The results from the recent COVID-19 island business survey have alarmed many in the business community including executive director of the Salt Spring Chamber of Commerce, Jessica Harkema. The response and recovery survey, a joint initiative of the Salt Spring Chamber of Commerce and the Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC), was sent to local businesses to gauge how the pandemic is impacting business. Harkema expected bad news, but the scale of challenges presented by local businesses was more than she anticipated. “Almost 60% of the businesses who responded to our survey are very experienced.  They know how to run a business – in normal times at least. But the pandemic has thrown many business owners into deep waters,” says Harkema. The survey garnered close to 100 responses and asked businesses a range of questions, such as whether or not they will be able to restart once the pandemic recedes.  About half of the respondents said they would reopen, but…

Salt Spring Island and its residents have a long history of happily welcoming thousands of visitors all year around. We are proud of our safe community and love sharing it with people from around the world. Given the situation, we ask that you stay safely in your home to help our island, province and country deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Our community, like other small communities, has very limited resources to deal with the pandemic. It is important that our essential services are not overwhelmed by an added risk from an influx of visitors. Salt Spring Island will be here when it’s over. We are working hard to make sure that the wonderful shops, restaurants, cafes, artisans, farmers, tour companies, accommodations and adventure operators that make Salt Spring what it is, are able to open again. We need to ensure that our businesses, their owners, their employees, and all community members remain safe and healthy so that they can offer you the world-class service that the…

Valued members, For as long as COVID-19 remains a concern in Canada, we encourage you to take full advantage of our online and mobile banking services, and/or call our Member Advice Centre at 1-888-597-1083 as opposed to visiting our branch in-person. We have outstanding online, mobile and telephone-based banking services to meet your financial needs. In an effort to reduce the potential spread of the COVID-19 virus we are also asking our staff members to stay home who: *are experiencing any symptoms of illness, *have anyone in their family who has recently travelled internationally *have been in contact with anyone who has been diagnosed or being tested for COVID -19. With the reduced staffing levels we will be changing our hours of operations across the organization from Mon-Thurs 9:30am-2:30pm and Fri 9:30am-4:00pm. This will take effect on March 17, 2020. Thank you for understanding. Editorial Note: Read all official, current and ongoing updates on COVID-1…

Social distancing, cancelled events, self-isolation,and working from home are supposed to help “lower the curve” of the spread of COVID-19, but it is likely to leave our local small businesses suffering. Without discounting the importance of public health and safety, it is also important to recognize that small businesses are going to need help to get through the pandemic. Unfortunately, the virus hits us at a tough time for business on Salt Spring, especially those that depend on the seasonal influx of visitors. Businesses are typically ramping up to welcome visitors to the island, whereas now they are trying to figure out how to keep their staff employed, pay rent, keep the lights on and their doors open. The Federal Governments announced a Small and Medium Business aid package, however we are unsure what that will look like for local businesses. In turn, individuals can definitely do their part. Here are a few things we can all do to get our small business through t…