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  3. COVID-19 Financial Assistance

COVID-19 Financial Assistance

Eligible growers can apply for funding to implement new food safety practices on their farm through government programs and other initiatives. The BC Agriculture sector offers funding for growers and for industry-related companies. Click here for a list of programs that are offered currently and those that will be implemented in the future.

Special Notice: COVID-19 Funding Programs

See below for a list of new programs implemented recently for the agriculture sector in the face of COVID-19.

BC On-Farm and Post-Farm Programs

Growers: In response to the COVID-19 situation and the increased need for safety precautions for the agri-food sector, the On-Farm Food Safety Program (OFFS) is offering COVID-19 funding for April 2020 – March 2021. Eligible companies can seek funding to acquire Personal Protective Equipment and other approved safety supplies for use at their facilities, in order to maintain a safe workplace and mitigate the impacts of COVID-19.

Apply here:  http://bconfarmfoodsafety.com/covid-19-resources/

Packers/Processors: The same as above applies to packers/processors under a different program: the Post-Farm Food Safety Program is offering COVID-19 funding for the April 2020 – March 2021 funding year.

Apply here: http://bcpostfarmfoodsafety.com/covid-19-resources/

Expansion of the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA)

Expansion of program eligibility:

Farmers without payroll can now access the $40,000 interest-free loan available under CEBA – up to $10,000 of which is forgiven if the rest is repaid by December 31, 2022.

To qualify under the expanded eligibility criteria, applicants with payroll lower than $20,000 would need:

  • A business operating account at a participating financial institution
  • A Canada Revenue Agency business number, and to have filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return.
  • Eligible non-deferrable expenses between $40,000 and $1.5 million. Eligible non-deferrable expenses could include costs such as rent, property taxes, utilities, and insurance.

Visit the CEBA Website here for more information.

Western Economic Diversification Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF)

The Regional Relief and Recovery Fund aims to help western Canadian businesses cope with the financial hardship resulting from COVID-19.

Two streams:

Funding up to $40K, conditionally repayable (eligibility for this program here)

Funding over $40K, repayable (eligibility for this program here)

Canadian Emergency Business Account (CEBA) program or RRRF – Community Futures Stream. Companies that are pre-revenue, do not have salaried employees, and no payroll (i.e owner/operator that pays themselves through dividends) are eligible. More information here.