Quebec will compensate restaurants for closing their dining rooms on New Year’s Eve.
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They will be able to take advantage of an additional non-refundable financial contribution up to a maximum of $10,000 under the Aid Element for Businesses in Maximum Alert Regions (AERAM) to cover the costs of purchasing the non-perishable items.
This was announced by the Minister of Economy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, in a press release on Wednesday. “If this is not already done, I invite the restaurateurs who will benefit from this assistance to distribute, different food banks, foods that have not expired. The minister indicated that those in need are benefiting from it.
Remember, AERAM allows organizations targeted with closing orders to receive loan forgiveness of up to $15,000 per month (up to a maximum of 80% of the loan amount granted) in order to pay certain eligible fixed costs.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) welcomed Quebec’s announcement as “necessary” and “expected”.
Quebec Vice President Francois Vincent stated: “It was important for the government to respond, and this shows that it is aware of the scale of the losses caused by the closure of the dining rooms.”
