UPDATES & RESOURCES REGARDING THE COVID-19
|
|
LDBA launches “Yes We’re Open”
|
The Ladysmith Downtown Business Association (LDBA) has launched a shop local campaign called “Yes We’re Open” to encourage Ladysmithers to support those local businesses that have stayed open (or who are reopening) with safe guards in place to protect people during the current pandemic. A flyer has been placed in this week’s Chronicle, view larger image
here. The Ladysmith Chamber are working with the LDBA to roll out a more comprehensive version of “Yes We’re Open” over the next few weeks. More information will follow soon.”
Send us
your business updates.
|
|
HOW TO APPLY FOR CEWS
The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy applications are open.
|
|
|
If you're a Canadian employer whose business has been affected by COVID-19, you may be eligible for a subsidy of 75% of employee wages for up to 12 weeks, retroactive from March 15, 2020, to June 6, 2020. The Ladysmith Chamber’s Executive Director, Mark Drysdale, has already completed the application on behalf of our Chamber. He reports that the process is relatively straight-forward but he would be happy to answer any questions you might have about the application process so don’t hesitate to reach out to him by
Email
.
|
|
Whether it's the Butcher, the Baker, The Farmer or the Candlestick Maker - the DER3 program fits any business in the region who are looking to #getdigital
|
|
|
Do you know the following:
~A main street retailer who has had to close their store?
~A commercial wholesaler who has to pivot and expand into new markets/customers
~Farmers, markets, artisans who need to move their business online to thrive and survive
~Tradespeople who may or may not have a web/social presence
Then these are the types of small and medium sized businesses that should learn/know about the program.
Got questions? Let us know.
Click here
for more info.
|
|
CANADIAN CHAMBER CEO
Comments on the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions Results
|
|
|
Running a business is hard job on a good day. Amid
#COVID19
, it is an impossible task, far too big for one person. But if we all work together, we can - and will - get though this. Canadian Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Perrin Beatty, explains how today’s survey results are part of that process.
Learn more
...
|
|
WorkBC Centre Cowichan is
here to assist local businesses and workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and during post pandemic recovery. Check out the following two key programs available:
|
|
|
 |
Job Matching
Open for business and need to hire staff? Regardless if it is a temporary position, a relief position, or a permanent position, we can help solve your recruitment needs so you can stay open. Contact
|
|
|
|
Wage Subsidy
Recruit the people you want and train them for the skills you need. Receive up to 50% of the training wages for up to 6 months. Contact
WorkBC Cowichan Valley
about your eligibility for the WorkBC Wage Subsidy Program
|
|
|
|
WorkBC Centres help people find jobs, explore career options and improve their skills. Together, we help employers fill jobs, find the right talent and grow their businesses Contact us today 250.924.2884.
|
|
BC Business Covid-19 Support Service
|
|
|
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:
3.
One-on One Support
We strongly recommend that you avail yourself of this resource and that you enter your business information on the
Small Business Marketplace. – 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.
|
|
We sincerely hope that you, your families, your employees, coworkers and all around you are 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.
(If you have not already Liked and Followed our Page, you may need to do so in order to tag us.)
|
|
Keeping the Cowichan Valley connected.
Resources, tools and information for businesses during the COVID-19 crisis.
|
#CowichanStrong COVID-19 Business Resource Website is Now Live!
Cowichan businesses now have a new resource tool to support them in this time of economic crisis. The
#cowichanstrong
initiative provides a one-stop source for the Cowichan business community to respond, adapt, and recover from COVID-19.
|
|
SPEAKER SERIES FEATURES RESTAURANT AND RETAIL BUSINESS LEADERS
|
|
|
CEO of the BC Restaurant & Food Services Association, Ian Tostenson joins Nanaimo Chamber CEO, Kim Smythe, to talk about the state and fate of the dine-out businesses.
Tostenson was featured in a recent and interesting article in the Nanaimo News Bulletin about provincial plans to reopen the restaurant industry.
Click here
to read the article.
Another sector that's tremendously challenged is retail, so our subject matter expert and second guest panelist is Mark Fenwick, GM of the largest shopping centre on Vancouver Island, Woodgrove Centre in Nanaimo.
The new normal, creative opportunities, and a light at the end of this tunnel will all be on the agenda for discussion.
Join the Nanaimo Chamber, Friday, May 1st at 10 am for this free 50 minute Webinar
|
|
FREE Webinar Series from Small Business BC / Strategies for Staying Resilient During COVID-19
|
|
|
Faced with significant challenges wrought by COVID-19, resilience is more important than ever for small business owners.
As a follow up to our special topics webinar “Staying Resilient During Extraordinary Times” facilitated by Christina Nikiforuk, Leadership Coach and Consultant, we are pleased to offer a three-part next resilience series.
Each webinar will feature a small business owner who will share their tools and tips for enhancing resilience. You will have an opportunity to learn what other business owners are doing from both a business point of view, as well as a mental health perspective, during this extraordinary period. Sign up once for the entire package here to reap all the benefits of the whole series.
May 13, 10:00am – 11:00am PST
May 27, 10:00am – 11:00am PST
|
|
Keeping Good Company While Preparing for the Next Step...
|
|
|
We appreciate that a lot of information is available and that much of it is in the form of big announcements with multiple topics.
This series will be short bursts of single topic 'how to' information to help you take the next step in this uncertain journey--one step at a time and one issue at a time...
Time: Thursday, Apr 30, 2020 1:00 PM, Pacific Time
Anthony's presentation will be about 10 mins. followed by up to 15 minutes for curated 'Chat' Q&A.
This session is sponsored by
VIU
|
|
Small Business BC
Free COVID-19 Webinars from
Small Business BC
UPCOMING FREE DIGITAL MEETUPS
|
|
Vancouver Board of Trade Webinars
|
|
STRATEGIES FOR REBUILDING BUSINESS
Thursday, April 30, 2020
1:00 PM
Keynote Speaker:
Martin Thibodeau
Regional President, British Columbia RBC Royal Bank
Complimentary to Members and Non-Members
Schedule: Online Program 1:00 - 1:30 p.m. PT
This webinar will focus on strategies for rebuilding your business, and the priorities and risks to consider on the path to recovery.
|
|
Our Program Experts Answer Your Finance and HR Questions
|
|
|
REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
Date: May 5, 2020 at 10:00AM
In this session Beattie Tartan’s Managing Director, Deirdre Campbell, will talk through the steps tourism and hospitality businesses should take to build and maintain a trusted brand image during a global crisis. While an initial instinct will be to remain quiet until things blow over or a better understanding of what the future looks like becomes clear – the opposite is true. Now is the time to communicate more than ever – keep your brand top of mind and deal with the tough issues head on. Authenticity and transparency are key factors to retain guests and visitors and attract new ones.
|
|
The
BC Tourism Resiliency Ne
twork
is a long-term resiliency program providing BC tourism businesses with meaningful, one-on-one support to navigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, adapt and work towards eventual recovery.
|
|
The Ladysmith Chamber of Commerce is proud to work closely with the BC Chamber and local area Chambers
|
|
Ladysmith Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Centre
|
|
All upcoming events have been postponed until further notice.
In following the Minister of Health recommendation to practice Social Distancing and to do our part to flatten the curve and keep our team safe, we are primarily working from home.
If you need to contact us by telephone, you can call 250-245.2112 (please try, where possible, to restrict your calls to regular business hours) or send an
email
|
|
33 Roberts Street, PO Box 598 Ladysmith,
BC V9G1A4 Canada
250-245-2112
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
