One-off grants for businesses shut as Omicron variant spreads

• Govt. says eligible businesses can apply online in a matter of minutes
• Grants will supplement newly extended federal help
• Gyms shut so public will have to find other ways to exercise

The provincial government is providing one-off relief grants of up to $10,000 to those businesses ordered to shut down temporarily in the latest round of COVID-19 restrictions.

The grants will be provided to eligible businesses based on how many people they employ, following a similar formula to the previous Circuit Breaker Relief Grant that supported businesses in the spring of 2021.

The money will supplement federal grants temporarily expanded Wednesday, including wage and rent subsidy programs and income support of $300 a week for certain employees who have lost their jobs.

B.C. businesses that on Tuesday were ordered fully closed until Jan.18 include gyms, fitness and adult dance centres, bars, lounges and nightclubs, and some event settings.

Those who have no employees will receive $1,000, while those employing up to four people can receive $2,000. The grant escalates to $5,000 for businesses with up to 99 employees, and to $10,000 for 100 or more staff.

Speaking at a media briefing Thursday morning Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, shared the public mood, given the rapid return of some restrictions amid the severity of the surge in the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

“I think it’s fair to say that we are all exhausted by COVID-19, but unfortunately COVID-19 is not done with us,” he said. “People, businesses and our communities have been through a lot this year, and I recognize how difficult, yet necessary, these health orders are for our health and safety.”

Kahlon said the process for businesses to apply for the grants would start in January and remain open until the end of February. The government already has details on file for businesses who had applied for circuit-breaker relief previously and Kahlon said the online application process would take ‘around five minutes.’

Finding other ways to get exercise

He called on the public to keep supporting impacted local businesses that provide jobs to thousands of people, by buying gift cards or memberships for future use.

There's been frustration expressed by the fitness industry about why it was shut down and yet movie theatres, for example, have not.

Kahlon said neither the Provincial Health Officer nor Health Minister wanted to shut any businesses down but the measures are deemed necessary to protect people and the health care system.

"I’ve spent my life in gyms and so I know the value of the gym for fitness, for mental health, and I know it plays an important role in our communities," he said. "But just like myself and others, we’re going to have to find other ways to ensure that we get our support for mental health, or we’re getting our exercise, or we’re going out for walks with our families during these challenging times.”

It all comes as record COVID-19 case counts have been registered in the last 48 hours in B.C., with an all-time daily high of 1,528 reported Wednesday.

That surpassed the previous record of 1,308 on Tuesday. A total of 187 people are in hospital, which is less than a week ago, although hospitalization figures are a lagging indicator and don’t always reflect the immediate case counts.