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5 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,F ebruary 11,2021 theifp.ca LEATHERTOWN LUMBER INC. CALL US FOR DELIVERY OPTIONS! LEATHERTOWN LUMBER IS YOUR SOURCE FOR INTERIOR TRIM AND PAINT HAPPY FAMILY DAY • CLOSED MONDAY FEBRUARY 15 Your trusted building & hardware supply partner Mon-Fri 8am - 4pm, Saturday 8am - 4pm Closed Sunday *Some conditions may apply. We've got comfort food cravings covered. Get your FREE Menu 289-409-0050 HeartToHomeMeals.ca Choose from hundreds of delicious fall and winter comfort food classics - all with free delivery.* *Some conditions may apply. Made for Seniors The results are in -- the Digital Main Street pro- gram helped dozens of lo- cal businesses establish themselves online last year in a competitive pandemic world. Now, the Town is urging the provincial and federal governments to renew funding for the program and expand grant eligibili- ty to include businesses lo- cated beyond main street areas. A motion to this ef- fect was also recently passed by regional council. "Businesses need our help; they need govern- ment assistance with this pandemic," said Mayor Rick Bonnette during the Feb. 1 Halton Hills Council meeting. "We've got to ad- vocate on their behalf so that they can compete with the online companies." The Digital Main Street program, which ran locally from October to December, helped businesses general- ly located in Business Im- provement Areas (BIAs) expand and improve their online presence. The Town received a provincial grant of $12,500 and hired a Digital Service Squad member to launch the initiative. According to a staff re- port from Economic Devel- opment and Tourism offi- cer Allison Graham, al- most 70 small businesses received support through the program via video chat, phone and email. More than 20 businesses were successful in receiv- ing $2,500 digital transfor- mation grants, and 29 busi- nesses took advantage of ShopHERE incentives to create an online store. "The Digital Main Street program in Halton Hills was very successful," Gra- ham noted in her report. "The one-on-one guidance was highly valued as busi- nesses attempted to pivot their business models, while adjusting to chang- ing regulations and health and safety protocols." In light of the uncertain- ty around the duration of the pandemic, the motion passed by council asks the provincial and federal gov- ernments to commit to a minimum two-year fund- ing extension for the Digi- tal Main Street program. For further details, visit www.digitalmain- street.ca/ontario. TOWN CALLS FOR RENEWAL OF DIGITAL MAIN STREET PROGRAM Many downtown businesses took advantage of the DIgital Main Street program last year. Graham Paine/Metroland MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@metroland.com NEWS "The one-on-one guidance was highly valued as businesses attempted to pivot their business models." - Allison Graham, Town of Halton Hills Economic Development and Tourism officer