Alberta extends COVID aid to businesses
PROVINCE DIRECTING $120 MILLION TO BENEFIT
Alberta is releasing more funding to help keep smalland medium-sized businesses solvent during the COVID-19 crisis.
Premier Jason Kenney says an extra $10,000 will be made available per organization — on top of previous grants totalling no more than $20,000 — for a new maximum of $30,000.
“Business owners can use this money to support their needs, whether it’s paying wages, paying for cleaning supplies, inventory, or preparing for a safe reopening,” Kenney told a news conference Wednesday.
The province is directing $120 million to the new Enhanced COVID19 Business Benefit.
Eligible businesses must have fewer than 500 employees and have seen revenue plummet by at least 60 per cent during the pandemic.
The province hopes to have the program running by April.
Alberta businesses have been hit by two significant rounds of economic restrictions, following two waves of COVID-19 that swept through the province first in the spring and again in the fall.
Retail shops are open at 15 per cent customer capacity, but entertainment venues, including bingo halls, movie theatres and casinos, are still closed.
Restaurants that were restricted to takeout or delivery last week returned to limited in-person dining.
Fitness centres were also given a green light for one-on-one training. Some youth sports and activities have also resumed.
Indoor social visits remain banned and outdoor gatherings are limited to 10 people..
Last week, Kenney announced $465 million in one-time bonuses for frontline workers under a program costshared with the federal government. About 380,000 essentian workers in the public and private sectors are to receive $1,200 cheques.
Eligible recipients must have worked more than 300 hours between October and January.
The Opposition NDP says that’s a high bar, especially given some workers had to take time off to selfisolate.
The province has committed to slowly returning the economy to normal in four stages tied to hospitalization rates. There are to be a minimum of three weeks between stages.
Stage 1, which included the restaurant reopening, was linked to fewer than 600 people in hospital with COVID-19.
The next round could begin as early as March 1, but would require fewer than 450 in hospital. As of Tuesday, there were 365 patients with COVID-19 in hospital.
Kenney and Dr. Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer of health, have said other factors will be considered, particularly the spread of variant strains of the virus.
Alberta has reported 221 variant cases: 214 of the United Kingdom strain and seven of the South African one. They are far more contagious than the original novel coronavirus and, if not kept in check, can quickly overwhelm the health system.
The next stage would see further eased restrictions for retailers and for youth sports and indoor arts performances. Hotels, conference centres, community and banquet halls would also get the go-ahead to further open up.
The government is also promising to announce soon priorities for the next round of vaccinations.
Seniors, care-home residents, paramedics and critical medical care staff have received priority in the first phase of the rollout. Priority groups for the next phase, tentatively set for April, have not been announced.
On Tuesday, Hinshaw said that list will be out in the coming weeks, but stressed it will be tied to critical care and hospitalization numbers.
“Choices around the sequencing of vaccines is not about the value that people bring to their work, to the society,” said Hinshaw.
“It is about preventing deaths, preventing severe outcomes like hospitalization.”
Alberta has administered 149,000 vaccine doses, either through Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna. There have been 54,000 Albertans deemed fully vaccinated with the required two doses.
The vaccine rollout has been uncertain in recent weeks due to reduced shipments to Canada from suppliers.
Health Minister Tyler Shandro said this week that delays forced the province to stop giving first doses for more than 9,000 eligible health-care workers. Those appointment will be rebooked as more vaccine is received, he said.
Another 47,000 doses are expected in Alberta this week.