COVID-19 & Business Research for British Columbia’s Small Businesses
Note: This is a work in progress and intended to be a starting place for Canadian and, specifically, BC businesses to access information. Special thanks to the Academic Business Librarians of British Columbia, who helped curate the information on this webpage. Check with your local library regarding access to subscription resources.
Navigation
- Key Business Research Starting Places
- Funding Resources
- Industry Databases with Licensed & Freely Available Content
- Legal Resources
- Educational Opportunities
- Related Library Resources & Guides
Key Business Research Starting Places
- 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. - BC Chamber of Commerce COVID-19 Business Supports
A summary of government financial supports available to BC businesses affected by COVID-19. - 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. - WorkSafeBC
Partnering with the BC government to develop specific resources for industries as they prepare to reopen and information and resources for staying safe in your industry. - South Island prosperity partnership - COVID-19 Business Resources
Curates regular news updates and links to local resources. - BC Centre For Disease Control - COVID-19
Authoritative health information and data as well as information and guidelines for employers and business. - Government of Canada’s Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, Support for Businesses
Includes a virtual chat COVID-19 assistant. Has information on funding, human resource management, as well as those who are self employed or operating indigenous businesses. - Clicklaw and COVID-19
A list of financial benefits and assistance available from the federal and provincial governments, with special inclusion of trusted sources of legal-related information. - CovidImpact
An app created by UBC graduates that provides businesses with a curated list of programs and grants searchable by industry sector to help them survive the crisis. - Small Business BC Back To Business
Whether your business is getting ready to reopen, or you’re pivoting operations to service the new COVID economy, you don’t need to face these challenges alone. Small Business BC is here to help with the tools and resources you need to weather these unprecedented times.
Funding Resources
- Business Development Bank of Canada’s COVID-19: Supports for Canadian Businesses
- British Columbia’s COVID-19 Supports for Businesses
- COVID-19 Provincial and Federal Benefits
- Small Business BC’s Funding and Financial Relief
- Canadian Chamber of Commerce Canadian Business Resilience Network
- Vancity Unity Women Entrepreneurs Program
- B.C. Business COVID-19 Support Service
Industry Databases with Licensed & Freely Available Content
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
- 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.
- Justice Education Society, Legal Help BC
A Q&A style article for questions concerning how COVID-19 will affect issues around consumer law and money, and small business in British Columbia.
- The Lawyer’s Daily
Subscription required for daily Canadian legal news published by LexisNexis. Free content available in the form of regular updates about COVID-19. Coverage includes how the pandemic has impacted the legal industry and the practice of law, as well as the Canadian court system, federal agencies, industries, businesses and more.
- Lexis Practice Advisor
Subscription database for practising lawyers in Canada. Free content available, including Coronavirus Document Kit (PDF available here), which offers guidance related to COVID-19 and the law.
- 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 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.
- 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.
Related Library Resources & Guides
- COVID 19 and Business Research. This in-depth online resource, curated by Alice Kalinowski of Stanford University, actually inspired us to build the webpage you're on. Kalinowski's is updated on an ongoing basis and has a US focus.
- Small Business BC's Personal Protective Equipment Marketplace. The Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Competitiveness has partnered with Small Business BC to establish a searchable directory for businesses to easily locate suppliers with the necessary non-medical PPE to help them operate their business safely.