Federal funding promises for business suffering under Covid-19 have been numerous but the details are sometimes SA国际影视传媒渧ery confusingSA国际影视传媒� and not always what they seem on the surface, said Valter Botelho-Resendes, executive director of the Kitikmeot Chamber of Commerce.

SA国际影视传媒淭he promises of funding are made public via the direct-to-public press conferences daily, then sometimes hours later the reality of what was promised comes out with the many stipulations and pre-requisites of the businesses situations,SA国际影视传媒� Botelho-Resendes stated.

The Kitikmeot Chamber has members who are calculating losses in the millions of dollars due to the pandemic, he noted. Some new start-ups have revenues of more than $200,000 but they fail to qualify for assistance because they don't have tax reports prior to October 2019, he explained.

SA国际影视传媒淲hy didnSA国际影视传媒檛 the government simply create a one-step funding system?SA国际影视传媒� Botelho-Resendes asked. SA国际影视传媒淢any (chamber) members are applying over and over (answering) virtually the same application questions, just to many different agencies of the federal government... the application process feels like a black hole with no end in sight.

Victor Tootoo, president of the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce, said some federal programs are helpful, such as the Canada Emergency Business Account, which extends a $40,000 line of credit with $10,000 of that forgivable if paid off by December.

The Government of Canada's recently-announced Northern Business Relief Fund is SA国际影视传媒減romisingSA国际影视传媒� as it will help with fixed costs for four months but no cash is flowing from that initiative yet, he noted.

What he found most disappointing is the federal wage subsidy program.

SA国际影视传媒淚t doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 really help with cash flow as it only allows you to deduct the federal income tax component of the business's regular payroll remittances. With theses subsidies, it will take over a year for the business to realize the total benefit available. By then, there may no longer be a business,SA国际影视传媒� said Tootoo. SA国际影视传媒淚 realize the government canSA国际影视传媒檛 fully fund all the economic needs of all businesses hit by this pandemic, but something that provides an assistance to cash flow for payroll would have been better than the current structure of these wage subsidies.SA国际影视传媒�

The Government of Nunavut's $5,000 Small Business Support Program involves SA国际影视传媒渙nerousSA国际影视传媒� paperwork and Tootoo wasn't sure how many businesses would qualify.

Likewise, he said the Qikiqtani Inuit Association/Kakivak Association's business relief fund SA国际影视传媒渨ill help some small business owners but not all.SA国际影视传媒�

Botelho-Resendes added that it's unreasonable for the federal government to expect commercial landlords to forgive 25 per cent of rent.

SA国际影视传媒淲hy on Earth would a landlord do that? Many of our members are commercial landlords and, yes, maybe the banks have given them some leeway on payments for now but at some point they will have to pay those mortgages,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淭hey simply canSA国际影视传媒檛 afford loses as some are huge rental amounts a month.SA国际影视传媒�

There's also a tax burden that lies down the road for hard-hit business that access government aid programs, Botelho-Resendes said.