Leeds and Grenville are receiving a Digital Main Street grant to help main street small businesses use digital tools more effectively.
The announcement was made on Friday that thirteen municipalities have collaborated with the leadership of the United Counties to receive a $127,345 grant to fund Digital Service Squads.
The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville will coordinate a squad on behalf of Athens, Elizabethtown-Kitley, Front of Yonge, Merrickville-Wolford, Rideau Lakes and Westport; in partnership with Leeds and the Thousand Islands and Gananoque, Prescott, Augusta and Edwardsburgh Cardinal, North Grenville, and Brockville.
The Municipality of North Grenville and the Old Town Kemptville BIA have received a $19,095 grant from Digital Main Street Ontario.
Mayor Nancy Peckford thanks the federal and provincial government for supporting the Digital Main Street initiative on behalf of council.
“This will allow the Municipality of North Grenville to hire two short-term positions to support local businesses with their online presence and access to funding for Old Town Kemptville BIA and rural main street businesses.”
Will Pearl, Vice Chair of the Old Town Kemptville BIA Board of Management, says the Old Town Kemptville BIA is thrilled to see the program return as last year’s Digital Service Squad program leveraged almost $40,000 in grant funding for Old Town Kemptville BIA businesses.
Leeds and Grenville says five squads will help area small downtown businesses across the region.
The Digital Service Squads have trained specialists who help small businesses improve their online presence, at no cost. Funding for the grant is provided by FedDev Ontario, a federal program.
Pat Sayeau, Warden of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, says providing options for the local business community to remain sustainable during this economic crisis is more important than ever.
“By being able to offer our small main street businesses free one-on-one assistance, we are giving the ability to gain the necessary resources to grow their online presence and stay competitive in today’s digital world.”
Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes MPP Steve Clark says he is pleased their government is helping to fund the Digital Main Street Ontario program as part of their ongoing efforts to support small businesses as the province’s economy continues to recover.
“The collaboration between local municipalities and the federal and provincial governments on projects like this one in Leeds Grenville is critical to helping businesses modernize and reach new markets.”
Kay Matthews, executive director of the Ontario Business Improvement Area Association (OBIAA), says Digital Main Street is needed more than ever as the pandemic hit Ontario’s main streets hard.
“We know that businesses that participated in Digital Main Street last year were better able to cope when the pandemic hit, and we’re excited that FedDev Ontario and MEDJCT are providing the funding to extend this important program to help businesses across the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville.”
Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario congratulates the municipalities partnering in Leeds and Grenville on this initiative.
For more information about the program, visit the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville website.