Photo by Microsoft Edge on Unsplash
In 2020, with the help of local BC business librarians, we created a new page in our Business Basics section titled COVID-19 & Business Research, to help you find credible business information as well as free mental health, legal, and educational resources. Although some of these resources have been taken down, we recognize that this is still an uncertain and changing time for small businesses confronting supply chain issues, inflation, and more. Therefore, we’ve consolidated that page into this blog post, containing COVID-19 resources and ongoing opportunities that are still online and freely available.We hope this resource guide is useful to the BC small business community!
Key Business Research Starting Places: go-to resources and services that aggregate information about COVID-19 and business.
- BC Chamber of Commerce Guide for Small Business Recovery
A live resource to support businesses across the province as they navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. - Small Business British Columbia’s COVID-19 BC Business Support Service
A full suite of services to help BC businesses connect with the resources and guidance necessary to navigate challenges from COVID-19. - BC Centre For Disease Control - COVID-19
Authoritative health information and data as well as information and guidelines for employers and business.
Funding Resources: An accessible list of various financial resources that have been made available for business during this crisis.
- Business Development Bank of Canada’s COVID-19: Supports for Canadian Businesses
- B.C. Business COVID-19 Support Service
Industry databases with some freely available content: These resources can help you research impacts of the pandemic on industries, consumers and the Canadian economy.
Tools to Learn about Industry Impacts
- BCC Industry
Subscription required for analysis of global market sizing, forecasting and industry intelligence, covering markets in science and technology, but some free blog content is available, as well as an overview of analyst reports such as Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Economy. - Gartner
Subscription required to visit the COVID-19 Client Resource Center but some free content is available, including articles and webinars about leading your organization from initial response to recovery with a collection of COVID-19 research and tools. - Statista
Provides statistics gathered by market researchers, trade organizations, scientific publications, and government sources. Search for "COVID-19" and, for example, "tourism" to find related statistics. Not all search results will be free to access. - Dun & Bradstreet
Subscription required for corporate and financial information on public and private companies, industry markets research, and analysts reports. Free content includes Coronavirus-related resources, an example being "health scans" of your customer base, sales pipeline and supply chain — however, you will have to share some company information to receive scans. - Mintel
Subscription required for most COVID-19 related insights, trends, articles, and reports produced by Mintel but some free Canadian news content available on Mintel’s blog.
Tools to Learn about Economic Impacts
- CB Insights
Subscription required but some free content is available including research briefs and reports such as "All Of Big Tech’s Investments Since The Covid-19 Outbreak".
- Conference Board of Canada
Subscription required for research reports on business, economy, and forecasts of industry trends. Free content includes all COVID-19 insights and analysis on economic impact and implications for Canada.
- eMarketer
Subscription required but some free content available, including webinars, reports, statistics and marketing trends about Coronavirus. Search for "COVID-19."
- Marketresearch.com
Subscription required but some free content available in white papers, blog, etc.
- Passport/Euromonitor
Subscription required for market research data, reports, and consumer trends worldwide. Reports and data on short and long term impact of coronavirus across various product categories, economic scenarios, and consumer behaviour. Free content includes a selection of analyst insights, podcasts, and an international price and availability tracker tool.
Legal Resources: A variety of legal resources including news, legal updates and Q&As related to COVID-19.
- People’s Law School (BC)
Coronavirus: Your Legal Questions Answered. Q&A written by lawyers includes help for small business owners, cancelling flights, scams, and signing a contract or a will. - Thomson Reuters
Subscription required for legal materials available on WestlawNext Canada. Free content available includes webinars, news, and Practical Law’s Canada Coronavirus Toolkit, which includes resources to assist on the legal and practical issues arising from the threat of business disruption.
- Law firm newsletters
Major Canadian law firms are writing bulletins tracking changes and updates related to client business and industries. Some examples include:
Educational opportunities: Free webinars and online courses that business schools have made available in response to the pandemic.
Free Educational Opportunities & Professional Development Opportunities
- UVic’s Gustavson School of Business webinar series: Navigating Uncharted Waters. Topics include retaining consumer trust, granting employees voice, innovating during a crisis and more.
- UBC’s Sauder School of Business’ Virtual Leadership Series. Topics include leading authentically, how to restart businesses, communicating effectively, and more. Not all recordings may be available.
- Charity Village is Canada's nonprofit sector's largest online resource for recruiting, news and how-to information. The Learning Centre provides access to articles related to professional development, webinars and podcasts.
Student Placement Programs
- BC Chamber of Commerce’s Talent Forward Program is a free program provided to BC Chamber members. Using the work-integrated learning model, Talent Forward seeks to connect businesses with students to help businesses recover and build for the future.
- Magnet Student Work Placement Program, funded by the Government of Canada’s Student Work Placement Program, provides employers with wage subsidies to hire post-secondary students for paid work experiences.