The #CanadaUnited campaign is a nationwide small and local business campaign encouraging Canadians to buy local.

Royal Bank of Canada, ‘Corporate Canada’, Business Associations and Major Media Partners have teamed up to start a movement, Canada United™, where everyday Canadians and large businesses come together in support of small and local businesses. The movement will start with a #CanadaUnited campaign where Canadians are asked to complete ‘micro-actions’ (likes, views, etc.) in support of small and local businesses on social media. In short, Canada United encourages action from everyday Canadians and Corporate Canada and kickstarts the recovery of local economies and small businesses.

Applications for the Canada United Small Business Relief Fund will be accepted starting on August 31, 2020 at 1:00 pm EDT. 

Click here to learn more about Canada United.

Click here to apply.

 

Get relief for your small business!

The Canada United Small Business Relief Fund will be managed by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce on behalf of the national Chamber network in support of other chambers and partners to help small Canadian businesses with their recovery efforts as a result of COVID-19.

If awarded, a relief grant can be used for any of the following activities:

  • Purchasing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks, face shields, and latex gloves.
  • Renovating physical space to adhere to local, Provincial or Federal reopening guidelines.
  • Developing or improving e-commerce capabilities for your business.

Successful applicants will receive a relief grant of up to $5,000. We intend to support local businesses of all kinds from across the country (from retailers to barbershops to farmers).

Eligibility

Eligibility criteria includes:

  • One application per ownership group
  • Applicants do not need to be a member of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) to qualify
  • Small to medium-sized (SME) companies from all sectors and all regions of Canada
  • For greater clarity, both For-Profit and Not-For-Profit organizations are eligible to apply but Government organizations, municipalities, charities and the chamber of commerce network are not eligible to apply
  • Be incorporated, or operating as a sole proprietor, in Canada as of March 1, 2020
  • No more than 75 employees
  • Have minimum annual sales of $200,000 and not more than $3,000,000
  • Have $1,000,000 of commercial general liability insurance
  • Not receiving any other contributions from public funds towards the specific activities contained in the funding application
  • Be in full compliance with all applicable government laws, rules, regulations, guidelines and other legally binding measures (Laws)
  • Be in operation after September 1, 2020 (grant recipients must sign a declaration included in the approval letter to confirm)
  • Must attach all necessary invoices and receipts with the application. Failure to do so will result in automatic disqualification.
  • Must submit one of the following documents (dated prior to March 1, 2020):
    1. Proof of business registration
    2. Sales tax (GST/HST) registration
    3. Recent sales tax (GST/HST) filing