Waterloo region business owners frustrated with Ontario’s lockdown relief grant

Peterson has struggled to hold his business afloat in the COVID-19 pandemic, but many thanks to a number of federal and provincial governing administration aid systems, he’s been ready to hold Foundation Exercise alive.

One of all those systems was the Ontario Modest Business Assist Grant in 2021. Business that had received it would instantly be pre-screened for the new grant money less than the aid grant, the federal government mentioned. That manufactured Peterson optimistic and he applied for the relief grant on Jan. 24.

But immediately after months of waiting and cell phone contact soon after cell phone call to the program’s enable line, Peterson had but to see the funds — or get any assist from the befuddled voices on the other conclude of the line.

“I wager you I’ve named in a dozen instances to this range,” Peterson explained. “And each and every time I phone in, I basically get a distinct answer from the employee that is doing the job there … It appears like pupils that are answering the phone — they really never have any answers.”

Lastly, on April 1, Peterson got an reply by means of email — a denial. The cause cited was that his business experienced no indoor seating and is takeout only.

This struck Peterson as odd, simply because he runs a gym and individual schooling business, not a restaurant. What’s a lot more, he appeared to fulfill all the eligibility requirements.

His working experience with the relief grant was a stark distinction to the other federal and provincial COVID-19 assistance applications.

“[The programs] ended up not fantastic, but they were something and they had been place out immediately and they have been reasonably quick to apply for,” he reported.

“But with this a person, this just appears to be like the government’s definitely dropped the ball.”

Soon right after CBC News designed inquiries to the Ontario government, Peterson gained an e mail that his grant software had been approved and that he could count on to see the resources inside of 10 business times.

In a assertion to CBC, a spokesperson for Nina Tangri, the associate minister of little business and pink tape reduction, said the governing administration is doing the job on building positive firms get the money they are eligible for.

“Our aim is to make certain all qualified corporations acquire the grant, and as a final result some applicants ended up questioned to make contact with the ministry to initiate a further critique of their software,” the statement reads.

“The ministry will operate with enterprises and inform them of any excellent documentation, incomplete or missing details essential to create their eligibility. We encourage all enterprises with queries about their eligibility to get in touch with the ministry at the email tackle presented for further facts.”

Other companies report challenges

The aid grant is a acquainted topic at Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife. Her office environment is receiving about five complaints for each month about the method, including 5 presently this thirty day period.

Fife, who is also the NDP’s finance critic at Queen’s Park, has pressed the governing administration on the situation, but so much has only been equipped to get one particular case resolved.

Fife states the stories she hears from business house owners are similar to Peterson’s.

“Their key worry is, just one, they’ve by no means listened to back once making use of, two, that they have been denied access to the smaller business grant, and are not given any sort of motive why they’ve been denied,” she said in an interview.

Fife says she’s also listened to from businesses who have been told they would obtain the income, but haven’t gotten it nonetheless.

Like Peterson, Fife’s workplace has had complicated phone calls to the help amount. In a single scenario, the individual on the other close of the line did not seem to have an understanding of what an MPP is, she explained.

Fife says the government’s communications designed it appear the system would be smoother.

“I genuinely truly feel like the press releases that the government put out did not mirror the actuality of the application of the grant,” she stated. 

“The communication has been inconsistent, the deficiency of transparency is relating to, and truly these business are on the lookout to the govt for some leadership below.”

James Skarnikat is another business proprietor puzzled by the program’s messaging. His Hanover, Ont.-based business, “Jimmy’s Outdated Time Radio Present,” specializes in live shows for senior living amenities. He’s seen a drastic reduction of bookings because the start out of the pandemic.

Skarnikat received the Small Business Assist Grant previous year and claims the resources retained his business going.

But he feels the government’s communication on the Small Business Relief Grant misled him.

 “I was anticipating to be qualified this year, in 2022. I even received an e-mail expressing that I could utilize for it,” he stated.

Skarnikat often has issue doing in-person at lengthy-term care and retirement houses mainly because he is deemed a “basic visitor” and not a contractor. 

Even so, he says he was denied the grant because the government considers him a wellbeing-treatment contractor. As these types of, the province states his business operations had been not impacted by the lockdown earlier this year — even although Skarnikat suggests they had been.

“I was incredibly unhappy to learn at the finish of March that they experienced modified the prerequisites,” he said.

Skarnikat included he misplaced extra than 45 concerts he had booked between December 2021 to March of this year since of COVID-19 restrictions and was hoping the resources from the small business grant would have him more than to the pandemic’s complete line.

 “I required the grant just as a lot this yr as I did final 12 months, of program,” he reported.