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Help the Canadian Chamber help you through crisis

It is an overwhelming time for businesses and organizations blindsided by the COVID-19 pandemic. To help make sense of the steps you need to take to access financial relief, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Government of Canada today announced a new initiative.

 

The Canadian Business Resilience Network features a website and supporting campaign to help businesses navigate this crisis and be prepared for recovery.

Right now, the Canadian Chamber is urging all businesses to help by filling out the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions. The Statistics Canada questionnaire, which adheres to strict privacy requirements, can be accessed directly here.

The Chamber strongly encourages all of our members to participate and help make our case to senior levels of government. Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey. #InItTogetherYYJ

For more information, please see this FAQ at StatCan.gc.ca .

Feds update benefit to encourage workers to stay on

More workers will be able to stay at jobs while also collecting financial relief after the federal government announced changes to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the program is being tweaked to ensure fewer people fall through the cracks, and that additional support will be available for workers to keep jobs that pay less than they would make on the CERB program.

The Chamber supports this change as many people are earning less than CERB will pay, either through reduction in hours for wage earners or a loss of contracts or clients for the self-employed. Many of these workers provide essential services, and federal relief should supplement their efforts rather than discourage them from working.

RBC offers info on accessing CEBA $40,000 loan

Here's another great resource that helps explain one of the relief programs announced by the federal government.

The Royal Bank of Canada offers straight-forward information about the Canada Emergency Business Account and the $40,000 line-of-credit to help businesses through the COVID-19 crisis.

Many banks and credit unions are also putting together plans to help their clients access the CEBA funds, and making adjustments as new information rolls out.

Stay in close contact with your business manager for help.

RBC Financial Group - Commercial Financial Services: Member since 1962

Chamber hosting Hon. Minister Fortier on Thursday

Join Chamber CEO Catherine Holt and the Hon. Mona Fortier, federal Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance, as they discuss recent initiatives announced by the federal government aimed at helping business and workers being affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

About the Series:

The Chamber is bringing you free virtual events to inform and provide guidance on key topics related to the current COVID-19 crisis and its effects on business. This is your opportunity to get answers on pressing issues, and information to help you in these uncertain times.

Submit your questions for our Fireside Chat guests to [email protected]

Virtual Fireside Chat with the Hon. Mona Fortier

Thurs., Apr. 9 |1-2pm

Tune in to Facebook Live

Please check our Events Calendar for other events and updates on tools and suggestions to get through to the other side.

Banks cut credit card rates for crisis-affected clients

A number of Canadian banks have heeded calls to cut credit card interest rates for people struggling because of the COVID-19 crisis.

Some banks are cutting charges by 50% for personal and small business clients, and deferring minimum payments.

In mid-March, many banks announced they would defer mortgage payments for Canadians who have lost income due to necessary public health restrictions that have put the brakes on the economy. Banks have also begun reducing their prime rate on variable-interest loans, after the Bank of Canada cut its key interest rate.

Globe highlights Chamber CEO's crisis leadership

Globe and Mail columnist Merge Gupta-Sunderji has praised Chamber CEO Catherine Holt in today's edition of the national newspaper.

Gupta-Sunderji , whose leadership development consultancy Turning Managers into Leaders serves an international clientele, writes about how some leaders are rising to the challenge (and some aren't) in this "time of calamity."

The column notes several great examples of leadership, including a message by Chamber CEO Catherine Holt in the March 13 edition of BizNews.

The quote related to how The Chamber will handle this unprecedented crisis.

“We are listening carefully to the daily updates by the Provincial Health Officer and following her instructions and advice. We are trying not to do more than she says — so we don’t contribute to an overreaction to the current situation — and we are trying not to do less than she says so that we don’t contribute to any risk there may be.”

Turning Manager Into Leaders: Member since 2017

Job Board

Our expanded Job Board is now up to 133 postings looking for people to support essential services in our community.

When we heard from members in need of staff to provide essential services, we repurposed our job board to connect with people in our region looking for employment. We’re working hard to bring people together — after all connections are what we do best.

At this time, employers are able to post at no charge by using the code SUPPORTYYJ.

If you have any difficulty posting, email us and we will get back to you by next business day. All jobs posted to our job board have been vetted by a member of The Chamber team.

Let us know about updates to your hours or services

We've created a webpage to help your customers keep track of updated hours and services as a result of COVID-19. If your changes are not yet listed, email [email protected] to have your information added.