January 28th, 2020 – The Township of Wellington North received a $10,000 grant from Digital Main Street to fund a Digital Service Squad team to help downtown small businesses across the Township improve their online capabilities.
“We are excited by this opportunity to be able to assist main street small businesses” said Dale Small Economic
Development Officer for the Township of Wellington North. “A vibrant downtown is key to a strong community and
because of this grant we will be able to provide our businesses with the opportunity to take advantage of trained
specialists who can teach them how to use new technologies and provide tools and training in order to stay
competitive in today’s digital world.”
Wellington North received the grant from the Ontario government as part of the Digital Main Street program to
establish a Digital Service Squad to help small businesses in the downtown areas of the Township enhance
their use of digital tools and techniques to better evolve and grow. The Digital Service Squad will consist of trained specialists who will visit and assist main street small businesses at no cost to help them set up Google Business and conduct a digital-readiness assessment.
“Our government is committed to helping small businesses improve their competitiveness, create jobs and attract
investment,” said Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “That’s why I’m so pleased that
businesses in the Township of Wellington North will benefit from the expertise of a Digital Service Squad to help
small businesses embrace digital technology. Our investment in the Digital Main Street program will help to ensure that Ontario is open for business and open for jobs.”
“Gaining the experience necessary to compete in the digital age is a key to success,” said Randy Pettapiece, MPP for
Perth – Wellington. “Businesses in the township will receive hands-on training from the Digital Service Squad to help build their online presence.”
A joint program funded by Government of Ontario and delivered by the Ontario BIA Association, Digital Main
Street helps improve how small main street businesses use digital tools and techniques to become more successful.
Today’s digital economy is vital to small businesses, and Digital Main Street will help them adopt new digital technologies from e-commerce and social media to back-office systems such as payroll and inventory.
“The Township of Wellington North is playing an important role in helping downtown small businesses in the
municipality take advantage of Digital Main Street and digital technologies,” said Kay Matthews, Executive Director of the Ontario BIA Association. “Our small main street businesses are a critical contributor to Ontario’s economic, social and cultural health, and it’s vital that we work together to ensure their success. Digital Main Street will help the downtown businesses of Wellington North compete in an increasingly digital world.”
This is just one example of how Business Improvements Areas (BIAs) across Ontario have received Digital Main Street grant funding to support their local businesses. The grants are no longer available (ended December 31, 2019), though BIAs and storefront businesses across Ontario can still access Digital Main Street’s complimentary digital assessments, virtual training and in-person workshops. Info here: https://digitalmainstreet.ca/ontario/
Watch this testimonial of how Digital Main Street’s resources helped a storefront small business boost their digital performance and overall business growth.
