Brampton recently secured $945,000 from the My Main Street program to help six main street areas recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The investment will provide a dedicated Main Street Ambassador to support small businesses in each of the six main street areas, and the communities will also be given customized market research, data analysis and non-repayable funding contributions to support new and existing small businesses.
The Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario allotted $23.25 million to the Canadian Urban Institute and the Economic Developers Council of Ontario to establish the My Main Street program.
The six main street areas that the program will cover are Downtown, Uptown, Mount Pleasant, Bramalea GO, Kennedy Road from Glidden Road to Orenda Court, and three neighbourhoods along Queen Street (from Centre Street to Highway 410, from Bramalea Road to Dixie Road and from Torbram Road to CN Rail Line).
This map highlights the six areas targeted by the My Main Street program. The areas are Downtown, Uptown, Mount Pleasant, Bramalea GO, Kennedy Road (from Glidden Road to Orenda Court, and three separate areas along Queen Street (from Centre Street to Highway 410, from Bramalea Road to Dixie Road, and Torbram Road to CN rail line).
“From my understanding, the investment will help pay for the salary of the six Main Street Ambassadors who will only be under contract over the course of the program,” said Teagan Pecowskie-Schweir, the membership and special projects coordinator for Downtown Brampton BIA.
The program will be implemented over two years.
“They would be reaching out to the businesses in those areas, ensuring they’re able to receive support by making sure they’re being emailed and hopefully they develop a solid business relationship,” she said.
Pecowskie-Schweir told Humber News the Main Street Ambassadors will be working with the Brampton Entrepreneur Centre to hold various online seminars to assist older and new business owners find ways to gain new customers or assist in applying for other grants or funding.
Some small business owners in Brampton have yet to learn about the My Main Street program or don’t know how the process will work.
“I had read the headline in an email from the BIA which indicated that it was a revitalization program,” said Scott Upshall, owner of the Little Shop of Ice Cream in the Downtown area. “Had I continued down the page I would have found info on financial benefits for my business, a missed opportunity on my part.”
Blake Murdoch, owner of We Got Games within Shoppers World Mall in the Uptown area of Brampton, said he heard of the program, but he doesn’t know any of the details.
Murdoch said he hopes the program will help save more businesses from closing.
“All these stores need more traffic, so whatever they’re doing, we need more traffic” he said. “I think that’s what it all comes down to is getting more customers.
“COVID-19 has killed a lot of businesses down here,” Murdoch said.
Elizabeth Cole, an 84-year-old retired registered nurse, said she used to own a laundromat on Queen Street until late last year when the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to close.
Cole said she was a little relieved since she had a number of broken machines that would have cost too much to replace. She’s back in business, taking over Bubbles Laundromat in the Kennedy Road area at the beginning of February.
“I never heard of this My Main Street program, but I’m hoping to get some type of financial aid to help me change the name of this laundromat to Coin Laundry and to help with repairs,” she said.
Brampton and Brampton Entrepreneur Centre did not respond to any questions.