Digital Service Squads Launched In Brant County

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Sunday, 26 January 2020 07:04

The Digital Service Squads will consist of trained specialists who will assist small local businesses with their online capabilities.

BRANT COUNTY - Digital Main Street Service Squads have been launched in Brant County.

The Economic Development Division received a grant for $20,000 from the provincial government as part of the Digital Main Street program.

Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ernie Hardeman says this will only benefit the businesses in the County.

"Our government is committed to helping small businesses improve their competitiveness, create jobs and attract investment. That’s why I'm so pleased that businesses in Brant County 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."

The money will be used to fund two digital service squads to assist two local businesses with their online capabilities.

It is a joint program, funded by the Ontario government and delivered by the Ontario BIA, to establish two Digital Service Squads (DSS) and help small businesses in downtown Paris, St. George and Burford to enhance their use of digital tools and techniques to evolve and grow.

Director of Economic Development and Tourism, Russell Press says the grant will allow three downtowns in the County to be assisted by the Economic Development and Tourism Division.

"The County of Brant is extremely fortunate to have beautiful, charming, vibrant, successful downtowns that contribute significantly to both the economic and the social well-being of our greater Brant community. By our Digital Main Street application being approved for this amount, it enables the Economic Development and Tourism Division to assist the 3 main downtowns of Brant while also acquiring the expertise to allow for continued support throughout the County."

The squads are made up of trained specialists who will visit and assist main street small businesses for free, helping them set up Google Business and conduct a digital-readiness assessment.

The DMS featured two types of grants.

A Digital Transformation Grant saw $2,500 each given to qualifying small main street businesses across Ontario, helping them adopt to new technologies.

A Digital Service Squad Grant is a grant of $10,000 each that was given to qualifying municipal or businesses throughout the province to develop and implement local squads of digital vendors and experts to help small businesses directly.

Executive Director of the Ontario BIA Association Kay Matthews says DMS will help small businesses be able to compete online.

"The County of Brant is primed to take full advantage of Digital Main Street, understanding that helping small businesses hone their digital abilities will help keep their downtown core vibrant and strong. 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 main street small businesses of the County of Brant compete in an increasingly digital world."