News Type: COVID-19

VANCOUVER, BC, April 26, 2021 —Today, the provincial government announced that it is adding more than $75 million to the Circuit Breaker Business Relief Grant, bringing the amount available for hard-hit B.C. businesses to more than $125 million. With the increased funding, eligible businesses will receive up to $20,000 to help with expenses like employee wages, […]

Prudent budget aligns with BC Chamber’s Big Thinking for Small Business three-pillar recovery plan, addresses urgent business recovery needs Today, the provincial government unveiled its 2021 budget that reflects the uncertainty of the environment that both the private and public sectors are operating in. The budget demonstrates the government’s continued commitment to the financial supports […]

Today, the provincial government announced that it will be extending its provincial health restrictions that came into effect on March 29, 2021 at 11.59pm, for another five weeks until midnight on May 25, 2021, and that include: The variance allowing indoor religious gatherings and worship services between March 28, 2021 and May 13, 2021 is […]

Today, the provincial government announced that it will provide more than $50 million to help the 14,000 restaurants, bars, breweries, wineries, gyms and fitness centres affected by the March 30, 2021, provincial health orders. The new Circuit Breaker Business Relief Grant will provide affected businesses with up to $10,000 in one-time funding to help with […]

BC Chamber of Commerce COVID-19 Pulse Check survey reveals nearly three quarters of respondents continue to experience decreased sales volumes. VANCOUVER, BC, JANUARY 27, 2021 – A recent survey conducted by the BC Chamber of Commerce revealed that while British Columbia recently began the vaccination campaign in health recovery efforts, businesses are still struggling amid heightened COVID-19 […]

Developed in partnership with UVIC’s Gustavson School of Business, the 6-week program will help SME’s stay viable and adapt to compete in the future  Today, the Building Resilience to Thrive program, powered by the BC Chamber of Commerce network and UVIC’s Gustavson School of Business, launched to businesses across the province. Offered as a COVID-19 recovery certificate, the 6-week program, delivered by award-winning professors Dr. Mark Colgate and Prof. […]

“We appreciate that government sees this as the next step, not the final step, in the road to recovery.” says Dan Baxter, Director of Policy and Government Relations.  Today, the provincial government shared details of its Economic Recovery Plan, Stronger BC. In addition to broad consultation and recommendations, the Stronger BC Plan took into consideration the BC Chamber of […]

The BC Chamber of Commerce completed its recommendations for BC’s Economic Recovery Plan on behalf of it’s 36,000 members, and submitted this report to government on July 21. This submission will help the Province design a plan to support BC’s businesses and our economy as we move out of crisis and toward recovery. Our submission […]

“Plan will require big thinking around small business,” says Aleece Laird, Board Chair.   Today, the BC Chamber of Commerce (BCCC) publicly released its Economic Recovery Submission (submitted to Government July 21st, 2020), made up of 54 policy recommendations focusing on competitiveness, innovation, and inclusivity respectively. The plan is a pan-provincial in scope and aims to guide the Province on stimulating BC’s economy through measures that support small and medium enterprises […]

While British Columbia has entered phase three of its Restart Plan, two-thirds (65%) of businesses surveyed are using some form of government support. Businesses expect a substantial “second wave” of negative impacts should these programs expire too quickly. Only about three-in-ten businesses (28%) on government support expect to return to normal once the programs end. […]