'Awful time' for small business amid new COVID restrictions

At this point, it's simple.

If the provincial government shuts down businesses with new COVID restrictions, it should also provide compensation, according to the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber's stance comes as BC bars, nightclubs, gyms and fitness centres are forced to close, sports tournaments and private indoor gatherings, including weddings, are cancelled and seated indoor events, like Rockets games and concerts, are again slashed to half capacity.

The new rules were announced Monday by the province and came into effect today, putting not just a damper on Christmas and New Year's, but pushing more and more businesses to the brink.

"The (chamber) is calling on all businesses to pay special attention to new restrictions...and simultaneously is calling on the province to provide economic support for businesses and individuals most impacted by these latest restrictions," reads the lead sentence of the chamber's news release.

Jeffrey Robinson is the president of the chamber and a lawyer with Rush Ihas Hardwick.

"This is an awful time for small business owners to face fresh financial uncertainty," he said.

"Though the province referenced forthcoming supports in its announcement, (Jobs, Economic Recovery & Innovation) Minister (Ravi) Kahlon must move quickly to get support to businesses that need it."

No new provincial support programs have been announced yet.

Two previous provincial support programs have closed.

The first, was grants of $10,000 to $30,000 to 22,600 small and medium sized businesses throughout the province negatively impacted by the pandemic.

The other was called the Circuit Breaker Business Relief Grant.

Combined the two programs saw about half a billion dollars distributed to BC businesses.

In the wake of this latest round of restrictions, Ottawa is offering aid to BC business through two federal programs.

• The Local Lockdown Program to include employers subject to capacity-limiting restrictions of 50 percent or more; and reduce the current-month revenue decline threshold. Eligible employers will receive wage and rent subsidies from 25 per cent up to a maximum of 75 per cent, depending on their degree of revenue loss. The 12-month revenue decline test continues to not be required in order to access this support.

• Expanding the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit to include workers in regions where provincial or territorial governments have introduced capacity-limiting restrictions of 50 per cent or more. This benefit will provide $300 a week in income support to eligible workers who have lost 50 percent or more of their income because of new restrictions.

The Kelowna chamber is also pleased to hear the provincial government will be distributing rapid COVID test kits for businesses to test employees and make decisions whether or not to close after a possible exposure or positive result.

The chamber says the kits should be made available to businesses at minimal cost and the chamber should be used as a distribution hub, just as chambers have been in other provinces.

"We have heard from our chamber colleagues from across the country that rapid test kits have been well received by many businesses and have helped in stopping the spread of the virus in the workplace," said Kelowna chamber executive director Dan Rogers.