COVID-19 Business Update: December 8th, 2020

December 8, 2020 | Daily Update

The City of St. Catharines and the St. Catharines Downtown Association have announced that downtown visitors now have three hours of free parking at select City spots between noon and 6 p.m.
Information on government grants, resources, and programs, as well as policies, forms, and posters for download and use, are available here.
The Government of Canada has a support page with summaries of current programs and application portals.

Vital updates:

  • The City of St. Catharines and the St. Catharines Downtown Association have announced that downtown visitors now have three hours of free parking at select City spots between noon and 6 p.m. on weekdays from Monday, Dec. 7 to Thursday, Dec. 31, making it easier to support small businesses this holiday season. Free afternoon parking is available downtown at City-owned on-street metered spots and City-owned parking lots with pay machines. Long-term parking at the City’s parking garages at Garden Park / Carlisle Street and Ontario Street are not included in the promotion, but remain available for visitors who need more time to complete their business downtown.
  • The Bank of Canada is expected to keep extremely accommodative policy intact tomorrow, with an outside chance it will do even more to support the recovery. Economists predict the central bank will restate a pledge to hold its overnight interest rate at 0.25 per cent until at least 2023, while continuing bond purchases at the current pace of $4 billion per week. The bank releases its December policy decision at 10 a.m. in Ottawa.
  • The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has completed its broad consultations into tax reform, and is sharing the preliminary results. A comprehensive report will follow next year. The full set of thirty recommendations can be read here. The Chamber’s simple tax reform suggestions to help Canadians and businesses include:Support Canadians by:
    • Automating filing for simple returns
    • Enhancing the deduction for childcare
    • Simplifying the work-space-in-the-home deduction
    • Improving the use of electronic communications, including the broader use of email and permitting documents to be electronically attached to filings.

    Support small employers by:

    • Introducing a temporary GST/HST holiday to spur local purchases
    • Demonstrating continued leniency with small business audits during the pandemic
    • Simplifying rules around income-splitting with children
    • Removing tax disincentives that arise on the sale of a small business to family members.

    Support large employers by:

    • Processing work-space-in-the-home deductions without a T2200 form
    • Deferring the CRA’s right to collect disputed tax amounts
    • Increasing deductibility on capital expenditures in the year incurred
    • Accelerating the ability to turn tax losses into cash.

Reading recommendations:

The average Canadian family will pay up to an extra $695 for food next year, as the pandemic, wildfires and changing consumer habits drive up grocery bills to the highest increase ever predicted by an annual food price report. Rising bread, meat and vegetable prices are expected to lead the overall food price increase of three to five per cent, according to Canada’s Food Price Report 2021 released Tuesday. For an average family of four, that means a $13,907 grocery bill.

As we come to the end of three and half years of often tortuous negotiations over, first, the terms of the UK’s departure from the EU and, second, the future relationship, we’re still none the wiser as to whether we can get a deal over the line by December 31. The whole process has been a mixed bag, if it’s analyzed using the principles of negotiations we teach in our executive programs at Oxford. While we aren’t privy to what’s going on behind closed doors, it’s still possible to make some general observations as to where certain negotiation techniques have been used well and others have not.

 If you are showing symptoms, contact your health care provider, call the Public Health Info-Line at 905-688-8248, or chat to Public Health online. For testing, call 905-378-4647 ext. 42819 (4-CV19) for information on test centres in Niagara and to book an appointment.

Previous updates can be accessed here.

The GNCC is here to support you. Contact us with any questions you have.

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COVID-19 Business Update: December 7th, 2020

December 7, 2020 | Daily Update

The Government of Ontario has identified key populations which will receive vaccine doses first. Ontario will also be prioritizing the rollout of the vaccine in regions with the highest rates of COVID-19 infection.
Information on government grants, resources, and programs, as well as policies, forms, and posters for download and use, are available here.
The Government of Canada has a support page with summaries of current programs and application portals.

Vital updates:

  • The Government of Ontario has identified key populations which will receive vaccine doses first. Ontario will also be prioritizing the rollout of the vaccine in regions with the highest rates of COVID-19 infection, including those in the Red-Control and Lockdown zones. The immunization program will focus on healthcare workers and the most vulnerable populations in those regions. At first, COVID-19 vaccines are expected to only be available for non-pregnant adults over the age of 18 years old based on early clinical trials. The Prime Minister stated today that the federal government expects to have 249,000 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine by the end of this year, of which 85,000 are earmarked for Ontario, as the first shipment in 76 million doses the government has agreed to purchase from the pharmaceutical firm. FedEx Express Canada and Innomar Strategies Inc. have been awarded a contract for end-to-end distribution of vaccines in Canada. The province recorded a record high number of new cases, at 1,925, today. Groups receiving the early vaccine doses in the first few months of the Ontario immunization program will include:
    • Residents, staff, essential caregivers, and other employees of congregate living settings (e.g., long-term care homes and retirement homes) that provide care for seniors as they are at higher risk of infection and serious illness from COVID-19;
    • Health care workers, including hospital employees, other staff who work or study in hospitals, and other health care personnel;
    • Adults in Indigenous communities, including remote communities where risk of transmission is high; and
    • Adult recipients of chronic home health care.
  • The Government of Canada has signed agreements with the following companies to secure access to their COVID-19 vaccine candidates:
    • Pfizer, which will supply a minimum of 20 million doses and up to 76 million doses of its messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine candidate developed with BioNTech, BNT162b2.
    • Medicago, which will supply up to 76 million doses of its virus-like particle vaccine candidate.
    • AstraZeneca, which will supply up to 20 million doses of its viral vector vaccine candidate AZD1222.
    • Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline, which will supply up to 72 million doses of their protein subunit vaccine candidate.
    • Johnson & Johnson, which will supply up to 38 million doses of its viral vector vaccine candidate Ad26.COV2.S.
    • Novavax, which will supply up to 76 million doses of its protein subunit vaccine candidate NVX-CoV2373.
    • Moderna, which will supply up to 56 million doses of its mRNA vaccine candidate mRNA-1273.
  • Seven members of Ontario’s Greenbelt Council have resigned in protest during the weekend over Schedule 6, which forms part of the government’s omnibus COVID-19 recovery bill, Bill 229. Critics, including former Chair David Crombie, feel that the bill would disempower local conservation authorities in favour of centralized ministerial control over zoning. Minister Clark clarified that the Bill did not apply to the Greenbelt, which surrounds the Golden Horseshoe area. The Government of Ontario has repeatedly stated that it has no plans to allow development in the Greenbelt.
  • Today, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Ahmed Hussen, announced additional supports for children and families through the Canada Child Benefit and investments in child care. In May 2020, families who were eligible for the Canada Child Benefit benefitted from a one-time payment of $300 per child, representing approximately $550 on average per family. The Government of Canada is now proposing new temporary support of up to $1,200 per child under the age of six to further assist families with young children.
  • Today, the Competition Bureau launched a short online survey to learn about Canadians’ experiences accessing and using digital health care services. By filling out this short 5-minute online survey, you can provide feedback that will help guide the Bureau’s current market study of Canada’s health care sector. The survey will be open until December 18, 2020.

Reading recommendations:

Businesses are still struggling to understand which of the pandemic’s effects will be temporary and which will turn out to be permanent. Three new reports attempt to analyse these longer-term trends. One is from Glassdoor, a website that allows workers to rank their employers. Another is from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a management consultancy. The third is from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), a British professional body. Read together, they imply that firms stand to benefit—but that managers’ lives are about to get more difficult.

Catie McKee, Dan McNamara, and their boss Marc Rosenthal had millions of dollars riding on Crystal Mall in Waterford, Connecticut. The trio worked at MP Securitized Credit Partners, a tiny Wall Street hedge fund, and they’d stopped by the typical middle class shopping center in search of signs of life: Who was at JCPenney? Claire’s? Hot Topic? ThriftBois? What was up at VAPE CITY or BrowArt23? They couldn’t help but notice there was something depressing about the place: discounts galore, emptiness in every direction, a foreboding aura that signaled the end was near. It didn’t look good for anyone hoping for the mall’s success. But Rosenthal, McKee, and McNamara weren’t betting on Crystal Mall thriving—they were betting on it failing, and spectacularly.

 If you are showing symptoms, contact your health care provider, call the Public Health Info-Line at 905-688-8248, or chat to Public Health online. For testing, call 905-378-4647 ext. 42819 (4-CV19) for information on test centres in Niagara and to book an appointment.

Previous updates can be accessed here.

The GNCC is here to support you. Contact us with any questions you have.

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COVID-19 Business Update: December 3rd, 2020

December 3, 2020 | Daily Update

The Ontario government is investing nearly $4.4 million to support the long-term sustainability of the province’s vital tourism industry.
Information on government grants, resources, and programs, as well as policies, forms, and posters for download and use, are available here.
The Government of Canada has a support page with summaries of current programs and application portals.

Vital updates:

  • Yesterday evening, the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, introduced Bill C-14, An Act to implement certain provisions of the economic statement tabled in Parliament on November 30, 2020 and other measures. Bill C-14 is an essential step to implement measures from the Fall Economic Statement that would provide assistance to families with young children, support students, and invest in resources to protect the health and safety of Canadians. Bill C-14 includes measures that would:
    • introduce a temporary and immediate support for low- and middle-income families who are entitled to the Canada Child Benefit, totaling up to $1,200 in 2021 for each child under the age of six;
    • eliminate the interest on repayment of the federal portion of the Canada Student Loans and Canada Apprentice Loans for one year (2021-22);
    • provide funding of up to $505.7 million as part of the new Safe Long-term Care Fund to support long-term care facilities, including funding to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection, outbreaks and deaths in supportive care facilities;
    • provide additional funding of:
      • up to $133 million to support access to virtual care, mental health tools, and substance use programming and
      • up to $262.6 million for a suite of COVID-19 initiatives, including  testing, medical research, countermeasures, vaccine funding and developments, border and travel measures and isolation sites;
    • formally provide that an expense, such as rent, can qualify as an eligible expense under the new Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy when it becomes due so businesses can access the subsidy before the expense is actually paid; and
  • The Ontario government is investing nearly $4.4 million to support the long-term sustainability of the province’s vital tourism industry. This funding will help deliver innovative, safe experiences, like virtual festivals and events, and support tourism operators as they deal with the impacts of COVID-19. Through the Reconnect Festival and Event Program, Ontario is investing more than $3.4 million to support 27 local events and initiatives. These events are the first to be approved through the program, which was launched in October 2020. The Ontario government is also investing more than $912,000 in 14 initiatives through the Tourism Economic Development and Recovery Fund. To give organizations more time to develop new programming and submit applications, the Reconnect Festival and Event Program deadline will be extended by three weeks to December 22, 2020, at 5 p.m.

Reading recommendations:

We are at a moment of overlapping planetary health emergencies: COVID-19 and climate change. Both have their origins at the intersection of humanity and the rest of the natural world, both exacerbate pre-existing health inequities and both have the ability to bring health systems and economies to their knees. The health impacts of COVID-19 are well-known — those of climate change less so.

Almost every leader has been in the uncomfortable position of managing someone who thinks their performance is terrific when it’s actually just adequate, or worse. In fact, in my 30 years of consulting, it’s been one of the more frequent — and draining — performance problems I’ve observed. What causes the mismatch between these employees’ real output and their perceptions of success?

 If you are showing symptoms, contact your health care provider, call the Public Health Info-Line at 905-688-8248, or chat to Public Health online. For testing, call 905-378-4647 ext. 42819 (4-CV19) for information on test centres in Niagara and to book an appointment.

Previous updates can be accessed here.

The GNCC is here to support you. Contact us with any questions you have.

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COVID-19 Business Update: November 30th, 2020

November 30, 2020 | Daily Update

Today, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland delivered the Fall Economic Update from the Government of Canada, with a short-term stimulus package valued at $70 billion to $100 billion over roughly three years.
Information on government grants, resources, and programs, as well as policies, forms, and posters for download and use, are available here.
The Government of Canada has a support page with summaries of current programs and application portals.

Vital updates:

  • Today, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland delivered the Fall Economic Update from the Government of Canada, with a short-term stimulus package valued at $70 billion to $100 billion over roughly three years. Highlights of the announcement, which represents a budgetary update short of a new government budget, include:
    • The wage subsidy will be bumped back up to a maximum of 75% again, at least until March, and the program will be continued until June 2021.
    • The new Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program (HASCAP) will offer new credit for the tourism sector. Fully government-backed loans of up to $1 million will be granted to businesses that have lost revenue at below-market rates on repayment terms of up to ten years.
    • A top-up of up to $500 million, on a cash basis, to Regional Development Agencies and the Community Futures Network of Canada, bringing total funding to over $2.0 billion in this fund. The government will earmark a minimum of 25 per cent of all the Fund’s resources to support local tourism businesses, representing $500 million in program support through June 2021. This is in addition to the new Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program.
    • An additional $20,000 top-up to the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) program, of which $10,000 will be forgivable, bringing the total available under CEBA to $60,000. The deadline to apply for a CEBA loan has been extended to March 31, 2021.
    • An extension of the current subsidy rates of the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy for an additional three periods. This means a base subsidy rate of up to 65 per cent will be available on eligible expenses until March 13, 2021. With the 25 per cent Lockdown Support also being extended, businesses may be eligible for a subsidy of up to 90 per cent of their eligible expenses.
    • $181 million will be spent to assist people working in the arts and entertainment.
    • Financial support for more environmental projects including mass tree-planting, home retrofits for energy efficiency, and electric vehicle chargers.
    • $1 billion for long-term care to be allocated through the provinces and territories.
    • Temporary support of up to $1,200 per child aged under six for low- and middle-income families eligible for the Canada Child Benefit (CCB).
    • $1.5 billion to facilitate lifting all long-term drinking water advisories in First Nations communities.
    • A promised overhaul of the tax system to raise more revenue from digital giants such as Amazon, Netflix, Facebook, or AirBnB.
  • Although the update noted a deficit projected to reach $381.6 billion by the end of March, no deficit reduction plan was forthcoming. Also notably absent were details of a national childcare program, which were promised for the upcoming spring budget. Further details are available at https://www.budget.gc.ca/fes-eea/2020/home-accueil-en.html.
  • Tomorrow, the Honourable Mona Fortier, Canada’s Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance, will join the Ontario Chamber of Commerce from 9:00 am to 9:30 am for a discussion of the 2020 Fall Economic Statement. Registration is free.
  • Yesterday, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, announced that Canada will extend the Mandatory Isolation Order and temporary travel restrictions for all travelers seeking entry into Canada from a country other than the US, until January 21, 2021. Travel restrictions for US citizens and foreign nationals arriving from the US remain in place until December 21, 2020 and may be extended at that time. In addition, the Government is amending its order and creating a framework for considering applications from high-performance amateur sport organizations seeking to hold International Single Sport Events. To be considered, applicants would need to include written commitments of ongoing support from provincial/territorial and local public health authorities and provincial/territorial governments, as well as a robust plan to protect public health and the health of participants. The Government of Canada reminds everyone experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, or who has recently come into close contact with someone infected with COVID-19, that they should continue to quarantine or isolate for 14 days.
  • George Spezza has begun work at Niagara Region as the new Director of Economic Development. Spezza brings with him more than 20 years of experience in the economic development sector, and in his new role will be responsible for leading Niagara Region’s Economic Development team. The team promotes Niagara on a global scale and works in partnership with the region’s 12 local area municipalities.
  • The Council of the Corporation of the Town of Lincoln has given notice that it has commenced discussions to adopt the 2021 Budget for the Town of Lincoln and its associated Boards and Committees. As part of the budget review process, Council will consider the 2021 Fees and Charges By-law and the establishment of the 2021 Water and Wastewater Rates, and a public meeting will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 6 p.m. This meeting is to be held electronically in accordance with section 238 of the Municipal Act. Any person wishing to make submissions to Council regarding the proposed 2021 Water/Wastewater Rates or Fees and Charges are invited to submit written comments to clerks@lincoln.ca no later than 9:00 a.m. on the Friday before the meeting. Council will meet to consider and adopt the 2021 User Fees and Charges the following day, at 6 p.m. Members of the public may observe the proceedings by accessing the live webcast on the Town’s YouTube Channel.
  • The Town of Pelham 2021 Capital Budget is scheduled to be presented for Council approval at the December 7, 2020, meeting of Council at 5:30 p.m. To view this year’s budget schedule and previous year’s budgets and  reports, visit: www.pelham.ca/budgets.

Reading recommendations:

Thanksgiving is over, and public health officials’ persistent warnings that large celebrations and travel could douse accelerant on out-of-control Covid-19 spread have passed. But whether their warnings were heeded — and what kind of impact Americans’ decisions might have had — won’t be clear for a few weeks. It will take a few days for those who got infected to start feeling sick, to get tested, and to get their results back. It will be two weeks or so before people who get sick enough to need hospital care show up in emergency departments. And it could be another two weeks after that before the seriously ill die, and a bit longer before those deaths are recorded in official tallies.

Many companies in Canada have turned to the government for help weathering the pandemic and the often devastating effects from the business slowdown. But some remote employees can also take advantage of the situation, from a tax-wise perspective. Employees working from home may be able to deduct certain expenses while they remain remote and many employers are actively trying to help their workers do so.

 If you are showing symptoms, contact your health care provider, call the Public Health Info-Line at 905-688-8248, or chat to Public Health online. For testing, call 905-378-4647 ext. 42819 (4-CV19) for information on test centres in Niagara and to book an appointment.

Previous updates can be accessed here.

The GNCC is here to support you. Contact us with any questions you have.

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COVID-19 Business Update: November 26th, 2020

November 26, 2020 | Daily Update

Information on government grants, resources, and programs, as well as policies, forms, and posters for download and use, are available here.
The Government of Canada has a support page with summaries of current programs and application portals.

Vital updates:

  • The Ontario government is introducing new legislation aimed at reducing delivery fees for restaurants. The Supporting Local Restaurants Act, 2020, would cap fees charged by food delivery companies in areas where indoor dining is prohibited. Currently, fees placed on restaurants by food delivery companies can reach as high as 30% in Ontario. Minister Sarkaria said restaurants should expect a cap of 15% for delivery fees, similar to what has been put in place in New York City, with an overall cap of 20% inclusive of all fees. Restaurants would be able to file complaints online if a food delivery service has overcharged fees in excess of the cap, and food delivery company employees or contractors who perform delivery services would be able to file complaints if their compensation or payments were reduced once the act comes into effect.
  • The Ontario government is providing $13.6 million to enable school boards to hire more teachers and staff in regions recently moved to the Red-Control level and providing stabilization funding for school boards, if needed. The province is also expanding testing in school communities and launching new online learning portals. Ontario is launching targeted voluntary testing of asymptomatic students and staff in Ottawa, Toronto, Peel and York regions, which currently have a high number of active COVID-19 cases. This new effort will be complemented by funding for school safety in high priority regions, with Ontario allocating $13.6 million for school boards in Durham, Halton, Hamilton and Waterloo Region in response to the increase in COVID-19 cases in these communities.
  • The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada have introduced a bill that proposes to decriminalize single event sport betting. Single event sport betting is placing a bet on the outcome of one single sporting game. The proposed changes will give provinces and territories the ability to offer single event sport betting products and the discretion to manage single event sport betting in their respective jurisdictions. In provinces and territories that choose to offer single event sport betting, Canadians would have an opportunity to engage in this activity in a regulated environment, either online or in physical facilities. The GNCC has been a proponent of legalized single sport event betting for several years, and is pleased to see this bill come forward after earlier attempts met with failure.

Reading recommendations:

A recent surge in COVID-19 cases is derailing Canadian banks’ plans to bring employees back to offices, with one lender even asking some workers who had already returned to go back home. Canada is now facing about 5,000 new COVID-19 cases a day, prompting provinces and cities including Toronto — home to the country’s five biggest banks — to implement new restrictions to limit the virus spread. Even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently returned to working from home in an attempt to set a national tone of caution.

Provincial finance ministers have quietly prodded Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to put a pause on planned increases in premiums workers and businesses pay into the Canada Pension Plan. The planned increase on Jan. 1 is part of a multi-year plan approved by provinces and the federal government four years ago to boost retirement benefits through the public plan by increasing contributions over time.

 If you are showing symptoms, contact your health care provider, call the Public Health Info-Line at 905-688-8248, or chat to Public Health online. For testing, call 905-378-4647 ext. 42819 (4-CV19) for information on test centres in Niagara and to book an appointment.

Previous updates can be accessed here.

The GNCC is here to support you. Contact us with any questions you have.

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COVID-19 Business Update: November 24th, 2020

November 24, 2020 | Daily Update

Information on government grants, resources, and programs, as well as policies, forms, and posters for download and use, are available here.
The Government of Canada has a support page with summaries of current programs and application portals.

Vital updates:

  • Today saw the final session in the Niagara Economic Summit series, which can be seen here. Moderator Janice Thomson of Niagara Falls Tourism was joined by Anthony Annunziata from the Tourism Partnership of Niagara, Dottie Gallagher from the Great Lakes Metro Chamber Coalition and the Buffalo-Niagara Partnership, Dan Paszkowski of Wine Growers Canada, and keynote speaker the Honourable Pierre Pettigrew, Executive Advisor, International at Deloitte Canada for a wide-ranging conversation on tourism, recovery, and rebuilding that touched not only on what has been lost in the pandemic, but how we could seize opportunities for regrowth.
    • “This pandemic will accelerate history… In my lifetime, this has been the most challenging situation we’ve had.” — Pierre Pettigrew
    • “40% of Niagara’s business rely on an open border.” — Anthony Annunziata
    • “35% of Buffalo-Niagara Partnership members said the border closure had affected their business.” — Dottie Gallagher
    • “The wine industry is not pandemic-proof, it is pandemic-resistant… For small craft wineries, 85% of the wine sales take place at the winery. The other 15% is at bars and restaurants. At the beginning of the pandemic, the only option left was direct consumer delivery.” — Dan Paszkowski
    • “Government has to take a different role. Liquidity has been exhausted, reserves have been depleted… this is all part of the equation that government needs to fund redistribution.” — Anthony Annunziata
  • Today, the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, announced that the Government of Canada has signed an agreement with Eli Lilly for an initial order of up to 26,000 doses of their COVID-19 monoclonal antibody therapy Bamlanivimab (LY-CoV555). Under the agreement, deliveries of Bamlanivimab will begin in December 2020 and be completed in February 2021. Beginning in March 2021, Canada will have the option to purchase additional allocations, based on the current medical need in Canada and the global product availability. Eli Lilly co-developed this therapy with AbCellera Biologics, a Vancouver-based technology company that searches, decodes and analyzes natural immune systems to find antibodies that can be developed to prevent and treat disease.
  • On November 25, 2020, all provincial and territorial emergency management organizations will conduct public alerting tests in Canada, except for Nunavut. Test alerts will be distributed on TV, radio and compatible mobile devices connected to a LTE (long-term evolution) or a newer wireless network (5G) in all provinces and territories. Ongoing testing of the National Public Alerting System provides an opportunity for stakeholders to validate and improve the system’s performance and reliability to ensure it operates as intended in the event of a life-threatening situation. The messages will be identified as test alerts and will not require Canadians to take action. Testing in Ontario will be conducted at 12:55 p.m. (EST). If you have a wireless device that is connected to an LTE wireless or a newer wireless network (5G), wireless public alerting (WPA) compatible, and equipped with a recent Canadian version of its operating software, but do not receive the alert, contact your wireless service provider. To learn more about test alerts, visit Alert Ready.
  • The Town of Pelham’s annual Christmas Market event, part of the overall Christmas in Pelham festivities, will not occur this year. After careful consideration and discussion of Provincial and Regional Public Health guidelines and recommendations, the decision to cancel the event was made in the best interest of health and safety pursuant to Public Health guidelines. Though the Christmas Market is not running this year, some of the most cherished market traditions will be upheld through a variety of other planned events. To learn more, click here.
  • Port Colborne City Council approved the 2021 Operating Budget at last night’s meeting, which focuses on maintaining core programs and services, COVID-19 pandemic expenditures, economic development growth, and community support. The City is the first municipality in Niagara to approve their 2021 Capital and Operating Budgets. In 2021, Port Colborne taxpayers will see an overall increase of 2.44 per cent in property taxes per household, or about $82 more than last year. This increase was undertaken to support measures such as:
    • Allowing residents financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the flexibility to defer property tax bill payments, water, and wastewater billings without penalty until March 31, 2021. Residents interested in taking advantage of this deferral program can visit portcolborne.ca.
    • Increasing the community grant program by 20 per cent. The City is now able to provide more funds to local non-profit organizations in the community.
    • Expanding the student placement program to create more opportunities for students to gain hands on experience at a local municipality.
    • Increasing economic development capacity by creating a Tourism Coordinator position.
    • City staffing to offset COVID-19 related needs, including an additional Information Technology Specialist and Communications Officer.
  • The members of the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) approved a resolution at their Annual General Meeting to change the organization’s name to the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI). OCI and the Government of Ontario are pleased to announce the organization’s rebranding as they work together to further increase and strengthen the role of OCI in Ontario’s innovation strategy. For over 33 years, the Ontario Centre of Innovation has fostered industry-academic R&D collaboration and accelerated the development, commercialization and adoption of emerging technologies in Ontario.
  • Major airlines including Qantas, Korean Air, and Air New Zealand have opined that future air travellers may have to be vaccinated before boarding flights. These airlines are anticipating their respective governments requiring proof of vaccination before travellers arrive in order to safeguard their population from the virus.

Reading recommendations:

Sometimes a habit-changing product wants to be used, but the users want to stop using it. Ultimately they want the habit, they don’t want the product. The habit-changing product is the temporary tool being used to get them from one place to another, but you don’t want to just keep that around versus habit-changing products because they are businesses, they need to make money, they want to continue to be used. They have an incentive to not ever totally empower users to go on their own.

After more than 10 months of limping through evolving pandemic safety restrictions on indoor gatherings, this holiday season is shaping up to be historically slow for many businesses as new lockdown orders take hold in places such as Toronto and neighbouring Peel region. Small-business advocates are warning that the retail and restaurant sectors could be looking at a wave of mass closures without a solid holiday shopping season or an additional influx of government aid.

 If you are showing symptoms, contact your health care provider, call the Public Health Info-Line at 905-688-8248, or chat to Public Health online. For testing, call 905-378-4647 ext. 42819 (4-CV19) for information on test centres in Niagara and to book an appointment.

Previous updates can be accessed here.

The GNCC is here to support you. Contact us with any questions you have.

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COVID-19 Business Update: November 20th, 2020

November 20, 2020 | Daily Update

Premier Ford announced this afternoon that, after extensive consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Toronto and Peel will be moved into lockdown on Monday, November 23rd at 12:01 a.m.
Information on government grants, resources, and programs, as well as policies, forms, and posters for download and use, are available here.
The Government of Canada has a support page with summaries of current programs and application portals.

Vital updates:

  • Premier Ford announced this afternoon that, after extensive consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Toronto and Peel will be moved into lockdown on Monday, November 23rd at 12:01 a.m. The Premier also announced that he would be doubling supports for impacted businesses, including help for hydro bills and property taxes, and asked all Ontarians to support their local businesses and to shop at local stores, to order takeout from local restaurants, and to avoid doing their holiday shopping with online multinationals such as Amazon. Niagara’s level remains unchanged at Orange-Restrict. The Hon. Christine Elliott announced that tickets and fines would be issued for violations, including breaches of emergency orders put in place by local medical officers of health.
  • Bill C-9, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act (Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy), received Royal Assent yesterday evening, implementing new, targeted support to help Canadian businesses. The government has also reaffirmed its intention to introduce legislation to formalize rent payable as an eligible expense, for purposes of the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy, as of September 27, 2020. Qualifying organizations will be able to take advantage of the rent subsidy on this basis as soon as the application portal is launched. The measures adopted as part of Bill C-9 are:
    • The new Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy, which will provide direct rent and mortgage interest support to tenants and property owners until June 2021 for qualifying organizations affected by COVID-19. The new rent subsidy will support businesses, charities, and non-profits that have suffered a revenue drop by providing support up to a maximum of 65 per cent of eligible expenses until December 19, 2020. Claims can be made retroactively to September 27, 2020.
    • The new Lockdown Support, which will provide an additional 25 per cent through the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy for qualifying organizations that are subject to a lockdown and must shut their doors or significantly restrict their activities under a public health order issued under the laws of Canada, a province or territory (including orders made by a municipality or regional health authority under one of those laws). Combined, this will mean that hard-hit businesses subject to a lockdown could receive rent support of up to 90 per cent.
    • The extension of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy until June 2021, which will continue to protect jobs by helping employers keep employees on the payroll and re-hire workers. The wage subsidy will remain at the current rate of up to 65 per cent of eligible wages until December 19, 2020.
  • The Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, has extended all orders currently in force under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 (ROA) until December 21, 2020. The ROA came into force on July 24, 2020 to ensure important measures remained in place after the provincial declared emergency came to an end. Under the ROA, orders can be extended for up to 30 days at a time and the government must report on all order extensions to the Select Committee on Emergency Management Oversight. The list of orders under the ROA that have been extended can be found online on the Government of Ontario’s website.
  • The Ontario government is making an investment in critical maintenance, repairs, upgrades and renewals of $466 million in capital grants over three years starting in 2020-21 for Ontario’s universities and colleges. This investment is intended to allow institutions to address their deferred maintenance backlog, undertake critical repairs, modernize classrooms, upgrade technology and improve their environmental sustainability.
  • The Town of Pelham, the Town of Fort Erie, and the Township of Wainfleet are pleased to announce the joint hiring of Jennifer Stirton as the municipalities’ shared in-house Solicitor. The innovative initiative is expected to reduce legal costs and is, to the municipalities’ understanding, the first such shared in-house position in Ontario. The agreement positions all three municipalities to reduce their legal expenditures, supporting financial sustainability.
  • At its Nov. 19 meeting, Regional Council decided to pursue a full recruitment process to fill the role of Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) on a permanent basis. Acting CAO Ron Tripp will continue to serve in his current role until the recruitment process has been completed.​ Council had previously opted to temporarily delay the CAO recruitment process in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Statistics Canada has reported that retail sales rose 1.1 per cent to $53.9 billion in September, the fifth consecutive monthly increase since COVID-19 precipitated a record drop in April. The average forecast of economists was an increase of 0.2 per cent.

Reading recommendations:

Within weeks of the coronavirus pandemic being declared, one premier after another made tough promises to stop price gouging on essential products. Yet, CBC’s Marketplace has learned that despite tens of thousands of reported complaints, little legal action has been taken across the country. Marketplace reached out to all provinces and territories and was told consumer complaints to government only led to one business being charged. It’s unclear how many, if any, charges were laid by local bylaw officers.

Lots of attention has been paid to the financial risk-takers in the pandemic – the people bidding to buy houses, buying expensive stocks and dipping into speculative things like gold and bitcoin. But the ones who may end up doing the most good for our economy are the people who added a stunning $127-billion to savings and chequing accounts and term deposits in the first half of the year.

Niagara Economic Summit Series 2020

Where are we now, how did we get here, and where do we go? This year’s summit, taking place between November 10 and November 24, brings experts and leaders together from across the country to identify where we are economically, what our future opportunities are, and how we can seize them. Find out more and get a calendar save-the-date here.

 If you are showing symptoms, contact your health care provider, call the Public Health Info-Line at 905-688-8248, or chat to Public Health online. For testing, call 905-378-4647 ext. 42819 (4-CV19) for information on test centres in Niagara and to book an appointment.

Previous updates can be accessed here.

The GNCC is here to support you. Contact us with any questions you have.

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COVID-19 Business Update: November 2nd, 2020

November 2, 2020 | Daily Update

Today, the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, introduced Bill C-9, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act (Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy)
Information on government grants, resources, and programs, as well as policies, forms, and posters for download and use, are available here.
The Government of Canada has a support page with summaries of current programs and application portals.

Vital updates:

  • Today, the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, introduced Bill C-9, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act (Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy), which would implement new, targeted support to help hard-hit businesses. These measures are designed to help businesses get through the second wave of the virus so they can protect jobs, continue to serve their communities, and be positioned for a strong recovery. As previously announced, the business supports include:
    • The new Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy, which would provide direct and easy-to-access rent and mortgage interest support to tenants and property owners until June 2021 for qualifying organizations affected by COVID-19. The new rent subsidy would support businesses, charities, and non-profits that have suffered a revenue drop by providing support up to a maximum of 65 per cent of eligible expenses until December 19, 2020. The government is proposing to allow claims retroactively for the period that began September 27 and ended October 24, 2020.
    • The new Lockdown Support, which would provide an additional 25 per cent through the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy for qualifying organizations that are subject to a lockdown and must shut their doors or significantly limit their activities under a public health order issued under the laws of Canada, a province or territory (including orders made by a municipality or regional health authority under one of those laws). Combined, this would mean that hard-hit businesses subject to a lockdown could receive rent support of up to 90 per cent.
    • The extension of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy until June 2021, which would continue to protect jobs by helping employers keep employees on the payroll and re-hire their workers. The wage subsidy would remain at the current rate of up to 65 per cent of eligible wages until December 19, 2020.
  • Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau announced today that the Mandatory Isolation Support for Temporary Foreign Workers Program will be extended until November 30, 2020. The decision follows the Government of Canada’s announcement to extend the Quarantine Act to the same date. The Act requires anyone arriving from outside Canada, including temporary foreign workers, to undergo a mandatory 14-day isolation period upon arriving in Canada. The $50-million Mandatory Isolation Support for Temporary Foreign Workers Program is helping employers in the farming, fish harvesting, and food production and processing sectors with some of the incremental costs incurred to support the safety and health of foreign workers during that 14-day period. Under the Program, the federal government will provide a maximum support of $1,500 for each temporary foreign worker, to employers who are required to isolate workers under the Quarantine Act. The funding is conditional on employers not being found in violation of the mandatory 14-day isolation protocols or any other public health order. More information on the Program, including how to apply, can be found here.
  • Solicitor General Sylvia Jones has tabled a report in the Legislature providing details of the emergency measures put in place by the province to stop the spread of COVID-19. The report focuses on the 47 emergency orders made between March 17 and July 24, 2020 when the Declaration of a Provincial Emergency was in effect under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA). The EMCPA requires that the government table a report in the Legislature within 120 days after a provincial emergency ends. The Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 (ROA) came into force on July 24, 2020. Many of the orders made under the EMPCA were continued and remain in effect under the ROA.

Reading recommendations:

  • How a Single Mom Created a Plastic Food-Storage Empire, Jen Doll, Mental Floss

    • Clearly, there’s more to Tupperware™ than leftovers. The story of the ubiquitous plastic container is a story of innovation and reinvention: how a new kind of plastic, made from an industrial waste material, ended up a symbol of female empowerment. The product ushered women into the workforce, encouraging them to make their own money, better their families, and win accolades and prizes without fear of being branded that 1950s anathema, “the career woman.”
  • Ashish Jha on Covid-19, pandemic fatigue, and when we’re getting back to normal, Adam Feuerstein, Meg Tirrell, Damian Garde, STAT
    • A very 2020 thing is that we now have a group of people who’ve become pandemic celebrities. They’d probably prefer not to have that moniker. But the fact is, public health experts are now well-known faces on TV news and well-known voices on your favorite podcasts. Among them is Ashish Jha, who’s now dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health. He has more Twitter followers than STAT’s Adam Feuerstein and Damian Garde combined. And he’s particularly helpful at cutting through the noise and explaining what’s happening with Covid-19.

 

Niagara Economic Summit Series 2020

Where are we now, how did we get here, and where do we go? This year’s summit, taking place between November 10 and November 24, brings experts and leaders together from across the country to identify where we are economically, what our future opportunities are, and how we can seize them. Find out more and get a calendar save-the-date here.

 If you are showing symptoms, contact your health care provider, call the Public Health Info-Line at 905-688-8248, or chat to Public Health online. For testing, call 905-378-4647 ext. 42819 (4-CV19) for information on test centres in Niagara and to book an appointment.

Previous updates can be accessed here.

The GNCC is here to support you. Contact us with any questions you have.

Share this:

COVID-19 Business Update: October 19th, 2020

October 19, 2020 | Daily Update

The Ontario government released an action plan to make government services simpler, easier to use, and more convenient and accessible during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Ontario Onwards: Ontario’s COVID-19 Action Plan for a People-Focused Government includes more than 30 projects that aim to improve the way people and businesses interact with government, saving them both time and money.
Information on government grants, resources, and programs, as well as policies, forms, and posters for download and use, are available here.
The Government of Canada has a support page with summaries of current programs and application portals.

Vital updates:

  • The Ontario government released an action plan to make government services simpler, easier to use, and more convenient and accessible during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Ontario Onwards: Ontario’s COVID-19 Action Plan for a People-Focused Government includes more than 30 projects that aim to improve the way people and businesses interact with government, saving them both time and money. The government is focusing on:
    • Making government services more digitally accessible, such as providing new and improved digital health solutions to frontline care personnel, so they can rapidly and securely access a patient’s health records from anywhere and from any device.
    • Reducing red tape and simplifying policies while protecting public health and safety, such as reducing barriers to development and construction approval by allowing a digital application process to get shovels in the ground faster on transit and housing projects.
    • Improving government purchasing by leveraging the combined bulk-buying power of the province, while taking advantage of the world-class capabilities of local Ontario businesses, to transform how the government purchases goods and services, so the province can have the supplies it needs.
    • Creating more responsible and flexible public services, such as re-designing core internal processes or permit applications, so citizens can get what they need faster and easier, such as driver’s licences and health cards.
  • The Government of Ontario has offered the following guidance for a safe and happy Halloween:
    • Avoid gatherings with people outside of your household;
    • Stay home if you are feeling ill, even if you have mild symptoms, or if you are at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19;
    • If you live outside the modified Stage 2 public health unit regions and are going to go out to trick or treat:
      • Only go out with members of your household;
      • Only trick or treat outside;
      • Both trick or treaters and people handing out candy should wear a face covering. A costume mask is not a substitute for a face covering and should not be worn over a face covering as it may make it difficult to breathe;
      • Do not congregate or linger at doorsteps and remember to line up two metres apart if waiting. Avoid high-touch surfaces and objects;
      • Whether collecting or handing out treats, wash your hands often and thoroughly, or use hand sanitizer; and
      • Do not leave treats in a bucket or bowl for children to grab and consider using tongs or other similar tools to hand out treats.
  • The Government of Canada has extended the closure of the U.S. border until November 21st. It was originally set to re-open on October 21st, and the closure has now been extended several times. However, the White House has intimated that the border should be opened “pretty soon” and has claimed that the Prime Minister was also in favour of a quicker re-opening, indicating that a breakdown in negotiations or communications may have occurred between the two governments. Spokespeople for both national governments gave conflicting clarifying statements. Additionally, the U.S. is welcoming Canadian air travelers, while the Government of Canada urges Canadians not to travel to the United States by air.
  • Food delivery services like Uber Eats and Skip the Dishes are adjusting the fees they charge restaurants to process and handle orders, after pressure from politicians to do more to help an industry that has been devastated by COVID-19. Fees charged by the delivery services can often be up to 30 per cent of the bill. Uber Eats has lowered its “delivery-only” fee, for restaurants that process the order themselves but simply need a delivery service, to 7.5 per cent. That service was only launched last month, but the rate will be in effect until the end of the year or later, at which point that rate will increase to 15 per cent. The company has also added an option to charge zero per cent commission for pickup orders when the order is processed by Uber but the food itself is picked up by the customer.

Reading recommendations:

  • Companies wary of hiring and expanding because of COVID uncertainty, Bank of Canada survey finds, CBC News
    • The Bank of Canada says companies are hedging hiring plans and wage growth expectations in the coming months over heightened uncertainty from the COVID-19 pandemic. The central bank’s business outlook survey finds hiring intentions remain below their historical averages, suggesting modest hiring plans even as the overall outlook on employment edges up. Almost one-third of businesses told the bank they expect their workforce numbers to remain below pre-pandemic levels for at least the next 12 months, or to never fully recover.
  • The maps that show life is slowly getting better, Robert Muggah, The Guardian
    • Maps are not just informative, they are empowering. They can help provide a new perspective to age-old problems. But maps are not necessarily fixed – they often need renewing. As Albert Einstein said, “You can’t use old maps to explore a new world.” While there are reasons to be uneasy about the future, maps can also inspire optimism. They not only reveal incredible progress, but also signal how a combination of political leadership, smart incentives and regulatory pressure can improve our human condition.

 

Niagara Economic Summit Series 2020

Where are we now, how did we get here, and where do we go? This year’s summit, taking place between November 10 and November 24, brings experts and leaders together from across the country to identify where we are economically, what our future opportunities are, and how we can seize them. Find out more and get a calendar save-the-date here.

 If you are showing symptoms, contact your health care provider, call the Public Health Info-Line at 905-688-8248, or chat to Public Health online. For testing, call 905-378-4647 ext. 42819 (4-CV19) for information on test centres in Niagara and to book an appointment.

Previous updates can be accessed here.

The GNCC is here to support you. Contact us with any questions you have.

Share this: