Helping businesses in the wake of COVID-19
All businesses have felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, retail-oriented main street businesses have suffered, with stores closed and in-person commerce halted. With support from the Government of Canada through the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF), many main street businesses are pivoting their operations to the digital marketplace, allowing them to keep going, even during lockdowns, and get through the crisis. Moreover, through these meaningful and targeted investments, businesses that adapted their operations will be better positioned to contribute to economy when it comes back stronger than before.
Targeted Support for Main Street businesses and SMEs
On June 11, 2020, the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages, announced a $42.5 million FedDev Ontario investment to expand the Digital Main Street (DMS) platform. Building on Toronto’s foundational investments in Digital Main Street and ShopHERE, this Government of Canada investment extended the support to businesses across the province to go digital while creating jobs for post-secondary youth and graduate students.