FIONA FAMULAK
BRITISH COLUMBIA – With BC businesses increasingly faced with pricy repairs to their buildings and operations from crime and vandalism, the provincial government has introduced a $10.5 million Securing Small Business Rebate Program, retroactive to January 1, 2023.
Starting this fall, the Province will support small businesses in recovering expenses incurred after experiencing property damage due to crime and vandalism, and to recoup expenses after taking measures to prevent vandalism. The program will be available on an application basis and businesses be able to apply for as much as $2,000 per business for the cost of repairs due to vandalism, and up to $1,000 for vandalism prevention.
Prevention measures eligible for funding could include security cameras or gates, and the costs of broken glass and graffiti cleaning are eligible under the vandalism repairs criteria. Information about how businesses can apply for funding is expected to be made available in the fall and communicated through local chambers of commerce, boards of trade and business improvement areas to ensure business owners can get funding as soon as possible.
“Recently, businesses of all types have seen an increase in costs to repair damage caused by vandalism, much of it due to the complex issues that communities across the province are facing,” says Fiona Famulak, president and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce. “Many business owners have invested in preventative measures to protect their assets and maintain a safe environment for staff and customers. The BC Chamber of Commerce welcomes today’s (July 27) announcement to establish a program to help offset the costs businesses face as a result of property crime.”
Carol Lee, owner of Chinatown BBQ in Vancouver, states “As a business owner, I understand that the issues that face downtowns in Vancouver and in the rest of our province are complex. We know there is work being done to address the root causes of crime, but providing new funding to help cover the costs of vandalism will go a long way for businesses like mine so we can keep serving our communities.”
Business Examiner Staff
