Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the Town of Ponoka Albert Flootman spoke to the Ponoka and District Chamber of Commerce members via a Zoom call on June 16.
During the call, Flootman commended the chamber for all the work it has done to support its members over the last three months with limited resources, such as teleconferences with the local MLA Ron Orr, and listing resources on their website.
Flootman outlined the town’s proposed Economic Resilience Action Plan for those on the call.
“It’s still a draft, it still needs refining, and I think our targets are going to shift rapidly as we move forward,” he said.
Town administration presented a draft of the plan to council on June 9. The action plan has three main themes: lead, communicate and champion.
The plan proposes to support local businesses in those areas by helping them to develop or strengthen their online presence, support business retention and expansion, and focus on marketing.
The town is looking into different options for online shopping. Flootman says a combination of online and in-person shopping options may a good choice for businesses.
“People actually like to shop online and then pick up in store a lot of the time. If they do that, they’re going to be shopping in the store as well … major retailers see it as synergistic and I think if we can find the right tools for our local, small retailers, I think we might find it synergistic as well.”
Flootman mentioned that Ponoka New’s 2020 Visitors Guide is taking on a new theme this year, to encourage local shopping rather than being tourism-specific.
There has been more local shopping lately with people wanting to avoid larger centres such as Edmonton or Red Deer, and the town is looking at ways to keep it that way, says Flootman.
The town has previously implemented a number of measures meant to provide relief to residents and businesses since COVID-19 shutdowns began, such as utility payment deferrals, tax penalty waivers for 2020 taxes, and school tax deferrals, as well as a zero municipal property tax increase for 2020.
Other speakers included representatives from the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and Community Futures.
BDC
BDC has a number of financing options for all levels of business.
There are temporary eligibility guidelines in place that have been adjusted for the current circumstances that involve less restrictions. Businesses can apply online at www.bdc.ca.
Community Futures
Community Futures is a federally funded, community-driven, non-profit organization that participates in local economic development. Its primary focus is to support entrepreneurship.
For more information, visit eastparkland.albertacf.com.
Chamber news
Chamber executive secretary Heather Bendera provided an update on government supports to the members on the call.
The federal government announced on June 16 that it will be extending CERB by eight weeks, and the provincial government is expected to announce further protection for renters soon.
Members have until the end of the month to submit their video clip or graphic to the Ponoka Proud campaign, which is meant to “spark interest in businesses” and give them some exposure, says Bendera.
President Barry Grant stated that the chamber’s business awards usually take place in October, and this year they will be different, and two different scenarios are being planned for.
It may not be a live event, but the chamber will go forward with nominations, voting and award presentations.
The call was the chamber’s last general meeting until September.