Small business owners who meet certain requirements and were impacted by the recent wildfire may be eligible for small business financial relief from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. RMWB has partnered with Economic Developers Alberta to provide $1,000 to eligible businesses which meet all of the program criteria. The financial assistance actually comes from the Canadian Red Cross and there are a number of eligibility requirements that a business must meet in order to qualify. The council approved the financial relief as part of the Business and Economic Disaster Recovery Plan, which placed a priority on financial relief for the small businesses that needed it most. Fort McMurray Mayor Melissa Blake “Our businesses are resilient, but the wildfires have affected our community profoundly. We know that they need financial assistance as they begin working through the recovery process, and I encourage all small business owners in the municipality to apply for this support.”

In order to qualify for small business financial relief from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo a business must have an RMWB business license which is currently active, and the business must be either headquartered or located within the municipality. Qualified businesses will also have fewer than 50 employees, but contractors do not count towards this number. Business owners who want to apply for the small business financial relief program can do so by registering their business with the RMWB Business Recovery Hotline, which can be reached by calling 1-855-RMWB-BIZ. Anyone who owns a small business which could be eligible for the program is encouraged to apply for financial assistance so that they can keep their business gong during the recovery process.