BusinessTO Newsletter

Announcements

Ontario Government proposes temporary ban on commercial evictions

Restaurants and personal care services advised to prepare for safe reopening

The provincial government has advised restaurants, cafes, and personal services including hair salons, barbers, tattoo parlours, nail salons and aesthetics to begin preparing for their reopening. Guidelines for Reopening your Restaurant and Guidelines for Personal Service Settings are now available. Restaurateurs are also invited to participate in a webinar on Reopening Guidance for the Restaurant Sector on Friday, June 12 at 2 p.m. Decisions about when and how businesses can begin operating will be made in accordance with the Government of Ontario's framework to reopen the province.

City of Toronto announces CaféTO

CaféTO, an initiative to create more outdoor space for local restaurants and bars, will make it easier for businesses to open and expand patios and access additional outdoor space for physical distancing during the summer months. The program will allow the City to act quickly to help restaurants and bars when the next phase of reopening begins.

Canadian destination marketing organizations to receive federal funding 

The federal government is investing in the recovery of the tourism sector through direct funding support to destination marketing organizations across Canada. To drive visitors back into local communities as the economy reopens, the initiative will help generate new revenue for tourism-dependent small and medium-sized businesses. Tourism Toronto will receive $7.9 million through this initiative.

Google Canada investment expands ShopHERE initiative across the country 

The ShopHERE initiative developed in Toronto to help independent small businesses set up online stores is being expanded to municipalities across the country, thanks to a $1 million investment by Google Canada. The national rollout of ShopHERE powered by Google is based on the Digital Main Street model created by the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas and the City of Toronto. The goal is to help 50,000 Canadian small businesses get online by 2021.

City of Toronto Programs and Resources

• Stay connected to other entrepreneurs and leaders with Business AdviceTO, a series of free weekly online events for tech, retail and female-led businesses.

• The BusinessTO Support Centre is available to help businesses complete applications for government assistance programs, retail opening guidelines and general business advice.

• Signup for the ShopHERE powered by Google program for help setting up and launching your own Shopify online store quickly, easily and at no cost. 

• Join Digital Main Street for access to tools, resources, connections to trusted digital vendors, online learning and a Digital Service Squad who provide one-on-one virtual assistance.

• Reopen safely with help from resources in the Toronto Public Health Planning Guide.

• Make a difference in your community with DonateTO.

Supporting COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts through DonateTO

Faced with the overwhelming need to accommodate large volumes of perishable food items, The Toronto Office of Partnerships helped connect Second Harvest with Exhibition Place and Spectra Food Services & Hospitality to secure a large cold storage facility at the Enercare Centre. This partnership has allowed Second Harvest to expand its capacity to store and distribute much-needed perishable food items to community food programs across Toronto. Learn how you can help at COVID-19: DonateTO.

Financial Support and Resources

Federal and provincial government financial supports: 

• Ontario-Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance Program

• Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program

• Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) program

• Support for Indigenous Businesses

• Business Credit Availability Program 

• Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) 

• Business Resilience Service

For one-on-one assistance with applications for any of these programs visit the BusinessTO Support Centre.

Support from industry groups and private sector organizations:

• Ritual One helps food businesses easily take commission-free orders online

• Next Generation Manufacturing Canada provides funding for companies producing COVID-19 equipment and supplies.

• Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Technology Assessment Program supports manufacturers looking to complete a technology assessment.

Webinars and Online Events