Federal Government: 

The federal government announced new measures to support Canadian businesses: 

• Expanding the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) to businesses that paid between $20,000 and $1.5 million in total payroll in 2019. This new range will replace the previous one of between $50,000 and $1 million 
• Announcing its intent to introduce the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) for small businesses. The program will seek to provide loans, including forgivable loans, to commercial property owners who in turn will lower or forgo the rent of small businesses for the months of April (retroactive), May, and June 

Prince Edward Island: 

• The province announced supports for the tourism industry 
• Initiatives include new financing options, interest relief, and additional funding for marketing. In total, up to $66 million in support will be provided to meet the immediate needs of the tourism industry 
• The province will provide interest relief on existing loans to tourism business for up to 18 months 

Quebec: 

• The province announced a deferral of payments to the enterprise registrar until September 1, 2020

British Columbia: 

• A new B.C. Business COVID-19 Support Service will serve as a single point of contact for businesses throughout the province looking for information on resources available during the COVID-19 pandemic 
  • The B.C. Business COVID-19 Support Service will be operated by Small Business BC (SBBC) 
• Starting on Thursday, April 16, 2020, advisors are available Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Pacific time) and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1 833 254-4357 
• The province is providing enhanced relief for businesses by reducing most commercial property tax bills by an average of 25 per cent 
• The province is also further reducing the school property tax rate for commercial properties to achieve an average 25 per cent reduction in the total property tax bill for most businesses, providing up to $700 million in relief. This enhances the 50% reduction to the provincial school property tax rate that was originally announced 
• The province is postponing the date that late payment penalties apply for commercial properties in classes 4,5,6,7 and 8 to Oct. 1, 2020 
• Responding to key concerns from local governments, the province is also:
  • Authorizing local governments to borrow, interest-free, from their existing capital reserves to help pay for operating expenses 
  • Delaying provincial school tax remittances until the end of the year 
  • Providing local governments greater flexibility to carry debt for an additional year