The Saskatchewan government is extending the Saskatchewan Small Business Emergency Payment (SSBEP) program for an extra month to support small businesses during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Saskatchewan businesses that were ordered to temporarily close or “substantially curtail” operations due to public health orders are eligible for the support.
Saskatchewan Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison said while the government is seeing “solid success” with the vaccine rollout, many businesses are still affected by the restrictions.
“”The extension we are announcing today will continue our support for small businesses in the province, which is the foundation of our strong economic recovery,” Harrison said in a news release Friday.
The SSBEP has provided more than $66 million in financial support to more than 6,400 small businesses through two phases and six eligibility periods as of April 26, the press release said.
The maximum payment per eligibility period is $5,000.
“Payments are based on 15 per cent of the business’ November 2019, December 2019 or February 2020 monthly sales revenue. Seasonal business payments are based on 15 per cent of the business’ average monthly sales revenue for the months it operated in 2019.”
The eligibility period for the SSBEP is April 1 to 30, 2021 and applications will be accepted until May 31, 2021. Businesses that have previously applied and received payments through the December to March offering of the program will not need to reapply.
For more information on the program, businesses can visit www.saskatchewan.ca/small-business-emergency-payment, call 1-800-667-6102, or email ssbep@gov.sk.ca.