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The Halifax Chamber of Commerce’s pandemic webinar series continues this week with two more free webinars:

“Working with your Financial Institution during COVID-19”
Presented By: Kellie Sauriol, RBC.
Date: Wednesday, April 15
Time: 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Price: FREE
Click here for more information or to register.

“Business Planning Through A Crisis”
Presented By: Sean Stuart and Robert Dean of MNP LLP.
Date: Thursday, April 16
Time: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Price: FREE
Click here for more information or to register.

Highlights:

• Nova Scotia reported its third COVID-related death. As of April 13, 2020, there are 474 confirmed cases in the province.
• 211 has launched a new service to connect people needing COVID-19 assistance with the Canadian Red Cross. The Red Cross will act as a navigator to link people to the services they need. The Red Cross will also offer wellness check-ins for Nova Scotians who are isolated and experiencing loneliness and anxiety
• Payment for more than 480 small-business fees will be deferred until June 30 to keep cash in small business hands
• Applications are now open for the $40 million Worker Emergency Bridge Fund and Small Business Impact Grant as of Friday, April 10. Seehttps://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/#support  for more information.

Innovacorp has provided two of its investment portfolio companies, Securicy and LeadSift, $50,000 each to help them and their clients navigate the COVID-19 situation. 

Securicy in Sydney will use the funds to deliver a free IT security offering to Nova Scotia small businesses, particularly those that can benefit from the company’s new offering for remote employees. Halifax-based LeadSift will use the funds to offer a free sales lead data analytics solution to local small businesses in the B2B market, who will be increasingly reliant on such a tool given reduced sales-related travel

Click here to access Innovacorp’s full list of resources for entrepreneurs.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)released its fourth update on its national online survey.  Launched on April 3, the survey now has 10,550 responses. 

• The average cost of COVID-19 on small business so far is $214,915.
• Results indicated that 65% of small businesses nationally pay rent. At 19%, Nova Scotia had more businesses with signed agreements with their landlord than in any other province. 
• The provincial Rent Deferral Guarantee program received significant participation. As of the April 5 deadline, 379 landlords have registered, representing 1157 tenants. In total, $10,715,698 in rent has been deferred. 
• Respondents to the CFIB survey were also asked how their provincial government was doing in providing support — Nova Scotia rated as tied for second in providing support for small business.  

Click here to access the latest CFIB survey results from “Your Business and COVID-19”.