This email is sponsored by 6P Marketing
CONSIDER APPLYING IMMEDIATELY: REGIONAL RELIEF AND RECOVERY FUND NOW AVAILABLE

The Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) will help western Canadian businesses cope with the financial hardship resulting from COVID-19, including businesses in the tourism sector, which are key to the regions and local economies. As the Regional Development Agency for western Canada, Western Diversification will work with key partners like Community Futures to disburse a total of $304 million to western Canadian businesses.

NOTE: A high volume of applications is anticipated. WD is accepting applications on an ongoing basis and will review them on a first-come, first-served basis.

Visit the links below for eligibility criteria and to determine which funding stream is right for you:

  1. Interest-free funding of up to $40,000 is available to eligible small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Click here to learn about this funding stream's eligibility rules and application process.
  2. Funding over $40,000 and up to $1 million is available. Click here to access information about this funding stream.
MCCs Back-to-business Phase 1 Toolkit now available!
If you're planning your re-opening, check out our Back-to-Business Phase 1 Toolkit for overall guidelines, as well as sector-specific requirements for physical distancing measures, required safety steps, hygiene protocols, PPE, etc. We've even included physical distancing signage and health & safety reminders you can print off for use in your location.

Click here to access this practical and detailed new resource, exclusively from the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce.
UPDATES - PROVINCE OF MANITOBA

As of today, Tuesday, May 19, public health officials advised the number of lab-confirmed positive and probable cases in Manitoba is at 290 , and there have been seven COVID-19 related deaths.

1) Manitobans should self-assess online , including before each time going in to work, but no longer need to phone Health Links for a referral before visiting a COVID-19 screening location. If you've self-assessed and you are presenting with symptoms, make your way to a COVID-19 community screening location .

2) The Manitoba government introduced additional temporary orders to extend deadlines, social service and child-care provisions, and reduce municipal government regulatory burdens to help address the COVID-19 pandemic. To view these updated orders and all other orders under the State of Emergency declared on March 20, click here.
3) The Province has allocated $120 million towards topping up the wages of essential services workers as a "one-time risk payment", in conjunction with the federal government's recent $3 billion announcement. Details are yet to be determined as to how these funds will be disbursed within Manitoba.

4) Additional enforcement, in the form of community education and fines, are coming to Manitoba. Inspectors (most are existing Province of Manitoba employees) will join police officers in sharing info about and issuing fines for health order non-compliance.

5) The Manitoba Gap Protection Program (MGPP) application process is open. The province will advance each eligible business the non-interest bearing forgivable MGPP loan of $6,000 -- a loan that will be forgiven on Dec. 31, 2020 -- if the recipient attests at that time the business has not received any major non-repayable COVID-19 federal supports developed in response to the pandemic.

6) The Summer Student Recovery Jobs Program promotes the hiring of high school and post-secondary students who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and provides wage subsidies to employers (private and not-for-profit sectors) to employ students aged 15 to 29. For program details and to submit your application online (it takes just five minutes to complete), click here .
UPDATES - FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

NEW! 1) CEBA: Today, Prime Minister Trudeau announced that the federal government will be expanding the eligibility of the Canada Emergency Business Account (interest-free loans of up to $40,000) to include sole proprietors, those whose business relies on contractors, and family-owned businesses that pay employees though dividends. Since the CEBA’s launch, more than 600,000 loans have been approved, representing a total of more than $24 billion in credit. To qualify under expanded eligibility criteria, applicants with payroll lower than $20,000 will need:

  • a business operating account at a participating financial institution;
  • a CRA business number, and to have filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return;
  • eligible non-deferrable expenses between $40,000 and $1.5 million. Eligible non-deferrable expenses could include costs such as rent, property taxes, utilities, and insurance.

The CEBA application process is rolled out through 232 participating financial institutions. Although newly-eligible businesses must wait for the program criteria to be updated in order to apply, general CEBA information is available here.

NEW! 2) The Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation (CMHC) expects to open the application process for the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) in the second half of May. This program offers unsecured, forgivable loans to eligible commercial property owners to reduce the rent owed by their impacted small business tenants and meet operating expenses on commercial properties. Property owners must offer a minimum of a 75% rent reduction for the months of April, May, and June 2020. Given that they anticipate an extremely high volume of applications, CMHC is taking a staggered approach and asks property owners to register on the following days once the application process has opened. Once registered, the portal will be available 24/7 for applicants to input data and upload documents. The deadline to apply is August 31, 2020.

  • Monday: Property owners who are located in Atlantic Canada, BC, Alberta and Quebec, with up to 10 tenants who are eligible for the program
  • Tuesday: Property owners who are located in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario and the Territories, with up to 10 tenants who are eligible for the program
  • Wednesday: All other property owners in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario and the Territories
  • Thursday: All other property owners in Atlantic Canada, BC, Alberta and Quebec
  • Friday: All property owners

NEW! 3 ) Canada and the United States have agreed to once again extend the closure of their shared order to non-essential travel for another 30 days amid the pandemic.

4) The Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF) provides bridge financing to Canada’s largest employers, whose needs during the pandemic are not being met through conventional financing, in order to keep operations going. The objective is to help protect Canadian jobs, help Canadian businesses weather the current economic downturn, and avoid bankruptcies of otherwise viable firms where possible. Grant Thornton has provided some helpful details on LEEFF here .

5) The federal government will expand the Business Credit Availability Program (BCAP) to mid-sized companies with larger financing needs. Support for mid-market businesses will include loans of up to $60 million per company, and guarantees of up to $80 million. Through the BCAP, Export Development Canada (EDC) and the Business Development Bank of Canada (bdc) will work with private sector lenders to support access to capital for Canadian businesses in all sectors and regions.

6) CERB: The application process for the 3rd CERB period is now open through CRA . The CERB Frequently Asked Questions site is updated regularly, and contains valuable updates about this benefit. https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application/questions.html

To access the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce's Financial Measures Guide,
which includes information about all provincial and federal funding streams, click here .
Chuck Davidson, President & CEO
Manitoba Chambers of Commerce
t: 204-948-0107
e: cdavidson@mbchamber.mb.ca