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
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.