The City of Calgary joins Digital Main Street’s ShopHERE powered by Google to support local businesses

To help support our local small businesses, The City of Calgary is joining the ShopHERE powered by Google program, with a goal of getting up to 90 businesses online this year.

As part of The City’s funding support towards ShopHERE, MBA students will be creating online storefronts for small businesses and artists.

“Many Calgary small businesses took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, and several more are still unsure about how they will recover,” says Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “As we navigate our reopening, we are focused on the ways we can continue to support businesses. Getting online could help Calgary’s small businesses and artists be more resilient in the future.”

ShopHERE powered by Google, which started in the City of Toronto, helps independent businesses and artists build a digital presence and minimize the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In May, Google Canada announced a $1 million investment to enable Digital Main Street to expand the program to municipalities across the country, offering more businesses the opportunity to build their own online store. Because the opportunities afforded by the digital economy are still limited if people don’t have the right skills, Google’s investment will also help more small businesses receive the digital skills training needed to participate in the digital economy.

The City of Calgary is piloting the program in Calgary to see if there is uptake from local small businesses and artists. The City will be helping up to 90 businesses and artists get online, putting a call out through the Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) for submissions, as well as via City social channels for those interested. Applicants will be chosen on a first come, first served basis.

“Throughout the pandemic, we have worked hard to support Calgary businesses by asking and hearing first-hand what they need from The City of Calgary during this time,” says Sonya Sharp, Leader of the Business and Local Economy team. “When we heard about the ShopHERE opportunity, we were excited to offer a pilot to help businesses and artists continue their service despite the restrictions needed to help Calgary through this pandemic. It’s a big step in exploring e-commerce as a way for businesses to stay open through these challenging times.”

Overall, the program provides businesses with over 17 hours of hands-on support from students to allow them to sell their products and services online including set up, training and launching their online business.

“Since Google began its business in Canada nearly 20 years ago, we’ve been focused on helping Canadian businesses of all sizes to unlock the prosperity of the internet,” says Sabrina Geremia, VP and Country Manager, Google Canada. “We remain optimistic and more determined than ever that technology is the toolkit for a world of opportunities. Our $1 million investment will go towards expanding the ShopHERE program nationally, so we can help small businesses across Canada navigate the challenges ahead.”

“Main street businesses are facing unprecedented times due to COVID-19. They need to be able to sell online if they are going to survive and we are proud to expand the ShopHERE powered by Google program to help them achieve this. This program is critical in ensuring main streets can adapt and evolve during this crucial time.” - John Kiru, Executive Director, Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas

Video can be accessed here. link here.

About ShopHERE powered by Google

The ShopHERE program offers businesses and artists the opportunity to build a digital presence and minimize the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. ShopHERE is supported by a number of community and corporate partners, including Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas, Shopify, Google, Mastercard, Microsoft, Magnet, and The Schulich School of Business - York University. Google Canada’s contact is Wendy Manton Google Canada wmanton@google.com.