a payment for both February and March 2021 of up to $5,000 per month to be used for any purpose.

CFIB vice-president, western Canada and agri-business, Marilyn Braun-Pollon said that this extension will provide cash flow for businesses that need it while dealing with the current restrictions.

“We know getting back to normal is still months away for most businesses across the province, so we are pleased the Government of Saskatchewan is providing additional help by renewing the STSSP as well as extending the SSBEP for both February and March 2021,” Braun-Pollon said.

President and CEO of Hospitality Saskatchewan, Jim Bence, applauded the government for renewing this program.

“We are very appreciative of Premier Scott Moe, Minister Jeremy Harrison and Dr. (Saqib) Shahab’s steadfast commitment to the tourism & hospitality industry, and their willingness to work with us and continue to establish a path forward in these uncertain times. This is not the end of the conversations,” Bence said.

According to the government, tourism generated more than $2 billion in revenue annually prior to 2020.

Businesses are eligible for STSSP if they experienced a loss of sales revenue of at least 30 per cent in 2020 when compared to 2019.

Applications for the program open on Mar. 8 and the deadline to apply is April 30.

Provincial government officials said business that don’t comply with public health orders will not be eligible to receive support under these programs.

For more information on the STSSP 2, call 1-800-667-6102, email stssp@gov.sk.ca, or visit www.saskatchewan.ca/tourism-sector-support.

More information on the SSBEP is available at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-businesses.

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