Burlington Providing $124K to 59 Local Businesses in 1st Round of Safe Restart COVID-19 Relief Grants

Team Burlington
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*Please see below a media release issued by TEAM Burlington (Burlington Economic Development, Burlington Chamber of Commerce, Burlington Downtown Business Association, Aldershot Village BIA and Tourism Burlington).October 15, 2020 – Burlington, ON – The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for small businesses who need to adapt quickly to public health guidelines.Burlington’s business support organizations, known as Team Burlington (Burlington Economic Development, Burlington Chamber of Commerce, Burlington Downtown Business Association, Aldershot Village BIA and Tourism Burlington), heard about these challenges and took decisive action in partnering with the City of Burlington and POST Promise to launch the Burlington Safe Restart COVID-19 Business Relief Grant on Sept. 29.

"The Burlington Safe Restart Program will help ease some of the financial impacts that COVID-19 has had on our business community. The importance of restarting the economy and rebuilding consumer and employee trust was something Team Burlington was hearing loud and clear from our business community, and we knew we needed to find a way to provide direct, hands-on support. We are thrilled that The City of Burlington has stepped up to support our business community. Additionally, the partnership with POST Promise has equipped us to ensure our businesses are doing everything they can to protect themselves, their employees, and their customers, and I’m thrilled to have them on board." -- Anita Cassidy, Executive Director, Burlington Economic Development

The response to the program has been extremely positive, with more than 95 applications received in the two-week application window that closed on Oct. 13.Today, Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward was joined by the Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria, Ontario’s Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction, and Jane McKenna, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development and Member of Provincial Parliament for Burlington to announce the local businesses that will receive a grant in the first round of funding.

"The POST Promise and the Safe Restart program are shining examples of the tools available to small businesses to help address the need to keep customers and employees safe. I commend the City of Burlington for their leadership on combatting COVID-19 and I am certain we will emerge stronger than ever from this virus." -- Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria, Ontario's Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction

Through the grant program, $124,689 in funding will be released, collectively, to 59 businesses. These businesses fall across a broad range of industries including hospitality, retail, health, wellness and sports. A full list of companies support by the Burlington Safe Restart Grant is available online by clicking the link.The Burlington Safe Restart COVID-19 Business Relief Grant is an innovative municipal program that aims to support businesses through a one-time grant of up to $2,500 that can be used towards related COVID-19 costs, such as personal protective equipment (PPE) and renovations to physical space to allow businesses to properly adhere to public health guidelines.As part of the eligibility requirements, recipients are also required to make the POST Promise, a private sector-led initiative that provides essential information on how to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"The POST Promise is proud to be partnering with Team Burlington, the City of Burlington and the Burlington Safe Restart Program to support local small businesses. We congratulate all grant recipients and businesses who have made the POST Promise and are doing their part to let Canadians know they can confidently return to public spaces." -- Aidan Tracey, POST Promise Founder and Chair of the Board of Directors

Watch the full announcement from today here, and find more information on the Burlington Safe Restart program here.MAYOR MEED WARD'S TAKE:I’m glad to see our local small businesses have taken advantage of the first round of the Burlington Safe Restart Program relief grants and, at the same time, made the POST Promise. As the backbone of the local economy, our small businesses need all the support we can give them to help adapt and make their shops as safe as possible. This, in turn, will help the public feel more confident in participating in the economy again and in visiting their favourite local stores.RELATED LINKS:

—PLEASE NOTE: To stay updated on what the City of Burlington is doing regarding COVID-19, please visit the dedicated pages burlington.ca/coronavirus (and subscribe) and bit.ly/mayormeedwardCOVID19updates, and our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page — bit.ly/COVID19BurlingtonFAQ that are updated as new information becomes available.A Burlington COVID-19 Task Force has been created to help support our community through this unprecedented emergency — updates will be provided at burlington.ca/COVID19taskforce.To report an incident of non-compliance with provincial emergency orders, please contact the Halton Regional Police Service COVID-19 Hotline: 905-825-4722.We’ve also created a dedicated page to feature the local organizations and businesses that have inspired us during the COVID-19 pandemic by taking action to support our community in new and creative ways — head to bit.ly/covidwallofinspiration.HELPFUL RESOURCES & RELATED LINKS:

—*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist

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