'It would be our hope that by getting these supports to these small businesses, they'd be able to begin the process of rehiring staff'
The Manitoba government is looking to better connect businesses facing economic challenges due to COVID-19 with the support programs that are available to them.
The province has hired a secure call centre to help inform and guide stakeholders during the pandemic, 24-7. The centre will offer a two-stream process to identify and reach out to identified and prioritized businesses and stakeholders that have been impacted by COVID-19 to offer help and answer incoming calls and questions.
“Manitoba’s small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of our economy and they are facing pressures in ways we’ve never seen before because of the global pandemic,” says Premier Brian Pallister. “We want to help organizations navigate and leverage the resources available to them so they can be in a better position to rebound from the economic challenges brought on by COVID-19, and continue offering services and creating jobs into the future.”
More than 65,000 Manitoba businesses are eligible for federal support programs, such as the 75-per-cent wage subsidy and Canada Emergency Business Account, which offers interest-free loans up to $40,000, according to Pallister.
“Our goal would be to assist Manitobans in applying for these programs which will support them in getting back on their feet.”
The province lost about 23,000 jobs in March, almost all in the private sector, he says.
“If [employers] have had to lay people off, it would be our hope that by getting these supports to these small businesses, they’d be able to begin the process of rehiring staff and getting themselves back ready to recover.”
Ontario has recently launched a new web portal to connect workers with employers looking to fill positions in the agri-food sector. Immediately after, the government introduced a Health Workforce Matching Portal to match health-care providers with a range of experience with employers in need of assistance to perform a variety of public health functions, such as case and contact management, in the time of COVID-19.
