June 29th, 2020
COVID-19
BUSINESS SUPPORTS AND RESOURCES
The City of Spruce Grove cares about you and your business. The City's Economic & Business Development Department continues to keep you informed about ongoing developments of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the City of Spruce Grove is operating a little differently, we remain committed to providing our businesses and residents the best service possible .
We make every effort to continuously update the COVID-19 Resource Page on our Economic & Business Development website to ensure that information and access to resources are kept current.
ALBERTA'S RELAUNCH STRATEGY: STAGE 2

Effective June 22nd, 2020, the Government of Alberta 's " Opening Soon - Alberta's Relaunch Strategy " document has been updated to reflect which businesses are able to reopen during Stage 2 and what public health measures must be followed. In addition, Alberta Biz Connect has updated their website to include a variety of relaunch workplace guidance documents as a method to help businesses reopen and resume operations safely.

The Government of Alberta announced on June 29th, Alberta's Recovery Plan and will start accepting applications for the $5,000 Small and Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant.
➡ ALBERTA'S RECOVERY PLAN: CREATING JOBS, BUILDING, DIVERSIFYING - The Government of Alberta has developed details regarding the province's economic strategy, which includes a record $10-billion investment in infrastructure and a plan for 50,000 jobs this year.

➡ SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISE RELAUNCH - Starting on June 29th, the Government of Alberta will allow small and medium-sized businesses, co-ops and non-profits that have 500 or fewer employees to apply for funding of up to $5,000 in order to help open doors and have employees return back to work. These funds will help businesses purchase non-medical PPE, as well as to help pay their wages, rent, and other supplies that are needed in order to continue to reopen or operate safely. Businesses in Spruce Grove can apply on Tuesday June 30th, 2020.

➡  Bill 23: Commercial Tenancies Protection Act - The Government of Alberta has introduced Bill 23 to provide protection for commercial tenants and businesses in Alberta to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic as a method to help restart the economy. As a result, these new measures aim to help address any gaps from the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program.

➡ Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) - The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has made changes to the CECRA program. Eligible commercial property owners will receive unsecured, interest-free, and forgivable loans for the sole purposes of reducing monthly rent by 75% at minimum owed by impacted small business tenants and to assist in the payment of operating expenses incurred by the owner. All loans granted pursuant to CECRA will be forgiven on December 31st, 2020, given that property owners comply with the requirements of the program.

➡ Industry Insights: Consumer Series - The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) conducted a survey that reveals that Canadians are ready for in-store shopping as businesses reopen post COVID-19 with a cautious approach. As a result, the top venues missed by consumers were:
SPRUCE GROVE'S TEMPORARY BUSINESS SIGNAGE CRITERIA
The City of Spruce Grove will allow select temporary signage on City boulevards and business premises until August 30th, 2020. Business owners will be required to notify the City's Planning and Development department in advance, while outlining how long the temporary sign will be displayed for.
SPRUCE GROVE'S SUPPORT LOCAL CAMPAIGN
The City of Spruce Grove has officially launched our Support Local campaign . As a community, it is important that we continue to shop locally and support the businesses surrounding us during these challenging, yet recovering times. Look for these messages on the Highway 16A digital billboards.
CHAMBER OPEN FOR BUSINESS DIRECTORY
The Greater Parkland Regional Chamber of Commerce has partnered with GetintheLoop to showcase businesses within the region that continue to operate and serve their customers.

To learn more about this program, please contact the Greater Parkland Chamber at sparry@gprchamber.ca or contact Myles Ethier from GetintheLoop at myles.ethier@getintheloop.ca .
We will continue to frequently update our Economic & Business Development website at InvestSpruceGrove.ca as more information becomes available. If you have any questions, please e-mail a team member at Invest@SpruceGrove.org .

Thank you for your engagement.
Together, we all play an important role in keeping our business community healthy and safe.

From our team to yours,
Dave , Karla , Jamie-Lynn , & Anika
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