All small businesses throughout BC have to deal with the threat of vandalism as a possibility.
In Victoria alone, the last few years have seen an uptick in downtown businesses being vandalized in many different ways.
Even just over Halloween weekend, the Pizza Hut located at 890 Esquimalt Road had several of their windows broken and along that street, new spray painted graffiti has emerged.
Amid this uptick of vandalism in Victoria, the Province has announced that as of next month, small businesses will be able to apply for funding for both prevention and recovery.
“Small businesses are the foundation of BC’s economy, and we are taking action to maintain a thriving business community,” said Brenda Bailey, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation.
“Supporting small businesses with this rebate helps provide some relief for the costs they’ve taken on through no fault of their own.”
The Province is committing $10.5 million to this funding which will be open for applications on November 22nd.
Business owners that would like a piece of that funding can apply for $2,000 for recovery from vandalism that has taken place at their business and $1,000 for future vandalism prevention.
The Province says that applications will be retroactive from January 1st, 2023, so costs incurred by businesses to deal with vandalism over all of this year will qualify for funding.
“As a business owner, the costs of property damage have been very frustrating and I’m glad to see government support on the way,” said Vince Marino, owner, Junction Public House in Vancouver.
“This new rebate is a great step forward and will be very appreciated by small business owners throughout BC.”
This funding will be given to businesses on a first-come, first-serve basis for those who are eligible.
For those looking for prevention measures, BC says that all eligible prevention must include security cameras or gates.
Eligible vandalism repair costs will include replacing broken glass and removing graffiti.
All funding will be disbursed through the BC Chamber of Commerce.
