A message from the Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce:
This weekend shoppers in Gravenhurst will have the chance to bolster the local economy, discover some incredible finds and potentially win up to $10,000 in the process.
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce and Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce alongside the national chamber network, the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and more than 65 of Canada’s leading brands are rallying Canadians to “show local some love” by buying, dining, and shopping local.
There are things Gravenhurst residents can do to help. Shop local this weekend (and have a chance to win big prizes), view, like and share Canada United information they see on social media to help raise small business relief funds. The application for those funds to help businesses pay for costs incurred in operating business in this new COVID economy opens Aug. 31.
“Small businesses are cornerstones of our local economies and key to thriving communities—creating jobs, driving innovation, and generating wealth for Canadians. Our small business members have been hard hit by closures due to COVID-19. Local businesses have always been there for us and now need our support now more than ever,” said Sandy Lockhart, executive director of the Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce. “Small businesses across Gravenhurst and Muskoka have been heavily impacted by the pandemic and need our support right now.”
The Canada United Shopping Weekend is taking place from Aug. 28 to 30, celebrating small businesses – who have been the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic – in every corner of the country.
Over the course of the three days by shopping or dining at local eligible businesses, Canadians will also have access to exclusive offers and the chance to win big, such as the chance to enter to win 1 one of 25 prizes of $10,000 at gocanadaunited.ca/win.
Communities from coast to coast to coast have come together and proclaimed Aug. 28 to 30 as the official Canada United Shopping Weekend, encouraging residents to safely patronize and support small businesses in their communities.
“I encourage every Canadian and business to take part in Canada United Weekend and show local some love. Together, with the help of our incredible partners and chambers of commerce and boards of trade across the country, we can make a difference for local businesses and help move Canada’s recovery forward,” added Mike Dobbins, Chief Strategy & Development Officer, RBC.
Canadians can also show their support online by watching the Canada United videos at GoCanadaUnited.ca, liking posts from @GoCanadaUnited on social media and using #CanadaUnited to demonstrate their support.
For each of these actions until Aug. 31, RBC and partners have contributed 5 cents up to a maximum contribution amount of $2 million to the Canada United Small Business Relief Fund. The Fund will provide small businesses with grants of up to $5,000 to cover expenses related to personal protective equipment (PPE), renovations to accommodate re-opening guidelines and developing or improving e-commerce capabilities. Applications for the Canada United Small Business Relief Fund will be accepted starting on Aug. 31 at 1 p.m. Learn more about the Small Business Relief Fund here.
“By coming together in celebration of Canadians small businesses, we can come through this time stronger and more resilient than ever,” added Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.