Small Business Grants, Vaccines and Women's History Month

Dear <<First Name>>,

March is Women's History Month, a time to reflect on and celebrate the incredible contributions of women to the world we know today. Women's History Month is especially important to me as a woman in politics who strives to empower other women to take on leadership roles.

Just one example of a woman who made a great impact on Burnaby and the province is Eileen Dailly. After teaching school for 10 years in BC, Dailly served as a school trustee and then chair of the Burnaby School Board before being elected as an MLA representing Burnaby North. In the legislature she fought hard for education reforms, and as Minister of Education banned corporal punishment in schools, introduced mandatory kindergarten and created the first Indigenous school board in the province.

This month, let's celebrate women who have made and continue to make history, and all work together towards an equal, just and inclusive world. Happy Women's History Month!

Small and Medium Business Recovery Grant Program

I know that small and medium businesses have been some of the hardest hit but the pandemic. That's why I'm excited to share that the B.C. government has extended the deadline for the Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery Grant program to ensure businesses have the time they need to apply! One of the main requirements has also been lowered to ensure more businesses are eligible.

"We continue to listen to B.C. businesses about what they need to navigate through the second wave of this pandemic and position themselves for a strong recovery," said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation. "This funding has been set aside for businesses to help them rebuild, keep people employed and support B.C.'s economic recovery. We are committed to making sure hard-hit businesses can access these critical funds."

The time to apply for the Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery Grant program has been extended from March 31, 2021, to Aug. 31, 2021. The previous requirement for a business to have experienced at least a 70% revenue loss at some point in March or April 2020 has been adjusted. Now, a business is required to demonstrate only a 30% revenue loss in any one month between March 2020 to the point of application.

The $345-million Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery Grant program provides fully funded grants to businesses that employ up to 149 B.C. residents. Grants of $10,000 to a maximum of $30,000 are available, with up to an additional $5,000 to $15,000 available to tourism-related businesses.

Interpretation services are in place in multiple languages to support business owners through the application process, including the application portal and the recovery plan. To access these services, contact Small Business BC, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Pacific time), at 1 833 254-4357 or email: BusinessRecoveryGrantProgram@gov.bc.ca (mailto:BusinessRecoveryGrantProgram@gov.bc.ca)

The program is part of StrongerBC: BC's Economic Recovery Plan. The plan outlines the latest steps the Government of British Columbia is taking to help people, businesses and communities come out of the COVID-19 pandemic stronger and better prepared.

For more information on the Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery Grant program, including the application process and eligibility, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/economic-recovery/business-recovery-grant

Speed Up of COVID-19 Vaccinations

Vaccines are at the top of everyone's mind right now, and one of our top priorities as a government is making sure as many British Columbians are vaccinated as soon as possible. That's why on Monday, BC become the first province to announce our plan to delay the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine to four months. This decision is based on the latest science which shows a huge amount of protection after the first dose of the vaccine.

By extending the amount of time between doses, more people will be able to be protected faster, which will mean fewer hospitalizations and deaths. This means BC's mass vaccination program will be completed two months earlier than anticipated.

Postponing the second shot does not mean recipients will have to wait an additional four months to be well-protected against COVID-19. The data shows that immunity typically begins about two weeks after the first dose and becomes stronger with time. The NACI, the federal independent panel of medical experts on COVID-19 vaccines also recommends this time window between the two doses.

As per Phase 2 of the province's immunization plan, If you're a senior born in 1941 or earlier or an Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) person born in 1956 or earlier and you don't live in independent living, you can call to book a vaccine appointment over the phone.

I'm here for you

As always, if you have questions or need any assistance with provincial COVID-19 supports, please reach out. Thank you for trusting me to support you again as your MLA for Burnaby-Deer Lake. For constituency-related questions, you can reach me at (604) 775-0565 or Anne.Kang.MLA@leg.bc.ca. For all inquiries about my capacity as Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training, please email AEST.minister@gov.bc.ca.

Sincerely,

Anne Kang, MLA
Burnaby-Deer Lake

The Commercial Rent Subsidy Explained

Are you accessing the new commercial rent subsidy? Any business facing any level of revenue declines due to COVID-19 could be eligible. Join this session with experts straight from the CRA to access direct information on this important support benefit program for businesses.

Event Details

Date: Thursday, March 11

Time: 9:30am-10:45am

Venue: Webinar

Cost: Free to attend

Register: Click here to sign-up, call 604 412 0100, or email us

Financial Supports I - Credentials

Learn about existing financial supports for Newcomers around credentialing. Most of the time newcomers are required to meet credentialing requirements when applying for jobs. Listen from funding programs, requirements and loans available.

Event Details

Date: Wednesday, March 10

Time: 9:00am-11:00am

Venue: Webinar

Cost: Free to attend

Register: Click here to sign-up

International Women's Day Celebration

Choose to Challenge! We aim to encourage everyone to be responsible for their thoughts and actions all day, every day. We invite everyone to call out gender bias and inequality and celebrate women’s achievements. We all can help create an inclusive world!

Event Details

Date: Thursday, March 18

Time: 6:30pm-8:00pm

Venue: Webinar

Cost: Free to attend

Register: Click here to sign-up

You have questions about COVID-19 vaccines. We have answers.

Young adults are invited to join Fraser Health Executive Medical Director and Medical Health Officer Dr. Ingrid Tyler; Drs. Narang and Sanghera from the South Asian Task Force; and medical student Sukhmeet Singh Sachal for a Microsoft Teams chat about the COVID-19 vaccine and to answer any questions.

The more you know, the more you can encourage your families, friends and networks when it is their turn to book their COVID-19 immunization appointment.

Event Details

Date: Monday, March 8

Time: 3:30pm-4:30pm

Venue: Webinar

Cost: Free to attend

Register: Please RSVP via Eventbrite by 8:00 p.m. Friday, March 5 and we will send you a Microsoft Teams link via email.

Letters to the MLA from our youth

Have thoughts you would like to share with the MLA? We'd love to hear them! We welcome submissions from all youth of Burnaby-Deer Lake. Email us at anne.kang.mla@leg.bc.ca with your letter to the MLA.

No Submissions this week.

COVID-19 updates from the BC Centre for Disease Control

There is a total of 4,743 active cases in British Columbia as of March 5, 2021. A total of 76,289 people who tested positive have recovered.

Fraser Health Authority, which includes the City of Burnaby, has a total of 48,411 confirmed cases, of which 2,516 are active.

As of today, there are more than 1,964,262 completed tests. Our province has adjusted testing to 378,960 people per 1,000,000.

For more information, please visit BCCDC's website.

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Community Office Information

To keep our community safe, we encourage constituents to contact us by phone or email if possible for constituency services. We look forward to hearing from you! Thank you for your patience and flexibility during this time.

️ 604-775-0565 📧 Anne.Kang.MLA@leg.bc.ca