Welcome to my first e-newsletter. As B.C.’s first Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development and Non-Profits, I intend to issue these newsletters quarterly to keep you updated on government’s actions to support non-profits through recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

The government and, in fact, all citizens of B.C. owe you a heartfelt thank you for your tireless commitment over the last 16 months to meet the increased demand for your services in our communities. You rose to meet the many challenges in your communities. I hear from many of you, that despite fatigue, you are focused on challenges ahead for our recovery.

You have played a critical role in the pandemic response and we appreciate your partnership in meeting essential needs, strengthening our communities and building an inclusive economic recovery.

Within the first few months of my mandate, we hit the ground running to determine what is needed from this new role and how to ensure your organizations are properly engaged and supported by our government. In our throne speech, we committed to doing more to ensure charitable organizations and the non-profit sector are supported so they can support people and communities. Hearing from organizations like yours is critical for informing this work.

While my role is focused on sector-wide issues that tend to affect many or most non-profits, my efforts thus far have been centred on engagement and relationship building to ensure interests of the sector are reflected in government’s COVID-19 recovery decision-making. As anxious as we all are to progress with the recovery phase, it is also important that concerns voiced by non-profits early in the pandemic are not forgotten.

I have been speaking with Cabinet ministers on the importance of non-profits to every area of government, sharing some of the key issues they’re facing during the pandemic, and starting discussions on how the needs of non-profits as a sector can be considered in government’s recovery planning. Part of that will be working to understand how different ministries interact with non-profits and how my role can help to support those relationships at a high-level. We cannot build resiliency in our communities without the services and resources that the non-profit sector provides.

I am proud to act as an advocate and key point of contact to make sure you all have a voice in government and I look forward to working with you all as we continue to serve the people of British Columbia.

Niki Sharma
Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development and Non-Profits

Non-profit sector roundtables and survey

As part of my engagement with the sector, I have been hosting roundtable discussions with non-profit organizations across the province, and I will be holding additional roundtables in the future. In the meantime, please take a few minutes to fill out our survey. The results will be used to help inform my advocacy on your behalf within government.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Please take 5 minutes to fill out this survey by 4:00 p.m., September 17, 2021.

In our newsletter, we will work to ensure you know the resources available to non-profits. Below is a list of some that may be of interest to you. 

Provincial funding supports available to businesses and non-profits affected by COVID-19

As part of the StrongerBC recovery plan, the Government of British Columbia implemented a number of programs to help businesses and non-profits deal with the financial impacts of COVID-19:

• BC Employer Training Grant Impacted Worker Training Stream: Offers employers 100% of eligible training costs, up to a maximum of $10,000 per participant per fiscal year, to support British Columbians that are employed or have been employed in a sector where job opportunities have been most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• B.C. Increased Employment Incentive: Offers a one-time refundable tax credit for eligible B.C. employers who increased remuneration by creating new jobs or increasing pay for existing low- or medium-income employees from October to December 2020. The deadline to apply is December 31, 2021.
• Alacrity Canada Digital Marketing Bootcamp: Offers a tuition-free, virtual skills-training program to help small and medium sized B.C. businesses and eligible charitable organizations prepare for the digital marketplace. Applications are currently open.
• Launch Online Grant: Provides funding to create an online shop or an online booking system and/or improve existing online operations to expand and attract new customers. The grant will pay for up to 75% of eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $7,500. Non-profit organizations may be eligible if they meet existing eligibility criteria including having generated sales of more than $30,000 in the past year. Program intake is open until September 30, 2021 or until the funds have been fully subscribed.

Federal funding supports available to businesses and non-profits affected by COVID-19

The Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan provides a set of financial supports designed to help businesses and non-profits navigate the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Lockdown Support: The program provides a subsidy directly to eligible charities and non-profit organizations that have suffered a decrease in revenue to cover part of their commercial rent or property expenses. Organizations eligible for the base subsidy may also be eligible for lockdown support if their location is significantly affected by a public health order for a week or more. The program is open until September 25, 2021.
• Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS): Eligible Canadian employers who have seen a drop in revenue during the pandemic can apply for a subsidy to cover part of their employee wages. This program is open until September 25, 2021.
• Canada Recovery Hiring Program (CRHP): For eligible employers, including charities, and non-profits, that continue to experience qualifying declines in revenues relative to before the pandemic. Eligible employers would claim the higher of the existing Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy or this new program. The program will be available from June 6 to November 20, 2021.
• Employment Insurance (EI) Work Sharing Program: Provides EI benefits to workers who agree to reduce their normal working hours because of developments beyond the control of their employers. Non-profit employers experiencing a shortage of work due to COVID-19 are eligible to access the program. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all Work-Sharing agreements fall under the COVID-19 temporary special measures. The Government of Canada has extended these measures to September 26, 2021.

Communities at Risk: Security Infrastructure Program (SIP): Federal funding is available to not-for-profit organizations to support the implementation of projects to help communities with a demonstrated history of being victimized by hate-motivated crime through the enhancement of their security infrastructure. Applications open on July 28, 2021.

Economic news

June 23 – The Government of British Columbia is teaming up with Marianna Mazzucato, a world-renowned professor from University College London, to advise on the future of the economy as B.C. develops a long-term economic plan that will steer the province through the post-pandemic era. Read more

You can contact the Economic Plan Engagement Secretariat to provide input into the plan. 

June 9 – The B.C. government is investing $15 million in the Innovator Skills Initiative (ISI) to prioritize under-represented people in the technology sector. Read more

Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction news

May 29 – In celebration of British Columbia's fourth annual AccessAbility Week, people with disabilities will be supported through $500,000 in new community grants aimed at improving accessibility and inclusion. Read more

May 7 – People facing food insecurity in B.C. will benefit from new government funding for community-based programs. Read more

May 2 – Trevor Oram hadn’t anticipated his work as president of the BC Ferry and Marine Workers Union would prepare him for future work as a volunteer counsellor at Esquimalt Neighbourhood House Society (ENH). Read more

The B.C. government proclaimed March 2021 as Community Social Services Awareness Month, in appreciation of the hard work of the over 42,000 people who work in the community social services sector. These services are vital to the quality of life of all British Columbians. Community social service workers provide assistance to those who need it most. Read profiles of various agencies throughout the province.

Housing news

June 2 – The Province, through BC Housing, has partnered with the SAFERhome Standards Society to create a new certification program that will improve liveability and accessibility in existing and future public-housing buildings. Read more

Indigenous news

July 28 – The British Columbia government has allocated $12 million to support First Nations throughout B.C. with investigative work at former residential school sites, as well as cultural and wellness supports for communities and members experiencing trauma from residential school site findings. Read more

July 23 – The provincial government is extending the deadline for feedback on the draft action plan developed under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. Read more

July 21 – First Nations with former Indian Residential School and Indian Hospital sites in or near their communities can now access the B.C. residential school response fund, with the added support of two newly appointed First Nations liaisons. Read more

June 14 – About 90 Indigenous early childhood development programs are receiving up to $100,000 each to improve wellness for over 1,700 children through land-based cultural programming. Read more

June 3 – The National Action Plan, a path towards ending violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ peoples in response to the National Inquiry’s Calls for Justice has been released. Read more

Social Supports news

July 23 – People and communities throughout B.C. will have the on-the-ground support they need to respond to the overdose crisis and help save lives, with the addition of two new community action teams and additional support for existing teams. Read more

July 16 – British Columbians seeking mental health and substance use supports will have better access to quality services with the introduction of consistent, high-quality training resources for peer support workers throughout the province. Read more

July 14 – People in B.C. now have more support to start a career working with seniors and elders with the launch of the Home and Independent Living program. Read more

July 14 – More British Columbians now have access to free and low-cost support for mental health and substance-use challenges with expanded funding for community-based counselling programs, including virtual sessions, throughout the province. Read more

May 13 – People living in northern B.C. communities experiencing rapid economic growth will benefit from increased health, mental health and social services through new projects funded by the Northern Healthy Communities Fund. Read more

April 16 – More seniors and Elders in British Columbia will be able to maintain their independence and stay in their own homes as the Province funds an expansion of the United Way’s Better at Home program to serve more than a dozen new communities. Read more

April 8 – People and communities throughout B.C. will have increased capacity to address racism and discrimination, and build intercultural trust and understanding as more than 190 new projects have received support through the BC Multiculturalism Grants program. Read more

Families, Children and Youth news

July 23 – Young at-risk and unemployed British Columbians who are looking for help starting a career will receive a boost, thanks to a multi-year government investment in the BladeRunners program. Read more

July 21 – New changes to employment standards will better protect young people at work by raising the general working age in British Columbia from 12 to 16 and defining the types of jobs appropriate for those under 16. Read more

July 20 – The Province is accepting applications from licensed child care providers who want to give families child care for $10 a day or less. Read more

July 20 – Young people living with serious mental illness will benefit from expanded early psychosis treatment and supports in B.C. Read more

July 8 – More children, teens and young adults will gain better access to mental health support through an investment to expand Stigma-Free programs and a special mental health toolkit. Read more

June 2 – More families than ever are benefiting from better access to quality, affordable child care, thanks to the fastest creation of child care spaces in B.C.’s history. Read more

Environment news

May 19 – Turning plastics from old car batteries into new ones, developing artificial intelligence to sort plastics for recycling and supporting local micro-recycling facilities are among nine projects being funded under the CleanBC Plastics Action Fund. Read more