It’s been a tough stretch for our business community, there is no doubt. Closures, forced restrictions, new rules to cope with; all of these have contributed to some hardships for business owners and employees.
To all of our business owners, are you aware of the programs that are available to you to help with improvements to your business? The Township of South Stormont, as well as the United Counties of SDG have programs that are designed to provide financial incentives to help with physical improvements to your business, or to assist with planning events that will attract visitors to SDG.
Firstly, the Township of South Stormont has the Community Improvement Program (CIP), which helps businesses with physical improvements to their building and/or landscaping. Things like façade or signage improvements, building renovations, landscaping elements, and planning/building permit fees can all be eligible for up to 50% funding. Currently, the Township CIP is eligible for businesses within specific locations throughout the Township. A review of the program is underway, however, and we expect to have a number of improvements to the program for 2022, including making the entire Township eligible for the program. Stay tuned for more information and how you can provide your input on the review process.
The United Counties also have two programs designed to help our local businesses and community groups. First, is the Regional Incentives Program (RIP), which operates similarly to the Township CIP, funding similar projects. The programs are even eligible to work together to maximize funding availability, however they cannot be used to fund the same piece of the development project.
The second funding program offered by the United Counties is the Regional Tourism Grant. This program can offer tourism businesses or organizations anywhere from $2500 – $5000 to help existing businesses increase visitation to SDG for special events or attractions.
Each of the programs offered by your local government bodies is a commitment to helping our business community with a Hand Up, not a handout. The Township CIP is currently open for application, while the United Counties programs are expected to re-open early 2022.
Given the struggles of the past 2 years, I want to encourage our businesses to reach out to the Township Economic Development and Communications Coordinator to discuss your project and begin the application process to ensure the most competitive applications are submitted.
Byran McGillis,
Mayor of South Stormont