Town of Halton Hills calling on government for additional funding to support local businesses

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Published February 3, 2021 at 3:55 pm

The Town of Halton Hills recently approved a motion calling on the Provincial and Federal governments to seek additional funding in order to further support local businesses.

In September 2020, the Town of Halton Hills secured a $12,500 grant from Digital Main Street to expedite economic recovery and support local businesses in the community.

The Town Council’s motion is calling on the Provincial and Federal governments to renew funding support for the Digital Service Squad and the $2,500 Digital Transformation Grants, expand the grant eligibility criteria to include businesses and previously eligible non-profit organizations located outside of Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) and commit to a minimum of 2-year funding.

The program has enabled the town to hire a Digital Support Squad lead, that will help to deliver services by meeting one-on-one with local businesses and help them improve their online presence.

“The Town fully leveraged the tools given to us by the other orders of government,” said Mayor Rick Bonnette.

“And the success of the program clearly means that there is a continued need in our community to help businesses enhance their online presence whether it is through a new or improved website, online payments or just using technology for promotion. The pandemic has certainly driven home the fact that this is the world we live in now.”

With the $12,500 grant provided through the Digital Main Street Program, it has enabled the town to reach out to over 150 businesses as well as support almost 70 businesses to build their digital presence.

The program ran from October to December last year and was well-received by participants.

Support was also provided to help businesses apply for $2,500 grants which resulted in a total award of nearly $60,000.

The Town Council’s motion is calling on the Provincial and Federal governments to renew funding support for the Digital Service Squad and the $2,500 Digital Transformation Grants, expand the grant eligibility criteria to include businesses and previously eligible non-profit organizations located outside of Business Improvement Areas (BIAs); and commit to a minimum of 2-year funding.

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