Coquitlam Puts In Motion Plans to Support Businesses

26 May 2020

May 26, 2020

Coquitlam is moving forward with a number of actions to help support businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Monday night, Council received an overview of the proposed COVID-19 Economic Development Response and Recovery Action Plan designed to support local businesses and help them manage the impacts of the pandemic – something that will be vital to the community’s overall recovery.

The planned steps and actions will complement the City’s multi-sector Community Support and Recovery Plan with activities such as: targeted marketing to increase awareness of local businesses; providing information and presenting training programs on business recovery; support for businesses embedded into civic events and activities; identifying and pursuing City process improvements to assist business recovery; coordinating a business survey; and collecting feedback and data to develop tools and resources for local businesses.

A Phased Response to the Crisis

The plan consists of four inter-related phases, each building on the next:

·The Business Outreach and Response Phase started in early March, when City staff began reaching out to Coquitlam’s businesses to offer support, answer questions, learn about their needs and direct them to available resources. Other activities have included a new Business Support Portal at www.letstalkcoquitlam.ca/business offering news and updates, resources, input opportunities and a Q&A forum; a business outreach survey to collect input for the development of future supports; and featuring business updates, opportunities and success stories on the TourismCoquitlam Twitter feed.

·The Communications and Marketing Phase centres around a multi-media strategy that builds awareness and communicates regularly to the business community, while also promoting support for local businesses. Tactics will include marketing partnerships with business organizations, traditional media and online outreach. Preliminary efforts have included a new restaurant take-out and delivery listing at www.visitcoquitlam.ca, promoting local businesses in City communications and advertising, joining the Tri-Cities #SupportLocal campaign, and providing opportunities for businesses to be involved in civic events, including Coquitlam Celebrates Canada Day. Upcoming work will include adding a retail sector listing to the Tourism Coquitlam website.

·The Tracking and Reporting Phase involves capturing and evaluating data from the business survey, program uptake and other sources to monitor success and inform new initiatives. Survey results and other findings will be made available through update reports.

·Activities in the Supporting Local Business and Recovery Phase are intended to assist businesses and the local economy with recovery and long-term resilience. Activities have included identifying and advocating for policy and procedure changes that positively impact the business community, providing new online tools and streamlined processes to support the development and construction sector, and work to develop webinars and workshops on business recovery topics. Strategies to assist the tourism and film industries are also being developed.

As well, given the ongoing evolution of the pandemic, the City will continue to collaborate with all levels of government, as well as business and industry associations, to identify potential supports for the recovery and long-term sustainability of Coquitlam’s business community.

Business Resources

For more information on City supports for business, as well as links to other government resources and supports, visit www.coquitlam.ca/ecdev or contact Coquitlam’s Economic Development Office at economicdevelopment@coquitlam.ca or 604-927-3905.

Other online resources:

  • Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce (www.tricitieschamber.com) – comprehensive COVID-19 Guidance and Resources page available to all Tri-Cities businesses
  • Government of Canada (www.canada.ca/covid19) – federal financial and economic support, including information on Canada’s Economic Response Plan, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), wage subsidies, access to loans, and deferrals for income taxes, GST and duty payments
  • Province of BC (www.gov.bc.ca/covid19) – provincial benefits, including tax deferrals, arts and culture grants and resources
  • Government of Canada tender site (www.buyandsell.gc.ca) – opportunities for local businesses to bid on government contracts, including providing medical supplies
  • Province of BC Supply Hub (www.gov.bc.ca/supplyhub) – opportunities for local businesses to supply products and services in support of B.C.’s COVID-19 response

Join Coquitlam’s Efforts to #SupportLocal

The City of Coquitlam has joined the Tri-Cities #SupportLocal campaign to assist local businesses, many of which are struggling at this time. Coquitlam also strongly encourages residents to #SupportLocal for their shopping and meals; view business listings at www.wegotthistricities.com and www.visitcoquitlam.ca for a directory of 150+ Coquitlam restaurants offering takeout and delivery.

See also our video to learn more about how you can support our local businesses.

Supporting Our Community During the Pandemic

The City of Coquitlam is here to help, with these resources:

  • Visit www.coquitlam.ca/csrp to learn about the City’s Community Support and Recovery Plan, which is providing immediate and long-term support for the non-profit sector, businesses and residents;
  • Visit www.coquitlam.ca/spirit for a free library of activities for all ages, including fitness, arts and culture, outdoor activities and ways to connect with your community; and
  • Visit www.coquitlam.ca/covid19 for updates on City services and initiatives and COVID-19 health resources.

Coquitlam residents and businesses are also encouraged to follow the City of Coquitlam on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) and download the CoquitlamConnect mobile app for up-to-date City information.

Categories: City of Coquitlam News