The Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program (HASCAP) Guarantee is a COVID-19 relief program to help hardest-hit businesses from all sectors with additional financing.
Business Development Bank of Canada will provide a 100% net loss guarantee to increase these businesses’ ability to access additional liquidity. Proceeds of the loan (up to $1 million) are exclusively meant to fund the operational cash flow needs of the business and ensure a degree of continuity of operations.
The Government of Canada is taking immediate, significant and decisive action to help Canadians facing hardship as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. On March 18, 2020, the Prime Minister announced a new set of economic measures to help stabilize the economy during this challenging period. These measures, delivered as part of the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, will provide up to $27 billion in direct support to Canadian workers and businesses.
LEARN MORE ABOUT AVAILABLE SUPPORT FOR INDIVIDUALS
Cultural and recreation industries, which employ hundreds of thousands of Canadians, have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, being among the first to shut down and likely among the last to return to regular activities.
The Support for Workers in Live Arts and Music Sectors Fund is designed to:
The following organizations are eligible for funding:
Important: New applicants must first apply for regular funding under the BCAH Local Festivals component or the CAPF Development component. Please contact the Canadian Heritage regional office nearest you for more details on how to apply for regular funding under BCAH or the CAPF.
Eligible organizations are encouraged to partner with other organizations that may not be eligible to this initiative, in the planning and implementation of projects, in order to maximize reach and impact of the funding.
There is no deadline to apply for the Fund. Applications will be accepted on a continuous basis for projects to be carried out between April 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022.
Funding will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, until all funds are disbursed.
Eligible organizations are encouraged to apply before October 15, 2021, to ensure that the Department has sufficient time to assess their application and the applicant has enough time to carry out its project before March 31, 2022.
Benefits to help Canadians and businesses facing hardship as a result of the global COVID-19 outbreak.
The Canada Revenue Agency is adapting its Liaison Officer service to support small businesses and self-employed individuals during COVID-19. Liaison Officers will be available exclusively by phone to provide the key information that small businesses and self-employed individuals need most urgently, including filing and payment deadlines and proactive relief measures.
Events Nova Scotia staff at the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage have developed a number of guides and resources for those in the arts & culture sector and those involved with hosting or planning advanced focused on prevention and planning during COVID-19.
VIEW ARTS AND CULTURE SECTOR GUIDE TO WORKPLACE PREVENTION
VIEW FESTIVAL & EVENT PLANNING GUIDE
The NS Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage has developed guidelines to provide a framework to help arts, events and culture organizations and businesses develop plans to safely reopen. All businesses, organizations and employees need to follow the Health Protection Act Order and public health directives to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Each organization, event or business is responsible for creating a plan that outlines what they’re doing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Your plan needs to be customized for your organization. Consider how your organization can effectively control the spread of COVID-19. You may need to change workflows or how you interact with customers, artists, performers, suppliers and clients.
This document is designed to help you create a COVID-19 prevention plan and begin to offer services to the public.
This document includes examples of the types of information you should include but may not capture everything that applies to your situation. You know your venue, event and organization best.
The NS Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage has also developed a guideline document for organizations, performance venues, live theatres, event organizers, faith-based gatherings, cinemas and drive-in events. It is meant to help
reduce the risks related to COVID-19 and plan to adhere to public health guidelines.
VIEW COVID-19 PREVENTION GUIDE FOR EVENT ORGANIZERS, THEATRES, AND PERFORMANCE VENUES
Nova Scotia Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness Business Navigators are available to help businesses with any questions you may have. They can be reached Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm at 1-844-628-7347, or by email at BusNavigation@novascotia.ca.
LEARN MORE ABOUT NS BUSINESS NAVIGATORS
The Canada Council for the Arts has developed a resource page on their website to aid those in the creative sector.
The Canadian Network for Arts and Learning has developed a resource page on their website to aid those in the creative sector.
The Canada Media Fund has put together an information hub for Canada’s screen-based industries, as well as news from the CMF and information on the impact of COVID-19 on our industry. The page also includes an assistance programs directory.
Arts Nova Scotia has developed a resource page on their website to aid those in the creative sector.
Visual Arts Nova Scotia has developed a resource page on their website to aid those in the creative sector.
The Event Safety Alliance had developed a Reopening Guide as a collective work by event industry professionals to help its peers who are planning to reopen during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
With the support of the Cape Breton Partnership, 16 creative sector organizations have created this video campaign to advocate for the importance of ongoing support for arts and culture during the COVID-19 pandemic and in its aftermath. The initiative is intended to spur public and political action that will protect the creative sector, which is still in critical need of support in order to overcome the impacts of COVID-19. This video emphasizes the pandemic’s particularly devastating effect on arts and culture. Employment data from Statistics Canada shows that the creative sector is the furthest sector from recovery and has been the hardest hit throughout the pandemic. Many of the existing supports are not sufficient to meet the diverse needs of artists and creative organizations. While most sectors are entering a recovery period, the culture sector is still struggling to survive. Please share this and please join us in supporting the arts in Cape Breton and beyond.