By Liam Verster

COVID-19 RECOVERY

GPREP creates Business Ambassador Team to help businesses prepare for reopening

Apr 29, 2020 | 1:19 PM

The Grande Prairie Regional Emergency Partnership (GPREP) has partnered with the Business Resiliency Taskforce, in an effort too strengthen the region’s approach to recovering the economy that’s been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

GPREP has created a Business Ambassador Team, who are working with essential businesses that are still operational (grocery stores, banks, pharmacies, etc.), to find out what methods and policies are in place to ensure health and safety and social distancing measures are being followed.

Economic Development Manager with the City of Grande Prairie, as well as the acting Industry Liaison for GPREP, Rebecca Leigh, says the team will determine which businesses are best enforcing these measures, and take note of their practices.

“The goal here is to help identify any supply chain issues or stumbling blocks that they might have experienced along the way, and hoping to identify those and create a really good inventory of resources and best practices for when we receive indication from the Province that the next level of businesses will be allowed to open.”

She says the COVID-19 guidelines took some getting used to, but businesses and residents have managed to get used to following the rules.

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Leigh says, once the restrictions are lifted and businesses are able to reopen, they will likely need to follow those guidelines, and the Business Ambassador Team will be there to help get those regulations in place.

“Things like lining up or queuing outside in order to wait for your turn to enter the store. New directions heading up and down, indicating up and down the aisles which direction traffic patterns flow. It’s definitely a learning process for everybody, adjusting to these new practices, and encouraging shoppers to adjust their patterns within the stores or adjust the way that they’re interacting with store employees.”

Leigh adds that it is up to the Province to lift the restrictions and allow businesses to open, not the City or County, and that some COVID-19 guidelines may still need to be followed. She says the Business Ambassador Team, along with the Business Resiliency Taskforce, will continue to provide help and supports through the reopening process, to make sure business are maintaining a safe environment, while also helping the economy recover.

In the meantime, the Business Resiliency Taskforce is continuing the initiatives it launched in late March. They are still providing weekly webinars, running their #LoveLocalGP social media campaign, and the voucher program that offers grants to businesses for a variety of advisory services.

Anyone interested in connecting with the Business Ambassador Team for more support or information on how they can reopen safely can send an email to business@gprepeoc.com.