On March 30, 2021, the BC government amended the provincial public health orders and announced further restrictions aimed at the hospitality and fitness sector. The new and amended orders include a ban on indoor dining, indoor adult group fitness activities of any kind, indoor worship services and non-essential travel.
To help alleviate the strain the new orders place on affected business, the provincial government has implemented the non-repayable Circuit Breaker Business Relief Grant (the “CBBRG”), which will award one-time grants of $1,000 to $10,000 to eligible applicants.
The CBBRG is available until June 4, 2021 or until grant funds of around $50 million have been expended, whichever comes first.
Eligibility
Eligible businesses have to be:
in operation since at least February 1, 2021;
a registered BC business with majority ownership and operations in BC; and
partially or fully closed to comply with the new and amended health orders.
Grant Amount
The amount awarded to eligible business is based on the number of BC employees or contracted staff:
no employees or staff: $1,000
1-4 employees or staff: $2,000
5-99 employees or staff: $5,000
100+ employees or staff: $10,000
Application Process
Starting April 12, 2021, applications can be submitted online through the BC Business Recovery Grant website here. Applicants must include the following documents:
2019 or 2020 income tax notice of assessment,
Business licence,
Liquor licence,
Insurance policy, and
Lease agreement.
Once all of the required documents are complied, the process should take less than half hour to complete.
Business that have already applied under the Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery Grant program may apply for the CBBRG.