Free Money for Security Upgrades & Repairs
Times are tough right now for everyone and small business owners are particularly feeling the effect of Canada’s economic recession. As a small business owner myself, Q1 2024 was very difficult. Even as one of Vancouver’s premier locksmiths, we are feeling the cash crunch as the higher interest rates affect both our commercial and retail customers.
So the last thing we need is our property and/or store to be vandalized by thieves and hooligans. Even one small incident can determine whether or not we end the month in the black or in the red.
Fortunately, the provincial government has the Secure Small Business Rebate Program to help when disaster strikes. I found that not many of my customers are even aware this program exists. So this article will briefly cover what the Secure Small Business Rebate Program entails and how you can receive $1000 to $2000 for security upgrades and repairs.
As always, for any inquiries about locks and doors you can call or text me at 604-363-2760 or email me at alex@locksmithvancouver.com. Or, you can just drop by our Downtown Vancouver Key Store located at 555 West Hastings St at the SFU/Harbour Centre. We are on the bottom floor next to the BC Liquor Store and our hours are Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm.
Overview of the Rebate Program
To summarize, the Secure Small Business Rebate Program was created by the British Columbia provincial government to help offset some of the costs arising from property crime and vandalism. This covers both repairs and preventative measures albeit in different amounts.
The rebate program has been budgeted at $10.5M. It’s basically a first-come first-serve, so once the money runs out, the program will most likely be shuttered. As a result, if you meet the eligibility criteria, I highly recommend you submit your rebate application as soon as possible.
Although the program was introduced a while back, the initial rollout was a disaster. As I understand, the eligibility criteria was so restrictive that almost no one was eligible for the rebate.
Since then, the criteria has been relaxed to the point that it’s now viable for most businesses to apply via the Portal. Luckily, the program is still somewhat well funded as not many companies were able to tap into the program and it was largely forgotten about afterwards.
Are you Eligible for the Secure Small Business Rebate?
You can find a copy of the eligibility criteria at this website: https://bcchamber.org/securing-small-business-rebate
Essentially, you have to be an exterior-facing brick-and-mortar business registered with the BC Registrar, located in a business zone, and have less than 50 employees.
In other words, if you are running a custom T-shirt business out of your garage or a mobile service business like home cleaning, your property and business would not qualify as your home is zoned for residential purposes.
However, if you ran the same business from an office/warehouse located in a zone designated for commercial, light industrial, and retail use, your property and business could qualify provided you have less than 50 employees and you are directly exterior facing.
As a result, many small businesses would qualify for this rebate program and not know they do. The only type of business I am unsure about would be residential property management firms. The company’s office might qualify but the actual residential building it manages may not. If you are not sure, the BC Chamber of Commerce is holding an Info Session on May 7th 11 am to 12 pm and can answer your questions at that time.
Reparative Rebate
Reparative Rebates is just another word for repair rebates. The program will refund up to $2000 one-time per calendar year for eligible repairs that cover the exterior of the building. The word “exterior” is quite important as the program does not cover anything inside the building including in-house labour costs.
This is why I believe our Downtown Vancouver Key Store would not qualify for this program. We are located inside the SFU/Harbour Centre so our exterior is not exposed to the public. However, the office building we are in would qualify as they have exterior doors leading directly outside.
The Secure Small Business Rebate Program will cover repairs to:
- Windows and doors
- Locks
- Damage to other parts of the exterior
It will also cover costs for graffiti removal and all associated installation costs of the replacement locks etc. The $2000 can also be used to cover the insurance deductible for the above.
Preventative Rebate
You can also apply for a one-time rebate of up to $1000 to upgrade your existing security. Physical Hardening includes:
- Locks and Door Security Upgrades
- Security Film and Covers for Windows and Doors
- Improved lighting and CCTV
- Intrusion Detection Systems
- Anti-graffiti products
- Physical Security Audit by a licensed professional
- Scissor Gates, Shutters, etc
It will cover a wide variety of products and associated installation costs by an arms-length contractor. Just like the reparative rebate program, it will not cover in-house labour costs. As such, if you buy new locks and install them yourself, the program will only cover the new locks and not your labour to install.
In addition, a lot of the examples provided on the program’s website are for products that far exceed the $1000 maximum rebate limit. For example, even a small scissor gate will cost over the limit but the rebate can still help offset the costs.
As such, for a small business, I recommend the following items be prioritized for the rebate:
- Upgrade your locks
- Install Astragals and protective covers
- Install Security or Anti-Vandalism Film on Windows and Glass Doors/Walls
The rest of the examples will far exceed the limit and may not be cost efficient. However, this will depend on your location and specific business needs.
Differences between the two types of rebates
The two types of rebate have similarities such as being retroactive as of January 1, 2023.
However, one key difference between the two programs is that the applications for repair rebates can be submitted once a calendar year, but the preventative rebate can be applied for once and only once.
I suppose it makes sense that most businesses would not continually upgrade their physical security every year unless they were in some sort of property crime war zone.
Conclusion
To summarize, there is no reason why an eligible business should not apply for both the reparative and preventative rebates. As these rebates are retroactive as of the beginning of 2023, it’s time to look through your records and find those receipts you have been hoarding for the 2024 Tax Season.
From my perspective as a Professional Downtown Vancouver Locksmith, here are a few examples of how you can spend a $1000 (give or take) including estimated labour costs:
- Upgrade your front door cylinder to an Abloy High-Security cylinder
- Replace your storefront door lock and trim
- Install a full length astragal and latch protector
- Install deadbolt and knob/lever guardians
- Upgrade to high security padlocks
- Rekey building to reduce keys
- Upgrade office or store locks to restricted keyways
- Install commercial grade door closers
- Upgrade to standalone keypad or fob access locks
- Upgrade to continuous hinges
- Upgrade commercial locks with buzz-in system
- Install a basic CCTV system
- Etc
If up have a security project you have in mind, call or text me at 604-363-2760 or email me at alex@locksmithvancouver.com to discuss in greater detail. Or you can drop by our Downtown Vancouver Key Store at 555 West Hastings St. While we are available for mobile service 8 am to midnight, the Key Store is open Monday to Friday, 10 am to 5 pm.
