Wednesday, May 27, 2020

KEY UPDATES 

• Today, the Ontario government has extended all emergency orders in force under s.7.0.2 (4) of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act until June 9, 2020. Click here for a full list of extended emergency orders. 

• The CECRA for small businesses application portal is open.  Apply here.

• Since the CECRA announcement, we have heard from numerous businesses that the program will not provide the support needed without improvements. The main concern is that commercial landlords may not participate in the program. 

• We have called for the federal government to work with provinces and territories to address issues with the CECRA program, including improving the program uptake by landlords.  Specifically calling for a “temporary” moratorium to allow for time for both landlords and tenants to digest the actual details of the rent subsidy program that only just launched on Monday.

• We appreciate how collaboratively the Ontario government has always worked with the Ontario business community. To stop widespread evictions & bankruptcies, we join the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association, Restaurants Canada, and Retail Council of Canada in asking for a moratorium on commercial evictions. See our announcement on social. 

• Read the letter here. 

1. Share your experience by taking a short survey or,
2. Provide in-depth feedback to this email fin.cews-succ.fin@canada.ca. 

ADDITIONAL UPDATES

• Wednesday is #TakeOutWednesday! Tweet and tag both @OntarioCofC and @canadatakeout and help us promote great local restaurants across Ontario. 

• On May 26, the Ontario government outlined key findings from the Canadian Armed Forces report on the five long-term care homes at which the military has been assisting. The report details serious concerns around infection prevention, safety, staffing and level of care. Ford has asked the Canadian forces to extend their mission in Ontario long-term care homes for another 30 days. Learn more. 

• On May 26, we had a COVID-19 Working Group call with Jason Easton, Chief of Staff and Ivana Spasovska, Senior Special Assistant, Regional Affairs (Ontario) and Stakeholder Relations to the Hon. Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, International Trade and Export Promotion. 

• On May 26, Prime Minister Trudeau announced the government is increasing its orders of PPE, noting that so far more than 40 plane loads of supplies have arrived in Canada as domestic companies continue to produce much-needed medical gear. This includes 10,000 additional ventilators and funding for up to 700 new youth jobs in agriculture. 

• On May 25, the province provided an update on volunteer support for those especially vulnerable during the pandemic. More than 6,500 Ontarians have offered to deliver food, run errands and connect with seniors and people with disabilities during COVID-19. 

• The province continues to update its COVID-19 Self Assessment Tool. The Tool now directs Ontarians with any of 17 listed COVID-19 symptoms to self-isolate and contact a doctor or Telehealth Ontario for further instructions as they may be eligible for testing. Click here for a summary of the changes and what this means for employers.

• Last week, we were pleased to hold Ontario Business Advisory Council Meetings with the Hon. Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs (see here!) as well as with the Hon. Christine Elliott, Minister of Health & Robin Martin, Parliamentary Assistant to Minister of Health (see here!).

UPCOMING WEBINARS

Indispensable Partners in the Fight Against COVID-19

• On May 26, Prime Minister Trudeau announced a contract with GM Canada to make 10 million masks to battle COVID-19. Production begins immediately! Learn more. 
• Air Canada is ready for takeoff! Learn about how Air Canada continues to do its part to ensure safety of its customers, here. 

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