Manitoba is reopening a business grant program meant to support businesses through COVID-19 public health orders and closures.
Finance Minister Scott Fielding announced an estimated $5 million in new funding through the the Manitoba Bridge Grant program Tuesday for seasonal businesses, new applicants and others affected by public health restrictions.
“We want to ensure this program includes new businesses or seasonal operations who could not apply for previous rounds of the Manitoba Bridge Grant so they have an opportunity to receive provincial government support,” Fielding said in a government release.
First launched last November, the bridge grant program provides grants of up to $5,000 to businesses and organizations affected by COVID-19 closures. The program has previously been expanded four times.
The last expansion, announced in May, provided up to $71 million in support to eligible small and medium-sized businesses, not-for-profits and charities.
The latest round of funding will only be available to businesses that have not previously applied for the grant, such as new and seasonal businesses that were not operating as of the original Nov. 10, 2020, program deadline, Fielding said,
Eligible storefront businesses will receive $5,000 and home-based businesses will get up to $5,000 based on 10 per cent of their most recent calendar-year revenues.
Fielding estimates nearly 1,000 businesses may be eligible for the latest round of funding.
Meanwhile the province also extended a $2,000 top-up to the bridge grant money first announced for restaurants in May to to cover things like food waste, employee wages, maintenance or insurance.
Fielding said new applicants as well as previous bridge grant recipients that offer prepared food services that did not receive the top up in May, will now be eligible.
He said an estimated 600 businesses offering food services, such as hotels, lodges, outfitters, bars and lounges, will automatically receive the $2,000 top-up June 25.
Details on the latest round of bridge grant funding can be found on the province’s website.
Applications must be made by July 16, Fielding said.
The province says the bridge grant program has provided more than $291 million to over 15,000 private enterprises, not-for-profit organizations and registered charities since November 2020.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, visit our coronavirus page.
Comments