The Province is making changes to offer a smoother and faster application process to help businesses access funding to offset the costs to repair and prevent vandalism to businesses, in consultation with the BC Chamber of Commerce.

“When I became aware of the challenges some businesses were having in applying for the program, I immediately connected with the BC Chamber of Commerce and small business owners to hear their concerns,” said Brenda Bailey, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation. “Our goal is to get the money out the door and in the pockets of our hard-working small business owners, so we are taking action on the issues being raised and taking steps to make changes to the application process.”

After working with the business community and the BC Chamber of Commerce, the Province is making changes to the Securing Small Business Rebate Program, which will come into effect in the coming weeks.

Updates to the application process will include:

• Removing the requirement to provide an insurance claim when applying for funding through the reparative stream of the program. Applicants will now simply be required to provide the name of their insurance carrier and policy number.
• Permitting self-installation of measures. If equipment is self-installed, the rebate will be for eligible equipment only.
• Removing the requirement for the applicant to demonstrate there is vandalism in the community in order to be eligible for the preventative rebate.
• Removing the application deadline of Feb. 29, 2024, for preventative and reparative applications being filed for 2023. Applications will be accepted until the program ends in 2025.

The BC Chamber of Commerce is expediting the changes to the application portal now to ensure the $10.5 million to support small businesses can be used to offset the costs some businesses are facing due to vandalism.