Circuit breaker business relief grant

Applications for the new Circuit Breaker Business Relief Grant are now open. This grant will provide up to $10,000 in one-time funding for businesses impacted by the March 30th public health orders. Learn more at gov.bc.ca/business-relief.

Guidance for Outside Dining Spaces

Based on the Provincial Health Officer’s Order to Food and Liquor Serving Premises.

This guidance provides information on ways to comply with the Provincial Health Officer’s Order on Food and Liquor Serving Premises, specifically the requirements for providing outside food and drink services (e.g., on a patio). As an owner or operator, this guidance will support you when preparing or amending your COVID-19 Safety Plan and outside dining set up.

Five steps to developing and managing your COVID-19 safety plan

As an employer, it’s important that you continue to review, update, and communicate your COVID-19 safety plan as conditions change.

There are five main steps to ensuring your COVID-19 safety plan is developed and maintained with the right controls and communications in place for your business.

Review the steps outlined in each of the videos to ensure your plan continues to be effective and functioning properly.

Suporting B.C. buisinesses

B.C. entered the pandemic as an economic leader in Canada. Our plan builds on B.C.’s core economic strengths and introduces new supports to help businesses reopen, adapt, hire, and grow. Extra supports include a new Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery Grant and incentives to hire more workers.

Visit Stronger BC for information on Provincial programs for businesses.

Documments to assist businesses

As we move forward with businesses reopening in Saanich we are providing the following documents to assist local businesses with signage and other resources that you can use to assure the public of the steps you are taking to address COVID-19 in your business.

• WorkSafe - Cover coughs and sneezes [PDF - 182 KB]
• WorkSafe - Wash your hands [PDF - 104 KB]
• WorkSafe - Staff entrance [PDF - 37 KB]
• WorkSafe - Public entrance [PDF - 37 KB]
• WorkSafe - Meeting room occupancy [PDF - 26 KB]

DIY floor graphics

Businesses can use these DIY graphics to print and post to assist with COVID-19 messaging.

• One way - PDF - JPG
• Stand here - PDF - JPG
• Two metre distance - PDF - JPG
• Wait here - PDF - JPG

Businesses resources

BC's Restart Plan

BC’s Restart Plan lays out a series of steps that we will take together to protect people and ensure that our province can come back from COVID-19 stronger than before.

Find out more on the BC Restart Plan website.

WorkSafe BC

The WorkSafeBC website has many resources avaialble to help workplaces take appropriate preventative measures.

Industry safety (B.C.’s Restart Plan, Phase 1):
Agriculture, Construction, Forestry, Health care, Hospitality, Manufacturing (Meat processing), Municipalities, Retail, Small business, Transportation

Returning to safe operation (B.C.’s Restart Plan, Phase 2):
Child care; Gyms and fitness centres. More info: General guide to reducing risk; Arts and cultural facilities; Education (K-12); Health professions; In-person counselling; Offices; Parks; Personal services; Real estate; Restaurants, cafes, and pubs; Retail; FAQs; What workers should expect

Additional information:
COVID-19 Safety Plan template and more resources General health and safety; Insurance support for employers: premiums waived for Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, Q1 reporting and payment deadlines; Claims

Resources for businesses

• Small Business BC Resources for Small Businesses.
• South Island Prosperity Project Resources.
• Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce COVID-19 Response.
• BC Chamber of Commerce - Support for businesses.
• YYJ Locals for Locals - List of restaurants and food services open for take-out and delivery.
• Things that are open in Victoria - An online listing of business still open, with options for levels of service.

• VIATEC has created a handbook to help determine what is required by authorities and made a checklist complete with examples of how to help reopen offices, including:

  • A guide for creating your own “COVID-19 Safety Plan” (required)
  • A master re-entry plan checklist
  • A deep clean checklist & more!
  • Click to download the VIATEC Back to the Office Handbook

Wage subsidy

• Wage of up to 75% for qualifying businesses: Up to 75% on first $58,700 of income (or up to $847/week), back dated to March 15.
• Learn more.

Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) for small businesses.

• Thousands of small businesses in British Columbia will see their monthly rent reduced by at least 75%.

Business Credit Availability Program (BCAP)

• Financing support for small and medium-sized businesses. Available mid-April.
• Speak with your financial institution.
• Learn more.

Canada Emergency Business Account

• Loans of up to $40,000 for small businesses and not-for-profits, interest-free for one year. A portion may be forgivable. Available mid-April.
• Speak with your financial institution.
• Learn more.

Loan Guarantee

• Operating credit and cash flow term loans of up to $6.25 million to SMEs. Available mid-April.
• Speak with your financial institution.
• Learn more.

Co-Lending Program

• Co-lend term loans to SMEs for their operational cash flow requirements. Eligible businesses may obtain incremental credit amounts of up to $6.25 million through the program. Available mid-April.
• Speak with your financial institution.
• Learn more.

Federal income tax

• Payments owed are deferred until after August 31, 2020 to help businesses with cash flow.
• Learn more.

BC business taxes

• Payments for Employer health tax (EHT), provincial sales tax (PST), municipal and regional district tax, tobacco tax, motor fuel tax, and carbon tax are deferred until after Sept 30. Scheduled April 1 increases to provincial carbon tax and PST are deferred.    
• Learn more.   

School tax

• Cut of 50% for business and industry property classes, to be passed onto tenants on triple-net leases.
• Learn more.

GST/HST

• Payments owed deferred to June 30.
• Learn more.

Customs duties & taxes

• Payments owed deferred to June 30.
• Learn more.

WorkSafeBC

• Payment deadlines are postponed without penalty until June 30, except for employers that report on an annual basis (which do not need to report their 2020 payroll or pay their 2020 premiums until March 2021).
• Learn more.

BC Hydro

• Bill deferral and payment plans.
• COVID-19 Relief Fund for small businesses.  Potential to have your business energy charges waived for up to three months. Applications available week of April 13.
• Call 1-800-BC-HYDRO

FortisBC

• COVID-19 Customer Recovery Fund provides immediate relief to residential and small business customers facing hardship and a flexible framework for recovery.
• Learn more.

Business by sector

Child care

• Emergency funding is available for child care providers that stay open or maintain their business while closed.
• Learn more.

Arts & Culture

• $3-million Arts and Culture Resilience Supplement to give operating and eligible project clients a supplement of up to $15,000. Clients will receive a 50% advance on 2020-21 funding.
• Learn more.

Publishing and news

• New Independent Advisory Board on Eligibility for Journalism Tax Measures is now in place.
• Learn more.

Tourism businesses in national parks and historic sites

• Tourism operators in national parks, historic sites, and marine conservation areas will have payments on commercial leases and licences of occupation deferred without interest until September 1.
• Wait to be contacted by Parks Canada.

Seafood sector

• Seafood growers, shellfish farmers, and processors, will have access to the $5 billion Farm Credit Canada loan program.
• Learn more.

Farmers and Agri-Food sector

• Access to the $5 billion Farm Credit Canada loan program.
• Learn more.