The Yellowknife Racquet Club is awarded $10,000 to help combat the effects of COVID-19, through the Canadian Business Resilience Network Small Business Relief Fund.
“We are just so happy to be open, that money will definitely be put to good use. If a second wave hits and we need to close down again, we will be more prepared,” says Devin Madsen, co-manager for the Racquet Club.
With over 1,100 applicants, the CBRN small business relief fund will distribute $620,000 to 62 businesses that have endured the most financial strain.
In a press release, Perrin Beatty, president and CEO, of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce said, “We saw how seriously small businesses across Canada have been hurt by the pandemic, but we also saw how determined these entrepreneurs are to preserve their employees’ jobs and to serve their customers and their communities.”
According to its website, businesses can use the $10,000 grant to pay salaries, buy safety and PPE equipment and/or pay for the necessary measures to cope with the economic impact of COVID-19.
In an interview with CKLB radio, Kelli Ann McKim, owner and general manager of the Racquet Club explains the impact and influence the club has on the community.
“We are more than a gym, the fact that we are a community within a community is important, and not having this space will leave a major hole in the city,” says Kelli Ann McKim.
She adds the money will be used as a safety net moving forward into winter and to help offset all the extra protocol costs that COVID-19 brought with it.
The grant will be used to hire more cleaning staff, purchase additional cleaning supplies, pay the bills, and keep up with the new COVID-19 protocols.
