{"id":611,"date":"2021-01-21T11:33:48","date_gmt":"2021-01-21T16:33:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/willbouma.ca\/?p=611"},"modified":"2021-01-21T14:22:17","modified_gmt":"2021-01-21T19:22:17","slug":"mpp-bouma-hosts-ontario-small-business-minister-at-virtual-roundtable-in-brantford-to%e2%80%aflook-for-ways-to%e2%80%afhelp-small-businesses-during-covid-19%e2%80%af","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/willbouma.ca\/mpp-bouma-hosts-ontario-small-business-minister-at-virtual-roundtable-in-brantford-to%e2%80%aflook-for-ways-to%e2%80%afhelp-small-businesses-during-covid-19%e2%80%af\/","title":{"rendered":"MPP Bouma hosts Ontario Small Business Minister at Virtual Roundtable in Brantford to\u202fLook for Ways to\u202fHelp Small Businesses During COVID-19\u202f"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

NEWS January 20, 2021\u202f\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Brantford, ON\u202f\u2013\u202fOn Tuesday,\u00a0Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction, Prabmeet\u202fSarkaria\u202fand Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma hosted a virtual roundtable to hear from the small business community in\u00a0Brantford and surrounding areas\u00a0on\u202fhow to respond to\u202fCOVID-19\u00a0and help Main Street rebound. The MPPs were also joined by home-based food business owners.<\/p>

\u201cIt is critical that communities across Ontario have a chance to provide their insights and feedback to the provincial government as we continue our roadmap to recovery, this is why I am very pleased Minister Sarkaria was able to hear from our community,\u201d said Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma.<\/p>

“Small businesses, like these in Brantford,\u00a0are vital to our communities\u00a0and our local economy \u2013\u202fwhether\u202fthat\u2019s\u202fthe\u202frestaurant in Paris or a\u00a0bakery in Burford,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0 Small Business and Red Tape Reduction\u00a0Minister, Prabmeet\u00a0Sarkaria. \u201cOur\u00a0small business owners\u00a0know better than anyone what it takes to create jobs, jumpstart growth, and get our economy moving again\u00a0–\u00a0 this\u00a0is\u00a0why it\u00a0is vitally important to draw on their strengths,\u00a0expertise\u00a0and know-how,\u201d.<\/p>

Tuesday\u2019s virtual roundtable gave Brantford\u2019s small business community to\u00a0participate in the government-wide effort to help businesses weather the COVID-19 pandemic and provided local business owners to identify specific challenges and potential solutions for the government to consider.\u00a0<\/p>

Small Business Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria announced that the government will provide a minimum of $10,000\u00a0and\u00a0up to $20,000 to eligible small businesses facing challenges due to the necessary Provincewide Shutdown. This grant allows flexibility for small business owners so that they can spend it however makes the most sense for their businesses (e.g., paying rent, paying employee wages, maintaining inventory, etc.).\u00a0 For more information and to find out if your business qualifies, please visit www.ontario.ca\/COVIDSupport<\/a>.<\/p>

In the 2020 Budget, government announced that it would make the temporary expanded exemption from the Employer Health Tax (EHT) for 2020, permanent, — helping businesses with payroll of $490,000 to $1 million. The 2020 Budget also provided property tax cuts for small businesses and the option for municipalities like Mississauga to\u00a0 partner with the province to create a separate small business property tax category to provide them with further property tax reductions. \u00a0<\/p>

QUICK FACTS<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>