Together the Labrador North Chamber of Commerce (LNCC) and Labrador West Chamber of Commerce (LWC) are encouraging municipalities throughout Labrador to offer strong support to local businesses.

“Both the Labrador North and Labrador West Chambers of Commerce actively represent the business interests and needs of communities throughout Labrador and abroad,” says LWC Chairperson Toby Leon. “We continue to advocate on behalf of our members at all levels of government through the COVID-19 pandemic. While we are encouraged by ongoing conversations with municipalities, we are hopeful more will be done. Municipalities need to ensure our small businesses are priority and we encourage each to examine opportunities surrounding tax relief, policies and grant programs to support local economies.”

A number of municipalities across the province are offering tax deferrals and discounts for the next few months. While these measures are appreciated, businesses who were mandated to close their doors in mid-March and currently collecting no revenue will not have the cash flow or reserves to pay. Businesses need relief now to recover quickly once COVID-19 measures have been lifted.

The Labrador North and Labrador West Chambers are encouraging municipalities across Labrador to consider:

• Launching initiatives and releasing frequent communication encouraging residents to support local businesses;
• offering tax deferrals, including discounts, to businesses until at least September 30, 2020;
• offering tax relief (i.e. a tax holiday) for at least the months of March-May, 2020;
• and working closely with the Labrador North and Labrador West Chambers of Commerce to receive continual and direct feedback from Labrador businesses

“This is an unprecedented time and municipalities need to employ unprecedented measures to effectively respond to immediate local business needs,” says LNCC Chairperson Andy Turnbull. “Without strong support from Labrador municipalities, some of our local establishments will undoubtedly remain closed once mandatory closures are lifted. The current revenue losses coupled with tax payments and loan repayments will be too burdensome on our local businesses.”

Now more than ever, businesses in the region need to feel supported by all levels of government, as the responsibility to support Canadian businesses simply cannot fall on the shoulders of the federal government. It is imperative that all levels of government work together to coordinate assistance for our local businesses during this immensely challenging time.

The Labrador North and Labrador West Chambers look forward to continuing its conversations with local government officials and advocating on behalf of member businesses.

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Contacts:

Julianne Griffin, Chief Executive Officer
Labrador North Chamber of Commerce
(709) 896-8787
[email protected]

Brenda Armstrong, Office Manager
Labrador West Chamber of Commerce
(709) 944-3723
[email protected]