In Response to COVID-19
After speaking with as many business owners and employees as possible the last couple of days, the Downtown Duncan BIA is continuing to work closely with City Council, the City of Duncan, and our member businesses to gather more information about how our community can best respond to the ongoing situation regarding the COVID-19 virus in accordance with provincial and federal guidelines.
The social responsibilities of managing the spread of this virus will have a significant economic impact on our community, including both business owners and employees. Our goal is always to support our local businesses and we are looking at ways we can continue to do so while also following provincial and federal health guidelines. Some early information about financial relief for small businesses and their employees can be found here:
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei.html
More specifically, some businesses and their employees may qualify for provisions made through the now modified work-sharing program:
We will keep you updated as new information becomes available.
Some businesses have closed, but others remain open and there are still ways to support the local economy while maintaining social distance. Through these challenging times, it is very important to do what we can to support local businesses by choosing to order food, supplies, and items by delivery or pick-up from our restaurants and retailers. We are monitoring the situation as it develops and will continue to provide updates on resources as they become available.