Council Approves $250K in Earmarked COVID-19 Funding for Main Street Business Support During Special Meeting

Committee & Council Meetings
Written By

During a Special Meeting of Council on Aug. 13, your City Council unanimously approved $125,000 in funds as a COVID-19 expense to support main street businesses and complement the provincial government's Digital Main Street and Provincial Safe Restart COVID-19 programs.Council is also requesting that the Region of Halton match the City of Burlington’s contribution of $125,000 and earmark these funds to support main street businesses in Burlington.We also approved an additional $125,000 to be earmarked for an immediate and timely small business relief grant program for COVID-19 reopening costs.This grant program is subject to criteria -- still to be defined -- to ensure broad equality and eligibility that meets the intent of the Municipal Act to prevent municipalities from giving unfair assistance to business to the detriment of the local taxpayers and competing businesses.The program is not contingent on funding from Halton Region, while still requesting that the Region match the City of Burlington’s additional contribution of $125,000 for an immediate and timely small business relief grant program for COVID-19 reopening costs.For all the recommendations approved during the Aug. 13 Special Council Meeting, please click this link for the minutes.To learn of the recommendations approved at our Regular Meeting of Council on Aug. 24, please click this link for the minutes.MY TAKE:Our local businesses, particularly our small businesses, have been hit hard as a result of the fallout from COVID-19. It is our hope that this funding, together with what the Province is offering and hopefully what the Region will match, will help our shops weather this storm and continue to be there when we reach the other side of this pandemic. I will also be working with City Council, Team Burlington and Burlington Economic Recovery Network on an advocacy campaign to the Province and Region regarding funding for small business relief.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:

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