Lytton Business Restart Program

Investing in the economic recovery of Lytton

A vibrant business community is vital to the recovery of Lytton, B.C. Businesses provide jobs, deliver services, and create community connection. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the restart and revitalization of Lytton’s economy.

On this page

• Who is eligible for the program?
• How much funding is available?
• What costs are eligible?
• How to apply
• Guides and help

Who is eligible for the program?

The Lytton Business Restart Program is open to several types of businesses including:

• Individuals/sole proprietorships
• Cooperatives
• Non-profit organizations
• Small- and medium-sized commercial, legally incorporated, for-profit enterprises
• Indigenous-owned businesses

All eligible applicants must be legal entities able to enter into legally binding agreements.

Businesses must:

• plan to operate in the Village of Lytton or within 15 km of the Village, including on reserve;
• have fewer than 500 employees;
• be a recognized business for taxation purposes; and
• be prepared to start operations alongside the rebuild of the Lytton community.

Each eligible business application will be assessed for funding with consideration to several factors including:

• viability of the business;
• capability to achieve project completion; and
• contribution to the economic and commercial recovery of Lytton. 

How much funding is available?

Funding is available in the form of both non-repayable and repayable contributions. Repayable contributions are interest-free when repaid within an agreed upon time period.

Eligible businesses may apply for one of the following funding streams: 

• Rapid Restart stream – provides up to $20,000 in non-repayable contributions for returning businesses that require a small amount of funding to restart operations.
• Small Business Recovery stream – provides funding for returning businesses applying for more than $20,000 or new businesses applying for any amount. Businesses can receive up to a maximum of $1 million, with some consideration for non-repayable contributions for businesses that have been identified as critical to Lytton’s rebuild and longer-term economic vitality.

Program funding will be prioritized in the following order:

1. Core businesses – returning
2. Core businesses – new
3. Non-core businesses – returning
4. Non-core businesses – new (Small Business Recovery stream only)

Core business: a business or service necessary for the economic restart of the Lytton community including: grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, hotels, and gathering places such as coffee shops.

Returning business: a business that was operating at the time of the wildfire on June 30, 2021, and has retained the same ownership.

New business: a business that was operating at the time of the wildfire on June 30, 2021, but has since established new ownership or a business that has not yet started operations.

What costs are eligible?

Eligible costs depend on the funding stream and include a range of business expenses such as:

• equipment (examples: machinery, computers)
• supplies (examples: textiles, baking ingredients)
• other business expenses (examples: commercial space fit-up, communications)
• basic construction costs (only eligible in the Small Business Recovery stream and only eligible as a repayable expense)

PacifiCan will work with each business to identify eligible project activities and costs and determine the total amount of available funding.

How to apply

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until March 2025. All prospective applicants are asked to contact PacifiCan prior to preparing an application.

Please note that a business plan is required for each application and is critical for the project assessment.

We encourage potential applicants to:

• Review the program eligibility requirements (see above).
• Download the Lytton Business Restart Program information sheet (see below).
• Reach out to PacifiCan at lytton@pacifican.gc.ca for a one-on-one consultation to discuss your business plans and potential program application.