PRESS RELEASE – CIENOV IN EMERGENCY RESPONSE MODE WITH COMPANIES

Repentigny, March 18, 2020 – In response to the current situation linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic development corporation of the MRC de L’Assomption (CIENOV) is appealing to local entrepreneurs who are in need. In evolutionary mode, a series of measures has already been implemented by CIENOV’s economic development professionals in order to temporarily adapt its service offer to the urgent needs of businesses in the territory and to help mitigate the impacts of this major crisis on our business community:

• A survey is currently underway to assess the state of the situation of businesses in the MRC de L’Assumption and to identify needs as precisely as possible in the short term;

• Targeted calls are made to larger companies to find out the impact of the crisis on their operations in real time so that they can inform the Ministry of Economy and Innovation and direct them to the programs to be implemented. at their availability;

• Daily monitoring of government announcements is carried out by CIENOV staff to inform themselves and pass on the relevant information and help businesses in the territory have access to it;

• For companies holding a loan from the Local Investment Fund and / or the Local Solidarity Fund, a temporary repayment moratorium and an extension of the loan repayment period are available for companies affected by the crisis;

• For technological companies occupying the CIETECH space, financial reductions will be assessed for those particularly affected;

• A temporary reorientation of the mandates of all economic development professionals on the current crisis;

With regard to the deployment of the CIETECH and Zone Agtech projects, operations are continuing at the rate of the companies that collaborate there. Note that the Espace CIETECH is open to tenants only, but that the level of traffic is low since the workers follow government instructions to the letter and encourage work from home.

The entrepreneurs of the MRC de L’Assomption are invited to communicate by phone or email exclusively with the CIENOV team to exchange views, learn about the measures announced by the governments of Quebec and Canada and be supported to implement a plan of action. concrete action to facilitate the continuation of their operations. The situation will be closely monitored by CIENOV professionals who will work closely with customers and partners to offer continuous support to businesses in the territory.