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BREAKING COVID-19 NEWS: ONTARIO TO GRADUALLY LIFT STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS ACROSS THE PROVINCEPremier Doug Ford commenced his press conference this afternoon by indicating that, "Today we're seeing some sunlight break through the clouds.” Ford makes this declaration on the heels of a steady decline in new COVID-19 cases throughout the province over the past several weeks. This progress, Ford indicated, has allowed the government to introduce a plan to gradually loosen restrictions across the province and make the shift back into the government’s colour-coded reopening framework. Wednesday, February 10, 2021: The province's stay-at-home order will be lifted in the following public health units:
These regions will move into the Green-Prevent Level (the least stringent in terms of COVID-19 restrictions), which will allow businesses, including all retail shops, hair salons, restaurants, bars, gyms and movie theatres to reopen, and private indoor gatherings to resume. Tuesday, February 16, 2021: Depending upon COVID-19 trends at the time, the province’s stay-at-home order will be lifted in the remaining 28 public health units – with the exception of Toronto, Peel Region, and York Region. Monday, February 22, 2021: Will be the earliest date that the province’s stay-at-home order will be lifted in Toronto, Peel Region and York Region. All except the three public health units listed above (which will be moving to green) will stay in the Grey-Lockdown Zone. COVID-19 levels by regionCOVID-19 response framework: keeping Ontario safe and open Find out which level we intend to move your region to on November 7. Read the framework to learn what each level means. Regions are based on public health unit boundaries. Find your public health unit. In addition to the provincial health measures, some municipalities and local medical officers of health have added their own regional restrictions or requirements. Check your local public health unit or local municipality's website for details. Where there are regional restrictions or requirements, all provincial restrictions also apply. At the request of the local medical officer of health and with the support of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Toronto Public Health will remain in a modified Stage 2 until at least November 14, 2020. Government of Canada Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Outbreak update EMERGENCY STANDSTILL AGREEMENT - mar23 .pdf King Township Response MEDIA Release March 30, 2020 President's Message Ontario Moving Regions to New Levels with Stronger Public Health Measures Action is being taken to stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect vulnerable people TORONTO — The Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, local medical officers of health, and other health experts, is moving seven public health regions to new levels with stronger public health measures, including Windsor-Essex County Health Unit and York Region Public Health moving into Grey-Lockdown. These steps are being taken to stop the spread of COVID-19 in order to keep schools open in the regions where in-class learning is permitted, safeguard health system capacity, and protect the province's most vulnerable populations. The regional levels and specific public health measures are set out in the Keeping Ontario Safe and Open Framework. Read more .... Wed December 02 2020 Last Thursday, Minister Sarkaria introduced legislation that would protect restaurants from high delivery fees charged by some food delivery companies. The Supporting Local Restaurants Act, 2020 was passed today, as it would reduce fees charged by food delivery companies in areas where indoor dining is prohibited to help more small and independent restaurants stay in business. I am very pleased to confirm that the legislation has now been approved by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and received Royal Assent this afternoon. Currently, fees placed on restaurants by food delivery companies can reach as high as 30% in Ontario. After working with the sector, the government intends to cap delivery fees at 15%, similar to what has been put in place in New York City, with an overall cap of 20% inclusive of all fees. This approach would ensure that delivery drivers’ pay would be protected and delivery apps would not reduce service areas or restaurant selection. This new law will:
Please feel free to share this information on your social media channels or with members accordingly. For your convenience, I have also provided the link of the news release from the Ontario government: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/59356/province-proposes-cap-on-delivery-fees-to-support-local-restaurants Please feel free to tag Minister Sarkaria, with link to his social media channels attached: Twitter: https://twitter.com/PrabSarkaria/status/1332006055115714568?s=20 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1203834589753669/posts/2047771728693280/?d=n Should you have any questions please feel free to contact David Ruiz, Director of Policy & Legislative Affairs at david.ruiz2@ontario.caCanada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS) Opens November 23 2020 CERS portal opened up for applications. Canadian businesses, non-profit organizations or charities that have seen a drop in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic may be eligible for a subsidy to cover part of their commercial rent or property expenses retroactive to September 27, 2020 until June 2021. Extending the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy October 14, 2020 The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) has been working to protect jobs and help businesses, charities and non-profits re-hire workers. To date, more than 3.7 million Canadian workers have been supported by this program. Throughout the pandemic, income supports like the wage subsidy have helped families and workers across Canada know where the next paycheque is coming from and keep our communities strong. The government’s recent Speech from the Throne committed to extending the wage subsidy through to June 2021 as part of its work to create over one million jobs and restore employment to pre-pandemic levels. The government confirmed its intention to extend the wage subsidy until June 2021 and is providing details on the parameters of the wage subsidy that are proposed to apply until December 19, 2020. In addition, other enhancements are being proposed to the program to ensure that it provides continued support to employers and responds to the health and economic situation as it evolves. These changes complement the new Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy. Read More ... Temporary Business Wage Subsidy As originally announced, the CEWS program ran from March 15, 2020 through June 6, 2020. The program was extended in May, and again in July, and now runs to December 19, 2020. To date, the government has announced a total of nine four-week periods For Periods 1 through 4 (which are between March 15 and July 4, 2020), the program ran in its original format and provided a subsidy at a flat rate of 75% to employers who had a revenue drop of at least 30%4 . For Periods 5 through 9 (which are between July 5 and November 21, 2020) the CEWS program has been amended to include employers who have less than a 30% revenue decrease but are still negatively affected by COVID-19. The subsidy that is available varies with the employer’s revenue decline and the maximum subsidy rate was increased to 85% in Periods 5 & 6 for the most significantly-affected employers. The amount of CEWS that is available gradually decreases during periods 5 to 9. Read more ...
Apply to the York Region Business Recovery Support Program
The York Small Business Enterprise Centre has opened the York Region COVID-19 Small Business Recovery Support Program for a third round of applications. The funding for this program, provided by The Regional Municipality of York, has been distributed throughout the region’s nine cities and towns in different ways as a result of a Regional Council decision made on June 25, 2020:
What you can receive:
| COVID- 19 Informational LINKS King TownshipNorthern York Region Business Recovery Information Centre CEWS program Related Products or Associated Links CEWS Online application portal CRA's Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy Calculator OCC Pandemic Preparedness Toolkit Canadian Labour & Employment Law Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Resources for Canadian businesses Documents & Phone Numbers Members with the Chambers Plan Employment Benefits Stop the Spread Business Information Province Takes Critical Steps to Help Businesses Adapt to New Environment Ontario Providing Support for Industrial and Commercial Electricity Consumers During COVID-19 York Region creates Business Recovery Support Partnership in response to COVID-19 pandemic if your business needs immediate assistance contact Jamie Smyth 905-833-4016 ecdev@king.ca Stop the Spread Business Information Line Now Open at 1-888-444-3659 Telehealth - 1-866-797-0000 Media Follow the CRA on FacebookFollow the CRA on Twitter – @CanRevAgency Follow the CRA on LinkedIn Subscribe - CRA electronic mailing list RSS feeds to your feed reader tax-related videos on YouTube
Business Recovery Information Centre form .
We invite businesses to fill out the form below to request information on the changing resources available to companies in Ontario. You should also fill out the following form if you require direct assistance from an Economic Development officer. |