John Wishart: Latest News

Moncton photographer says provincial small business grant too exclusive When he first opened his café in 2019, business was booming, but the exodus of office workers from the downtown core has made staying open a struggle.He said he hasn’t been eligible for any aid programs, and said the banks were unable to help him.In a written statement provided to Global News on Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson for Opportunities NB said the newest grant was intended to be complementary to other aid programs, noting federal programs like the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit.John Wishart, CEO of Moncton’s Chamber of Commerce said he has been hearing similar stories from other entrepreneurs in the Greater Moncton Area, with the $30,000-a-year threshhold for the newest grant causing concern.“We’re at a point in the trajectory of COVID-19 when government needs to support as many businesses as possible. The closer we hopefully get to the finish line…we’d hate to see some not make it because we didn’t think of a certain criteria or the bar was just too high for some.”He’s calling for a more holistic, less complicated approach to include as many business owners as possible“A lot of these programs are conditional on you proving a certain level of income in 2019 or 2020.

New Brunswick reported six new COVID-19 cases Friday, all in the Moncton region, but there are no hospitalizations and 69 per cent of the eligible population is now fully vaccinated.But it’s been a week of confusion for some as the province’s “green phase” protocols evolve.“The rules or the communication seems to be changing almost on a day-to-day basis. And as a business operator, it’s tough to keep pace with that,” says John Wishart, the CEO for the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton.

COVID-19-related travel restrictions back in place for almost anyone coming into New Brunswick – including those coming from within the bygone Atlantic Bubble – businesses near the Nova Scotia border are a little anxious.“I think a lot of them were counting on November and December to save the year,” says John Wishart, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton.“Tightening the potential market for businesses right now is difficult for them to swallow,” he says, “especially after a difficult year.”The Chamber doesn’t have numbers on how many people from out of province would make up the holiday shopping rush in a “normal” year, but Wishart says you’d just need to look at the license plates around the mall parking lot to realize the