Brockton Business Newsletter
March 27, 2020
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Walkerton In It Together
The #inittogether graphic created by Kristen Bowman of kbdesigns, a member of the Walkerton BIA board of directors, sums up the resilient attitude of many Brockton business owners during the COVID-19 crisis.
Bowman was set to open her new store, His Style, in downtown Walkerton when the pandemic hit. Like many local entrepreneurs, she decided to channel her energy and get creative, designing the logo seen here and sharing it with all downtown businesses, to post proudly on their doors or social media feeds.
"Who didn't love a pinwheel as a kid. A simple childhood toy that evokes smiles + happiness and a symbol of brighter days ahead," Kristen said. The pinwheel contains the water drop prominent in the new Walkerton logo.
How are you coping with the pandemic? Are you offering home delivery or pick-up services? Ramping up your social media? Moving to an online platform to still offer services? Skyping or reaching clients in new ways?
Drop us a line
.
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Please take a moment to fill out our
COVID-19 Business Survey
if you haven't already. We are working with our partners, including Bruce County, RTO7, the Saugeen Economic Development Corp. and the Walkerton BIA, to assist our businesses during this pandemic, and with recovery efforts going forward.
Let us know how you're faring, and how we can best help you.
All information will remain confidential.
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State of Emergency Declared
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Brockton Mayor Chris Peabody has declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19, which will enable the municipality to make use of all tools at its disposal to protect the health and well-being of all residents and businesses, including accessing any provincial funding that may become available in the future.
“The actions we take now are critical to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect and help Brockton’s vulnerable residents, Mayor Peabody said.
"Brockton is a resilient community that comes together to weather tough times and we can help to protect each other by staying home.”
Read the full press release.
Tax Relief
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Municipality of Brockton has announced financial measures to help ease the economic impact to taxpayers for the March 31st and May 29th tax bills. The municipality will waive penalty and interest charges on unpaid balances for April, May and June for the two interim property tax payments.
COVID-19 Information Poster
Brockton has created a COVID-19
Community Information Poster
to help vulnerable people in the community, including the elderly, disabled, and those self-isolating. It includes links to local grocery stores, pharmacies and restaurants still offering take-out or delivery. Please share with clients or post publicly.
Thank you to the service clubs that are also assisting -- the Rotary Club of Walkerton, Walkerton & District Optimist Club, the Kinsmen's Club of Walkerton and the Walkerton branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, as well as some faith groups.
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Government Support Measures Increased
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The provincial and federal governments have announced several support programs for business, including:
- Reduced hydro charges
- Wage subsidies
- Deferred tax payments
- Increased access to credit
More help for small and medium-sized businesses was announced on Friday, including a 75 per cent wage subsidy and guaranteed interest-free loans. Wage subsidies will be back-dated to March 15, 2020.
The government will also guarantee bank loans of up to $40,000 for small businesses which will be interest-free for the first year. Under certain conditions, up to $10,000 of the loans could be non-repayable.
GST and HST payments, as well as duties and taxes owed on imports, will be deferred until June, the Prime Minister announced. More details will be available by Monday, March 30th.
In Ontario, all non-essential businesses have been ordered to close. If you are operating on-line and offering pick-up or delivery, you are allowed to continue. Please call the Stop the Spread business hotline at 1-888-444-3659 if you have questions, or visit the
Ontario government's COVID-19 webpages
.
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Can Your Business Assist During COVID-19?
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The provincial government has launched a new web site,
Ontario Together
,
outlining how businesses and organizations can help fight the coronavirus. It's looking for
medical products such as ventilators, swabs, masks and eye protection, as well as ideas about:
- virtual mental health services for people who are vulnerable or living in remote communities
- supply chain resiliency monitoring
- financial planning and advising for small businesses that can be delivered online at low-cost including advice about relief programs and how to apply
The federal government has also put out a call for supplies such as surgical masks, N5 masks, nitrile gloves, vinyl gloves, gowns ventilators and hand sanitizer. As well, it is looking for additional services in the areas of security, nursing, food services, laundry services, accommodation maintenance and IT support.
If your company or organization can help, please visit the government's
Buy and Sell
page.
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2020 Hawk's Nest Project Postponed
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Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the Saugeen Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) and the Bruce Community Futures Development Corporation (BCFDC) have decided to suspend the Hawks’ Nest event, originally scheduled for June 17, 2020, until June of 2021.
The project, inspired by the Dragon's Den, assists local entrepreneurs and small to medium sized enterprises with training, coaching, mentorship and investments for new and expanding business ideas.
The organizers encourage entrepreneurs and small and medium sized businesses with applications in the works to complete their business plans and submit them for consideration at the postponed event in 2021.
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Local Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic
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The Brockton Municipal Office is closed to the public but staff are still available by phone or email to provide essential services to the public. Call 519-881-2223.
For business or economic development inquiries contact Paulette Peirol at 519-881-2223 ext 131 or email
[email protected]
.
The Walkerton BIA is closed to the public, but staff are working remotely to respond to emails and social media messages. The BIA can be contacted at
[email protected]
or
[email protected]
or through Facebook or Instagram.
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Online Resources for Brockton Businesses
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RTO7, the regional tourism organization for Bruce, Grey and Simcoe Counties, is publishing regular updates to assist businesses. You can
sign up for the RTO7 newsletter
here.
The
Ministry of Health
offers up to date information about the coronavirus, including links to the Grey-Bruce Health Unit and Telehealth Ontario.
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