Provincial funding supports dozens of businesses in James Bay, other northern regions
The Ontario government is providing more than $1.7 million to help 85 businesses adapt to COVID-19 public health guidelines in the Kiiwetinoong and Mushkegowuk–James Bay regions.
The funds will support building renovations, the installation of safety equipment and the purchase of personal protective equipment, the province said in a news release Thursday.
"During the ongoing pandemic period, our government is standing shoulder to shoulder with northern business owners, entrepreneurs and workers in the Kiiwetinoong and Mushkegowuk-James Bay regions," Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, said in the release.
"COVID-19 has fundamentally changed our day-to-day lives and how we do business. That's why our government is supporting small- and medium-sized businesses as we safely and gradually reopen.”
The funding is being delivered through the Northern Ontario Recovery Program and includes:
• $22,400 for Sioux Lookout Floating Lodges to build an outdoor deck where customers can practise social distancing while waiting for their houseboats to be cleaned and serviced.
• $25,000 for Pakwash Lake Camp to purchase new docking systems, a gas pump hose, a UV sanitation light, cleaning equipment, and outdoor picnic tables to accommodate social distancing.
• $24,500 for Wild Eyes Wilderness Escape to build additions on two cabins and construct a 10x20-foot dock to accommodate social distancing.
• $22,637 for Vegan Delights Inc. to restructure its business from a catering-focused business to a manufacturing-focused retailer by retrofitting the kitchen and purchasing kitchen materials, personal protective equipment and cleaning products.
"To say that the past two summers have been devastating would be an understatement Steve Forbes, of Sioux Lookout Floating Lodges, said in the release.
"The Northern Ontario Recovery Program funding allowed our business to undertake a project and we have been able to create a safe, appealing and welcoming holding area for our guests to congregate while waiting for their houseboats to be cleaned and serviced."
"So grateful for the Northern Ontario Recovery Program funding," said Kodi Kahoot, owner of Wild Eyes Wilderness Escape. "It allowed us do renovations that were needed to safely accommodate guests at our outpost cabin."
Lisa-Ann Geddes owner of Vegan Delights Inc., said in the release that her business needed rapid restructuring to survive the pandemic.
"The Northern Ontario Recovery Program funding allowed us to continue serving our community through acquiring certain pieces of equipment, better advertising solutions and a rigorous HACCP certification program," Geddes said.
"This certification opened the door for five of our unique vegan products to be placed on the retail market and they are currently available in a local grocery store."
On Feb. 11, the Ontario government launched new and improved NOHFC programs that support more projects in rural northern communities and make it easier for more people and businesses to apply.
The programs target existing and emerging markets, provide more work opportunities for Indigenous people and address the skilled labour shortage in the North.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.