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Sault businesses receive COVID-19 relief funding

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Sault Ste. Marie -

The Ontario government is providing $1.8 million for businesses in Sault Ste. Marie to help them adapt to COVID-19 public health restrictions.

It's part of the province's Northern Ontario Recovery Program, which is designed to reimburse businesses for money spent on pandemic-related expenses.

"Any out-of-pocket expense that an individual business would have had to put forward to ensure that their business could continue to operate under the restrictions that were in place during the pandemic, during the lockdown portions," said Sault Ste. Marie MPP Ross Romano, who announced the funding Tuesday morning.

Management at the Marconi Cultural Centre used its $25,000 to convert its restaurant to comply with health restrictions -- just in time for Friday's reopening.

"We've been lucky with being able to be outside and offer our services that way, as well," said owner Trevor Zachary. "So the transition should be all right and now that we're prepared with all of our indoor items and barricades and so forth, we'll be ready for then."

Stephen Alexander, owner of live music venue Loplops Lounge, is receiving just more than $24,000, which will help the business with its COVID transition.

"We're going to be opening up an online bottle shop, focus on our takeout food," said Alexander. "We're going to be adding a patio to the front of Loplops either later this summer or the early fall."

Kumon Sault Ste. Marie also received funding to the tune of $19,000, which is being used on a new HVAC system and some new computers.

"It makes it way more comfortable and safer for students and staff to be working in here," said owner Shelly Skinner-Noel. "The second portion that I got was new computers. We had to go online when COVID hit." 

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