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  • Writer's pictureBrandon Plant

The Event Industry is Dying, Here's What The Government Is Doing About It

Updated: Dec 22, 2021

The event industry is the forgotten middle child amongst the industries suffering due to nationwide lockdown measures.


A screenshot of Mayor Jim Watson during an interview
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson during a virtual Zoom interview. (Brandon Plant)

Everyone remembers their wedding day, Bar Mitzvah, or any other rite of passage. These are special days in our lives and the global pandemic has forced the event industry, amongst many others, to shut its doors as lockdowns went into effect nationwide. This occurred because several government officials, of all levels of government, argued that shutting down non-essential businesses would help limit the spread of COVID-19.


The event industry has arguably been the most affected by these lockdowns, as these businesses rely on people attending large gatherings. Which of course is just not possible right now.


“The event industry has clearly taken an astronomical hit, as the prices to host an event have skyrocketed.”
Sabrina Bercovitch, Chiropractor

Michael Wood is one of the founders of Ottawa Special Events, an event company in the nation’s capital. He believes that the governments must do more to help businesses during these lengthy lockdowns.


“I think the province needs to do more than just a one time grant of $20,000,” he said, while discussing the Ontario Small Business Support Grant. “There needs to be something put in place for the hardest hit industries. The federal government has done this, but it is a loan at 4% interest.”


“We have been lenient on giving these businesses time to pay their taxes due to their cash flow issues.”
Jim Watson, Mayor of Ottawa

The federal government program Michael Wood is alluding to here is called the Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program (HASCAP). The program is for Canadian small businesses who have lost 50% of their revenue or more.


Michael Wood alluded to some issues with HASCAP however “Businesses that have lost 85% or more of their revenue by no fault of their own need to have the government implement special grants or programs to help us out. They need to help us.”


While the municipal government of Ottawa is unable to do much in regards to alleviating financial stress on these businesses, Mayor Jim Watson has said he’s done what he can to limit the devastating financial impact of these lockdowns.


“We have offered a tax deferral program for businesses. We received around 2,000 applications from businesses around the city,” said Mayor Watson. “We have been lenient on giving these businesses time to pay their taxes due to their cash flow issues.”


Sabrina Bercovitch, a chiropractor and small business owner, has a daughter who this year was supposed to celebrate her Bat Mitzvah, but because of the lockdown measures, those plans were postponed. “We don’t want to hold a Bat Mitzvah through Zoom, we want a regular event with all our loved ones,” she explained. “The event industry has clearly taken an astronomical hit, as the prices to host an event have skyrocketed.”


So while Mayor Jim Watson says he has done as much as he can to provide relief to the event industry, it is clear that the provincial and federal government must step up to help these businesses in a more substantial way, as Michael Wood has mentioned, before the industry collapses entirely.


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