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
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.