I sincerely hope this memo finds you, your families, your employees, coworkers and all around you safe and healthy in these extraordinary times. The Ladysmith Chamber has worked hard over the past few weeks to monitor the many announcements related to federal, provincial and local responses to the Covid-19 pandemic and make information pertinent to business readily available to you on our website, newsletters and Facebook posts. We have also tried our best to monitor how your businesses have
adjusted to the current crisis to make this information available to the public through our
Facebook page.
The good news is that the enormous and bewildering amount of information and services are now becoming a little more streamlined and we at the Chamber strongly recommend you focus on a key new resource that was announced late last week: the B.C. Business COVID-19 Support Service
will serve as a single point of contact for businesses throughout the province looking for information on resources available during the COVID-19 pandemic. Operated by Small Business BC (SBBC), some of the key
components of this new support service includes:
– the site provides a comprehensive list of the federal,
provincial, regional and community resources available to businesses.
– a searchable directory available to businesses to post their
information including hours and modes of operation and any additional measures they are making due to the pandemic. The Ladysmith Chamber will be reaching out to the business community to encourage them to access this resource. Once there is a significant Ladysmith presence on the Marketplace we will also do our best to market the resource to the community at large.
3.
One-on One Support
– Perhaps the most significant support is that business advisors will now be
available Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Pacific time) and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. at 1 833 254-4357 to help businesses sort through the myriad of programs available, who
qualifies and how to apply. Inquiries can also be emailed to covid@smallbusinessbc.ca, or raised
on the live-chat feature available on SBBC’s dedicated
website:
4.
Other Stuff –
There is plenty of other information available including available webinars, digital meetups, planning checklists and more.
We strongly recommend that you avail yourself of this resource and that you enter your business information on the Small Business Marketplace. Remember, your Ladysmith Chamber is here for you. We don’t pretend to know all the answers in this rapidly changing world but we can help you find them. Please reach out to us if there is anything you think we can assist with.
Ladysmith Chamber of Commerce
Executive Director,
Mark Drysdale