In Today's Update

We will continue to strive to bring forward pertinent information to the tourism industry as it becomes available. We will also do our best to find answers to your questions. Do not hesitate to contact us. We are here for you.

NOTO Contact Emails:

Kate Racicot - kate@noto.net

Laurie Marcil - laurie@noto.net or 705-499-7556

Notes from the Northern Tourism Tele-Townhall with Minister MacLeod and Minister Rickford - July 6th, 2020

Both Ministers acknowledged that there is a long road to recovery for the tourism industry, especially in Northern Ontario. Minister MacLeod is currently doing a tour of Ontario to help build consumer confidence and to show that it is safe to travel within the Province.

Minister Rickford stated that he, Minister MacLeod and other Ministerial colleagues are trying to pressure the Federal Government to provide Ontarian's with a clear guideline as to how long the Canada-US border closure will last to help businesses prepare for the survival of their businesses going into 2021. They both don't see the border opening on July 21st as the USA is currently seeing a daily increase of 50,000+ cases daily. The Provincial Government has weekly calls with the Federal Government. Minister Clark (Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing) and the Solicitor General, Sylvia Jones, are the ones who primarily work on the border closure. There is no doubt that Northern Ontario camp operators have felt the most devastating impacts due to the border closure. Minister Rickford stated that NOHFC is working to find ways to help and expressed how important it is and will continue to work and consult with operators while moving forward.

In her update, Minister MacLeod announced $18 million in support programs for Northern Ontario. This money will be distributed to RTO 12 and 13 ($5 million each) for marketing initiatives and support local campaign, $8 million will go into the Ontario Trillium Foundation, $100,000 will go to Indigenous Tourism Ontario for marketing and a $245,000 will go towards events in Northern Ontario. When asked about the potential of receiving grants from the Provincial Government to help tourism operators survive 2020, Minister MacLeod's answer was that the Provincial Government does not have enough liquidity to provide grants to all businesses within her ministry. Her answer provided an indication that her Ministry can only provide support through marketing dollars and by funding events. Both Minister MacLeod and Minister Rickford acknowledge that there is an urgent need to get operators financial support, relief from provincially administered fees, as well as dealing with the issues surrounding insurance companies. Both Ministers expressed how they need the Federal Government to step in to provide targeted support for tourism operators.

There was also a short discussion surrounding internet and cellular service challenges that have been brought to the forefront as a result of COVID-19. Minister MacLeod mentioned that Ontario is currently working on a 5-year cellular action plan to get Ontario connected. Minister Rickford said there is a project underway that will focus on getting Northern Ontario internet connectivity to be on par with larger city centers but they will need some support from the Federal Government to move this project forward.

Notes from the Tele-Townhall with Minister MacLeod - July 13th, 2020

Today Minister MacLeod focused on the announcement made today by the Premier regarding the move to stage 3 for most of Ontario which will take place this Friday. (see specific details below.)

Minister MacLeod also announced an additional $20M will be allocated to help market tourism through the RTO's across the Province. We are awaiting specific details.

The Minister also provided an update on her tour of tourism destinations that she hopes will help to instill confidence in Ontarians to travel to all parts of the Province. She will be touring Northern Ontario in the next few weeks.

Ontario Enters Stage 3

24 regions in Ontario are entering Stage 3 on Friday July 17th. Durham, Norfolk, Halton, Lambton, Toronto, York, Niagara, Windsor-Essex, Hamilton, and Peel will remain in Stage 2.

As of Friday, public gatherings will be extended to 100 people outdoors and 50 people indoors. People need to continue to practice social distancing from any individual outside their social circle if they choose to gather in larger groups. Social circles are gatherings where individuals from different households can gather without needing to socially distance. As it currently stands, social circles will remain at 10. For regions that remain in stage 2, the social gathering restriction of 10 individuals will remain in place.

Dine-in at restaurants, bars, gyms, theaters, recreational facilities, parks and other facilities will be able to open as of Friday as well. The Chief Medical Officer of Health, public health experts and other officials have identified high-risk places and activities that are not yet safe to open, even if a region has entered Stage 3 due to the likelihood of large crowds congregating, difficulties with physical distancing, or challenges maintaining the proper cleaning and sanitation required to prevent the spread of COVID‑19:

Good hand hygiene and wearing masks will remain critical as restrictions continue to loosen. The Government continues to encourage working from home if businesses can continue and choose to do so. The Chief Medical Officer of Health will continue to monitor the situation. Any spike in cases can and will result in the tightening of restrictions. Some municipalities have implemented restrictions or requirements, such as mandatory face coverings in commercial establishments and indoor public spaces. Please contact your local health unit or municipality for more details. We will be in stage 3 for the foreseeable future.

We will be watching for more details to come on the specifics of these items in the coming days. We encourage you to contact us with any questions so that we can ensure they are addressed in our next newsletter.

Federal Government News - CEWS & Border Closure

The Federal Government has yet to pass the CEWS extension however Prime Minister Trudeau announced today that the Government will extend the 75% wage subsidy into December. This bill is expected to pass within the next few weeks.

The Prime Minister also announced that more news on the border closure is to be expected later this week. It is very unlikely that the border will reopen on July 21st. When asked about the potential of announcing an extended closure in order to provide businesses and individuals with greater certainty, Prime Minister Trudeau said the Federal Government plans on continuing to expand the closure on a month by month basis.

Cases in the US have been increasing at an unprecedented rate. They have now surpassed 3.3 million cases and have been reporting 50,000 to 60,000 new cases daily. Minister MacLeod and Minister Rickford both mentioned in the Northern Tourism Townhall last week that the Provincial Government is pushing for the Federal Government to provide us with a clear timeline as to how long the border will be closed in order to provide businesses with better certainty and to help them plan for the future rather than relying on the updates every 20 to 30 days.

It is becoming more and more apparent that the US/Canada border opening before the end of this summer season is not likely. This is why we must focus our efforts on securing meaningful financial support from Government. This is not easy information to relay to all of you who are dependent on the US market.

We encourage each of you to look to the current Government programs if you haven't already at Canada.ca

and keep us posted of any shortfalls or challenges in making application.

TIAO Calls

Tuesday July 14th

Northern Ontario Call 

Call Time: 12 pm

Meeting Link:  https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/310438389

Access Code: 310-438-389

Dial in: +1 (647) 497-9373

Tourism Operators and Educator Call

Call Time: 3:30 pm

Meeting Link:  https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/884774381

Access Code: 884-774-381

Dial in:  +1 (647) 497-9391

Thank you.

The TIAO team.

Adapt 2020 Webinar

Transition Financing During COVID-19     

 

Presented by: Ryan Reynard, Executive Director, Lake of the Woods Business Incentive Corp. (LOWBIC)  and Michael Addison, General Manager, LaCloche Manitoulin Business Assistance Corp. (LAMBAC) 

 

July 16th, 2020 - 11:00 am EDT

 

Concerned about how changing market conditions have impacted your financing?

 

Our objective is to ensure our members and community have access to resources that help them navigate the impacts of COVID-19 in Northern Ontario. 

 

LaCloche Manitoulin Business Development Corporation (LAMBAC) and the Lake of the Woods Business Incentive Corp (LOWBIC) will be joining us on July 16th to share their insights on financing options and programs available to help operators in both the short and long term. After the presentation, there will be a live Q&A to answer questions about your lending options in these unprecedented times.

 

By the end of the webinar you should come away with an understanding of:

NOTO Employment Board

As operators begin to open, many need help with finding employees. NOTO's website features an employment discussion board where those looking for work and those looking to hire can post in hopes of filling vacant positions.

This board is free to use for everyone and will be shared regularly on our social media pages.

NOTO also encourages all operators to take advantage of the CEWS program and the CEWS extension once it becomes available. Accessing CEWS will provide operators with more pay flexibility and could be used as an incentive to encourage individuals who are currently relying on CERB to come back to work for the summer.

Federal & Provincial Government Information

The Ontario and Federal Governments are regularly updating COVID-19 information, travel information, Minister statements, Government initiatives and statistics on their websites. For additional information from the Ontario or Federal Government, please click on the buttons below.

NOTO is a membership based organization that works hard to support the outdoor tourism industry through advocacy and information services. We do not receive Government funding for operating and rely on annual memberships from tourism businesses, organizations, product and service suppliers, and partners. For more information about membership with NOTO visit noto.ca