Manitoba government reopens Bridge Grant
The provincial government is reopening the Bridge Grant Program to help support businesses affected by public health restrictions.
Finance Minister Scott Fielding announced on Tuesday new applicants can now apply for the grant, which includes seasonal and new businesses that were not operating when the original November 10 application deadline passed.
“I think this is going to cover off a lot of people that couldn’t apply for it,” said Fielding. “If you had a business that maybe started after November, for instance, they’re still struggling as well.”
Eligible storefront businesses will get $5,000, while home-based businesses will get up to $5,000, based on 10 per cent of their most recent calendar year revenues.
The $2,000 waste top-up will also be extended to new applicants, which gives an additional $2,000 to businesses that offer prepared foods like hotels, bars, and lounges. Previous Bridge Grant applicants who did not receive the May 15 top-up will also be eligible. It was originally only given to restaurants.
New applicants will not be receiving retroactive payments for previous rounds of the program, and businesses who had grant applications rejected will not be eligible to apply for this round of grants.
Businesses who already received a Bridge Grant are also ineligible.
The province said over $291 million was been given to about 15,000 businesses through the Bridge Grant program since November. There have been four rounds of $5,000 grants, with applicants getting up to $20,000. That number jumps to $22,000 for businesses getting the food waste top-up.
Additional grants or programs are something the province is considering if needed, but will be dependent on the situation.
“We’re certainly open to doing something in the future,” said Fielding. “But it’s got to be the right program at the right time. These bridge-type of programs are good when you do have a lockdown-type situation, but as you start loosening the health restrictions, I think it’s really important to have some kind of incentives in place for businesses to rehire and do it in a safe way.”
Fielding said those business incentives, aligned with the province’s reopening plan, will be announced in the next few days.
Fielding estimates about 1,000 businesses will be eligible for the grant.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.