The City of Terrace has announced a new member in the fight against the economic impacts of COVID-19.
In an April 2 announcement the City said the COVID-19 Community Economic Response Team would be focused on three areas: listening to and gathering local information from local businesses on what resources they need to help weather the economical storm, information sharing and advocating for local business on a provincial and federal level.
The team is a collaboration between the Terrace and District Chamber of Commerce (TDCC), Community Futures 16/37, Kermodei Tourism, and the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine, with input from the Terrace Downtown Improvement Association.
“Instead of working individually in small teams, we’re working together to share the workload and make sure the whole business community in Terrace has the opportunity to learn about the resources available to them and have their voices heard by different levels of government,” said TDCC president Tom Keller.
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Multiple members of the team have connections with provincial and federal-level bodies of government and are hoping to advocate challenges and concerns from the local business communities up those channels.
Terrace’s mayor Carol Leclerc said the plan comes at a time where news is rapidly changing and the team will act as a resource and support system for businesses during the critical time.
“As information, resources, and local business needs change, our team is quick to adapt to help where we are needed most.”
To help gather information on the resources local businesses need most, the team has sent out a survey on social media and are encouraging local businesses to fill it out at: https://www.terrace.ca/covid19/biz.
Among other things, the results of that survey will be used to inform customers on how they can continue to support their local businesses through modified means of purchasing goods.
According to a recent report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Canadian unemployment could reach as high as 13.5 per cent, which would be the highest it’s been since the Second World War.
Currently over one million Canadians have applied for unemployment benefits as a direct result of the virus, while a recent Angus Reid survey found just under 50 per cent of households have had a member lose a job or see reduced hours as a result.
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