The Manitoba government is taking action to help small and medium-sized businesses in the province slog through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Premier Brian Pallister today announced the Manitoba Gap Protection Program that will provide $120 million to assist any of the approximately 120,000 businesses in Manitoba who have fallen into a gap in failing to qualify for the various federal government assistance programs and wage subsidies created because of COVID-19.

“Manitoba’s small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of our economy. They are struggling right now and we want to support them,” said Pallister. “Our government has been listening and working diligently with chambers of commerce across the province, business and retail councils, industry and trade associations and various stakeholders to identify where the greatest need is and to maximize the recovery opportunities for Manitoba’s business sector.”

Under the initiative, the province will advance each eligible business the non-interest bearing MGPP loan of $6,000. The loan is forgivable if the recipient can confirm that it has not received any major non-repayable COVID-19 federal supports such as the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy and the Canada Emergency Business Account, as well as sector-specific grant federal programs specifically developed in response to the pandemic. An applicant that has received benefits under a federal COVID program, then the loan will be added to the recipient’s 2020 tax bill.

To be eligible for the MGPP funding, a business must:

• have been operational on March 20, 2020, the date the Manitoba government declared a provincewide state of emergency under The Emergency Measures Act because of COVID-19;
• have temporarily ceased or curtailed operations as a result of a COVID-19 public health order and have been harmed by the health order;
• be registered and in good standing with the Manitoba Business and Corporate Registry;
• have not qualified for federal government COVID-19 grant support; and
• have an email address and a bank account.