The COVID-19 pandemic affected many companies, and even today, entrepreneurs need support more than ever to get through this 2nd wave. To help them plan for the future, the Fonds d'aide et de relance régionale (FARR) has proved to be much more than just financing, but also the provision of concrete technical assistance, including the adaptation of technologies within companies. FARR 2.0 is just around the corner, and there's still time to embrace technology!
The Fonds d'aide et de relance régionale (FARR) supports businesses and self-employed workers who are unable to benefit from federal government support. Assistance is provided in the form of working capital of up to 40,000 $, or non-repayable contributions for technical assistance needs. In the first phase of the FARR, 25 companies in the Matawinie MRC shared 472,000 $.
With additional financial support in the amount of 352,000 $ allocated to each organization in the Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) and Business Development Centre (BDC) network, SADC Matawinie is more than ready to help entrepreneurs on its territory. "Over the past few months, SADCs and CAEs have once again demonstrated their crucial role: their local services, expertise and dynamism have enabled thousands of entrepreneurs to be better equipped for economic recovery," emphasizes Élisabeth Brière, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
20 companies also benefited from the FARR's Technical Assistance component. In total, more than 67,000 $ were paid out to Matawinie MRC businesses for technical assistance needs such as the adoption of e-commerce technologies, website optimization and the creation of transactional online stores, in order to compensate for the physical closure of businesses and remain accessible to customers.
For Jonathan Landreville, General Manager of SADC Matawinie, the assistance provided by the Fonds d'aide et de relance (FARR) has certainly helped to alleviate companies' liquidity problems, but it has also helped to alleviate some of the more technical and topical issues. "We were very proactive, right from the start of the pandemic. The entire SADC team was fully committed and worked hard to lend a hand to the companies affected. Going digital is one of the most important solutions for dealing with the current crisis, but also for the longer term. In many cases, if your company is present and well positioned on the web and enabling e-commerce, your company's health is in better shape than a company that isn't".
Monique Smismans, owner of Le Cheval Bleu inn in Saint-Alphonse-Rodriguez in the Lanaudière region, doesn't mince her words when it comes to the positive impact the FARR has had on her business: "We'd been wanting to improve our site for a long time, and even better, completely overhaul it, but with the compulsory closure of our business due to COVID-19, we were no longer in a position to carry out this project. Not even just an upgrade, let alone a complete overhaul. The FARR program and the SADC's help have really been an opportunity for Le Cheval Bleu; it couldn't have come at a better time. Thank you so much!"
With the help of SADC Matawinie, Monique Smismans was able to optimize her website by completely redesigning it and bringing it up to date.
FARR 2.0
The additional financial support granted under FARR 2.0 will be of particular help to those businesses most affected by the current crisis. Interested businesses can now contact SADC Matawinie for more information, to verify their eligibility and submit an application via www.matawinie.qc.ca or toll-free at 1-888-880-7824.