Region approves $1.1M in COVID funding for small and medium size businesses

Region of Waterloo council has approved $1.1 million in funding for two programs to help local businesses adjust to the changes brought on by COVID-19.

The COVID-Safe Ambassador Program aims to help small and medium sized businesses with the move between zones in the province's COVID colour-coded framework.

Regional Chair Karen Redman says the program will hire 50 post-secondary students in social services and public health to work with businesses to comply with the province's colour framework.

"It was disappointing to see when the ministry sent in a team of inspectors from several ministries that we didn't have a really high compliance rate. I think it was less than 60 percent," said Redman. 

"But small and medium sized businesses just say they don't have the capacity. So we think, the better we can enhance their knowledge and their ability to have plans to make sure that they have the protocols in place, which sometimes change from one level to another, will be really helpful."

Redman says the outreach will benefit some worksites that may not regularly be inspected by public health and may not understand what needs to be done to comply. 

The second program provides funding for small and medium businesses to purchase personal protective equipment and retrofit their business to make the location safer. 

Redman says the region is also lobbying other levels of government to extend the tourism tax credit.

"To be designated a signature city, that will allow us to have money flow to us. [The region] isn't necessarily considered a gateway like Niagara Falls or Toronto, but we have lots of tourism and we think that will really help that industry," she said.