Scott Moe says that he has "heard from our business community".

He announced a $50 million program to provide financial support to small and medium sized business that have been forced to temporarily close or severely curtail their operations due to restrictions placed by the battle against COVID-19.

The new Saskatchewan Small Business Emergency Payment (SSBEP) will provide a one time grant of 15 percent of a business' monthly sales revenue, but will not exceed $5,000.

A key feature of that plan, Moe added, is that the grant is flexible and does not need to be used on any specific cost pressure.

"Businesses know best how to invest their dollars, and this flexibility will allow them to do just that."

He also added that the Saskatchewan government would be asking the federal government to exempt the grant from being classified as business income for income tax purposes.

This new measure comes on the heels of a troubling March jobs report that saw Saskatchewan lose 21,000 jobs compared to the month before and saw it's unemployment rate climb to 7.3 percent. Those numbers were composed in early March; the early days of the COVID-19 economic backlash. As a result, Moe expects even worse when April numbers come next month.

"With nearly a hundred and fifty thousand small businesses in Saskatchewan, we have the highest concentration of small businesses in the nation of Canada. A quarter of all wages in Saskatchewan are paid by these small businesses. And 24 percent of Saskatchewan's GDP is attributed to these small businesses directly."

In a way, this measure is the first volley in a battle to head those numbers off at the pass in a province that is as reliant on it's small business as Saskatchewan is.

One aspect of the program, however, appears to be designed to protect the economy by obligating small businesses that accept the grant to reopen their doors when the current pandemic has passed.

Although Moe would not confirm it, the possibility of a number of many of the province's struggling businesses just choosing to turn their temporary closure into a permanent one is a very real threat to any economic recovery in the province. Under the circumstances, it's a threat that he has no choice but to address.

He conceded that the measure won't solve all the issues facing small businesses during this unprecedented time, and stressed that there can be no recovery without Saskatchewan residents supporting the businesses in their community.

"Recognize that local businesses have created jobs in your community. Recognize that local businesses have quite likely sponsored your local sports team or your community event. So if you are able now, now is the time for each and every one of us to return that support to our local business."

Further details and application forms for the SSBEP will be available on April 13th from the government of Saskatchewan's dedicated COVID-19 website.