Council urged to extend grant program for businesses slammed by water restrictions

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A federation that represents 2,000 of Calgary’s small businesses is calling on city council to expand a grant program that provides economic relief to storefronts that are impacted by city-led construction projects in two inner-city neighbourhoods.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) sent a letter to Mayor Jyoti Gondek and council on Tuesday requesting they approve an extension of the Main Streets Business Support Grant, to give some respite to businesses facing hardships as a result of the June 5 rupture of the Bearspaw south feeder main.

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That incident has led to nearly three months of outdoor watering restrictions that have had a detrimental impact on the bottom lines of many companies, according to CFIB’s letter, which warns that returning to Stage 4 outdoor watering restrictions on Aug. 26 to undertake 21 more repairs along the water main will “further strain” the city’s small businesses.

“While small businesses recognize the critical importance of maintaining municipal infrastructure, especially in ensuring the delivery of essential services like water, the disruptions caused by such work can have severe repercussions on their operations,” a portion of the letter states.

“Businesses in parts of northwest Calgary have already endured disruptions due to previous construction on the water main, and the planned work is expected to exacerbate these challenges.”

Approved by city council’s infrastructure and planning committee earlier this year, the Main Streets Business Support Grant is a pilot program to provide a one-time, lump sum payment of $5,000 to eligible businesses disrupted by road work in Marda Loop and Bridgeland.

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The grants are available to 146 businesses in Marda Loop and 80 in Bridgeland at a total grant cost of $1.13 million to the city.

Keyli Loeppke, CFIB’s director of Alberta and inter-provincial affairs, said Calgary’s water main crisis has had a significant impact on businesses, both those in the immediate vicinity of the busted water main, and those whose operations have been hindered by water restrictions.

“The impacts on small businesses are real, whether it’s construction, like we’re seeing in Marda Loop or Bridgeland, or these pop-up surprise issues that keep happening with the water main,” she told Postmedia on Tuesday.

“City council and city hall need to be sensitive to the fact this is disruptive to businesses and provide some sort of mitigation in that sense.”

Asked about a possible extension of the grant during Tuesday’s afternoon update on the water crisis, city officials said the decision would be up to council, rather than administration.

Feeder main repairs

“It is a council decision, so it’s something we would have to take to council and get their direction, in terms of using a mechanism like that,” said Francois Bouchart, the city’s director of infrastructure and capital projects.

Bouchart said the city is looking at various other ways to support local businesses and come up with contingency plans to minimize disruptions during the upcoming repairs.

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