Support for Businesses During COVID-19

The City of Brampton is committed to supporting businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As always, the Brampton Economic Development and Culture Office, including the Brampton Entrepreneur Centre team, are available to support our business community.

Although City of Brampton facilities are closed, the  Brampton Entrepreneur Centre 's business consultation services are still available virtually. To speak with a business advisor, businesses can email bec@brampton.ca.

Additionally, our  Sector Managers are working closely with our business community to understand how they are being impacted and how we can support them. Simply reply to this email or view the list of contact information provided here .

Federal and Provincial Announcements

Today,  the Prime Minister announced a new set of economic measures to help stabilize the economy during this challenging period. These measures, delivered as part of the Government of Canada's COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, will provide up to $27 billion in direct support to Canadian workers and businesses. Learn more about today's announcement here .

On Monday, the Province of Ontario announced steps to protect workers who take leave from work. Learn more about the proposed job protection legislation here.

The Province also announced on Monday that it will not release its Budget this month but will release an Economic and Fiscal update on March 25.

To assist business planning and continuity efforts during this time, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce has developed this guide. It includes links to some of the most relevant and credible information, best practice tools and resources. A  Pandemic Preparedness Toolkit  can be  downloaded here .

To support businesses during this extraordinary time, the Government of Canada has established a Business Credit Availability Program to further support financing in the private sector through the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and Export Development Canada (EDC). This will allow BDC and EDC to provide more than $10 billion of additional support to businesses.

Businesses in need of  financing can contact BDC for either a Small Business Loan (up to $100,000 can be obtained online), Working Capital Loan (extra funds to bridge cash flow gaps and support everyday operations), or Purchase Order Financing (increase cash flow to fulfill domestic or international orders with very flexible terms).

For details on  Employment Insurance (EI) and Work-Sharing programs from Employment and Social Development Canada, including temporary special measures, please click here .

Resources for Businesses

• Business Implications & Legal Triage
  Pillsbury Law   
• Coronavirus Impact on Global Supply Chains
  Association for Supply Chain Management
• Dealing with the Coronavirus: What to do immediately, to help save the tourism industry and our downtowns
  Destination Development Association
• Economic Stimulus 2020: What's Out There for Your Business and How to Get It
  FundingPortal
• Advice for employers dealing with COVID-19 
  Conference Board of Canada 
• Managing the impact on global supply chains 
  Export Development Canada

COVID-19 Economic Support Task Force