As more and more Canadians are getting vaccinated and we finish the fight against COVID-19 and begin to safely reopen, the Government of Canada is committed to supporting small businesses from coast to coast to coast.
With that in mind the Honourable Jim Carr, Minister and Special Representative for the Prairies and Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South Centre, and Terry Duguid, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (Western Economic Diversification Canada) and Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South, announced that an investment of up to $7.2 million will be going to Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta to encourage people to shop locally and support businesses in their community as they reopen. This will help businesses stay open so they can thrive as the economy recovers.
This is part of a national investment of $33 million to support Shop Local campaigns across the country announced by the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, on June 21.
“We know recovery is going to look different in every region and will require different programming that responds to local needs. As our economy begins to safely reopen, these investments will encourage Canadians to support their local small businesses, helping them recover quicker. By partnering with chambers of Commerce, we can reach more businesses to stimulate local economies, create jobs and improve the quality of life for people in the Prairies and across Canada,” said Carr.
The funding will be provided through provincial and territorial chambers of commerce to support awareness-building campaigns that promote consumer confidence and local businesses. The amount of funding allocated to each chamber is based primarily on the percentage of small businesses in its region. The breakdown for the Prairies is as follows:
- Alberta: up to $4,950,000
- Manitoba: up to $1,100,000
- Saskatchewan: up to $1,155,000
Chambers may use this funding to support a range of activities that encourage consumers to shop locally in a way that is safe and aligns with current public health guidelines. Chambers may solicit applications directly from local organizations or associations or have open calls for proposals that promote consumer awareness and demonstrate benefits to the broader business community. For example:
- shop-local branding and digital content
- seasonal campaigns intended to direct shoppers to local small merchants
- promotions of online shopping, curbside pickup and delivery, as well as public health measures being implemented to make retail spaces safe and raise consumer confidence
- marketing materials such as videos, social media visuals, and radio and newspaper ads that encourage consumers to buy from local businesses and patronize local restaurants and attractions.
The Yorkton Chamber of Commerce sees the funding as a positive initiative.
“The Yorkton Chamber of Commerce is pleased to be a part of this initiative and is looking forward to rolling out its ‘Shop Local’ campaign. A key feature of the campaign will be one hundred plus videos of member businesses which will showcase their businesses and encourage viewers to shop local,” stated Juanita Polegi, Executive Director of the Yorkton Chamber of Commerce in a release issued Monday.
“This program allows Saskatchewan businesses to prioritize opportunities for digital marketing and eCommerce to meet the growing consumer demand to shop online. We are confident this initiative will create more awareness around the thousands of great local businesses in this province and encourage a 'Shop Local' mindset,” noted Steve McLellan, CEO of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.
This investment will be flexible to respond to the unique circumstances in regions across the country and allow chambers of commerce to tailor campaigns to local needs and priorities, ultimately helping small businesses as they recover from this unprecedented public health and economic crisis.
Shop Local is an important initiative to supplement the Government of Canada’s ongoing and comprehensive support for small and local businesses—programs such as the new Canada Recovery Hiring Program, the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy, Lockdown Support and the Canada Emergency Business Account—so they are able to get through this pandemic to the economic recovery and growth that will follow in the months and years to come.
