Sports Minister and Canada’s head of economic development Pascale St-Onge confirmed in Orford this Wednesday the award of $40 million to support small tourism businesses in Quebec that have suffered from the pandemic.
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This contribution will be split equally between the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec (FCCQ) and the Network of Community Development Assistance Societies (SADC) and Business Assistance Centers (CAE), who will be responsible for the distribution amounts.
The FCCQ estimates that almost 1,000 companies can benefit from this support, while the Réseau des SADC et CAE, which helps entrepreneurs in rural and semi-rural areas, estimates that around 900 companies will benefit.
These small businesses can submit project requests to improve their products or services. If selected, support will be offered between $15,000 and $45,000.
“This can be, for example, the installation of electrical terminals for a tourism company. It could be the renovation of a showroom for a regional museum. It is really tangible, so that after the adoption of the aid project, the company’s customers will have added value in terms of tourist experience,” explained Charles Milliard, President and General Manager of the Quebec Chambers of Commerce.
These amounts are available through Canada Economic Development’s Tourism Assistance Fund. “We will cover the whole area, whether small businesses in the regions or those in urban centers. […] With all the challenges our entrepreneurs have experienced with the pandemic and the current one with inflation, the tourism sector is important to Quebec’s economic development. We want to support this badly shaken sector,” said Pascale St-Onge, Brome-Missisquoi MP.