COVID-19 Update: April 6, 2020

Dear ABLE BC Members and Industry Colleagues, 

We hope you enjoyed a safe and healthy weekend. We are back with daily COVID-19 liquor industry updates.

Included in today’s email you will find: 

  • Applications for Canada Emergency Response Benefit now open

  • Additional support coming for those excluded from Canada Emergency Response Benefit

  • Liquor and cannabis industries now eligible for Business Development Bank of Canada programs

  • Vancouver: DVBIA & VPD Safety Advice, Checklist, and Poster

  • Plexiglass Barriers: now available for online ordering through Peregrine Plastics

Please continue to send your questions by email to ABLE BC: 
jeff@ablebc.ca or danielle@ablebc.ca. 

Find all past updates from ABLE BC here.

Applications for Canada Emergency Response Benefit Now Open

Applications for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) are now open online .

According to the federal government, Canadians who have lost income due to COVID-19 can expect their payment in three to five business days from when they apply if they are using direct deposit.

This means most Canadians who are eligible will receive $2,000 before the end of next week.

Canadians looking to get more information about the CERB or, who are unable to apply online, can call the toll-free telephone line at 1-833-966-2099.

To help manage the volume of applications through the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and Service Canada, the Government of Canada has asked applicants to apply over four days depending on their month of birth:

If you were in the month ofApply for CERB onYour best day to applyJanuary, February, or MarchMondaysApril 6April, May, or JuneTuesdaysApril 7July, August, or SeptemberWednesdaysApril 8October, November, or DecemberThursdaysApril 9Any monthFridays, Saturdays, and Sundays

Canadians who have already applied for EI do not need to reapply.

Helpful Links

  • Read more about how to apply for the CERB here

  • Read more about how to apply for EI here

  • Read more about the difference between CERB and EI here

  • Find all federal government COVID-19 support information here

  • Find all provincial government COVID-19 support information here

Additional support coming for those excluded from Canada Emergency Response Benefit

During this morning’s press conference, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said 240,000 people have already applied to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, and another plan is coming for those who don’t qualify for the program.

If you have reduced work hours to 10 hours or less a week or are making less than you would under the CERB, or are a student, the new “solution” will be announced soon.

Liquor and cannabis industries now eligible for Business Development Bank of Canada programs

We are pleased to share with members and industry: given the unprecedented economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, all legal businesses will now be eligible for the Business Credit Availability Program (BCAP), for the duration of the program. This includes both the Canada Emergency Business Account and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME) Loan and Guarantee program. For example, businesses in the cannabis sector and those in the hospitality sector operating bars and lounges will now be eligible.

The SME Loan and Guarantee program, backed by BDC, Canada’s bank for entrepreneurs, and Export Development Canada (EDC), Canada’s export credit agency, is delivered through private sector financial institutions. 

As part of the BDC co-lending program, eligible businesses may obtain incremental credit amounts of up to $6.25 million, 80% of which would be provided by BDC, with the remaining 20% by the financial institution.To access these loans, business owners must contact their primary financial institution.

Learn more about the Business Credit Availability Program here.

As you may recall, when the federal government and BDC first announced these COVID-19 support programs, businesses in the hospitality and cannabis sector were ineligible.

Over the past few weeks, ABLE BC and other industry associations engaged directly with the Prime Minister’s Office and minister responsible requesting an urgent change in this policy, in order to allow liquor primaries access to BDC’s programs. 

We greatly appreciate the federal government’s work in getting this eligibility criteria changed. We also thank Shea Coulson (McMillan LLP) for his urgent support in this matter.

Vancouver: DVBIA & VPD Safety Advice, Checklist, and Poster

The DVBIA shared the following information with its member that we thought may also be of use to you and protecting your establishment – in particular if you have temporarily closed – during this time:

The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) are taking significant measures to combat property crime while local and provincial measures are in place to address the spread of COVID-19.

While property crime is an issue in Vancouver year-round, the VPD continuously implement new measures to help reduce crime and target repeat offenders. In some neighbourhoods, it appears thieves are attempting to take advantage of commercial spaces that are closed due to social distancing measures. The VPD is taking proactive measures to target these offenders on several levels.

The VPD’s property crime detectives are currently running several investigative projects to target known offenders. The VPD has also increased its visibility and presence near the areas that are hardest hit overnight by deploying more patrol officers and community safety personnel.From March 12 to 25, the number of calls for service per day for the VPD declined by an average of ten per cent. During this same period, overall property crime decreased by 12 per cent when compared to the weeks leading up to the pandemic.

From March 1 to 15 (a two-week period), there were 86 commercial break-ins reported throughout the city. From March 16 to 24 (a one-week period), there were 81. The biggest increase has been reported in downtown Vancouver.

From March 1 to 15, there were 20 commercial break and enters, but from March 16 to 24, there were 35.

Download a checklist that you can follow to learn how to perform a security audit of your business. 

The checklist also contains suggestions on how to secure your business using long-term measures. This is meant as a guideline. You are not required to implement all the suggestions, but rather should consider them as part of your overall security plan. We appreciate that both time and costs are involved with some of the action items. 

Perhaps the most important step to take to prevent crime is to remove all valuable items from sight. 

Once you have completed the checklist, we encourage you to print this notice and affix it to the most visible area in your business from the inside facing out.

In response to the government amending the list of essential services, and with public safety at the forefront of many business owners’ minds, the Downtown Vancouver BIA has adjusted their community safety programming to protect property and provide reassurance. 

The Safety Ambassador program has been revised to respond to areas of greatest need. In light of recent criminal activity, and in order to align with membership feedback, overnight mobile security patrols have been introduced to prevent member businesses from falling victim to opportunistic crime, and to reduce signs of social disorder downtown.

Find more business crime prevention advice here.

Plexiglass Barriers now available for online ordering through Peregrine Plastics

Peregrine Plastics LTD., located in Burnaby, is now offering online ordering for plexiglass shields.

No install is required and products can be shipped across BC. Peregrine currently has approximately 60 shields in stock. Learn more and order here.

For more information:

Public Health Agency of Canada Website

Updates from the Government of British Columbia

Updates and Resources from ABLE BC

Human Resources & Occupational Health & Safety Info from goHR

If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact ABLE BC:
604-688-5560 or info@ablebc.ca.

Ann Brydle