CORNWALL, Ontario – The Cornwall and Area Chamber of Commerce has announced its participation in Canada United, a national weekend dedicated to supporting small businesses.
RBC has coordinated with 50 of Canada’s leading brands, Business Associations and the national Chamber network to get Canadians to “show local some love” from Friday, Aug. 28 to Sunday, Aug. 30.
“The Cornwall & Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to partner with RBC and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce to help support our local businesses by encouraging people to shop or dine locally. Anything we can do to help our enterprises recover is essential,” said Shannon Lebrun, President of the Cornwall and Area Chamber of Commerce.
In addition to buying local, shopping local, and staying local, members of the community can also support local businesses by watching videos at GoCanadaUnited.ca, liking and sharing posts from the @GoCanadaUnited and using the #CanadaUnited hashtag to show their support.
Every time a video is watched, post is liked, or a #CanadaUnited hashtag shared, RBC will contribute five cents, up to a total contribution of $2 million, to the Canada United Small Business Relief Fund. This fund is also anticipated to grow with additional contributions from the various levels of government and other major businesses.
“We ask that folks participate in the social media campaign to help provide grants to our local entrepreneurs. By simply liking posts from @GoCanadaUnited or using #CanadaUnited to show your support of small businesses, you add 5 cents to the Canada United Small Business Relief Fund,” said Greg Pietersma, Executive Director of the Cornwall and Area Chamber of Commerce.
Small businesses will be able to apply to this fund managed by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and can receive a grant of up to $5,000 to help offset costs related to renovations, purchasing of personal protective equipment (PPE), and improving e-commerce capabilities. Application details can be found at GoCanadaUnited.ca
“Our small and local businesses need us right now. They’ve shown incredible resilience through the pandemic and now, they need our support to recover,” said Johanne Delves, Vice President Commercial Banking for Eastern Ontario, Royal Bank of Canada. “Canada United Weekend is a wonderful opportunity for every Canadian to show local businesses some love. Together with partners such as the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, we can make a difference and help move Canada’s recovery forward.”
