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A Message from the Executive Director: BC Business Covid-19 Support Service

By April 20, 2020October 30th, 2020Resources, Uncategorized

A Message from the Executive Director: BC Business Covid-19 Support Service
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:
https://covid.smallbusinessbc.ca
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 your 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