- Message from NOTO staff
- Update on tourism funding to date
- Provincial Government announcements
- Industry-led letter campaign to Government
- TIAO calls
- Destination Canada webinar
- Northwestern Ontario Tourism Operators Rally
- Adapt 2020 - this weeks webinars June 3rd and June 4th
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:
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Message From NOTO Staff
To operators:
We know you are becoming increasingly frustrated with the inconsistent messaging from Government, Public Health Units, OPP, the business helpline, and so forth. We appreciate those who have contacted us to let us know about these inconsistencies.
We are very concerned that the Government's announcement last week focusing on a regional approach to opening the province will lead to some very distinct inconsistencies across all public health unit districts as well as create some very unfair circumstances within the industry.
This is why NOTO, TIAO, and all other tourism sector organizations have all agreed to create a joint position forwarded to the Provincial Government demanding that all businesses within the tourism sector be allowed to re-open with provision that each business can prove they are meeting the guidelines of public health and sector specific protocols.
NOTO is also pushing the Government to step forward and provide clear guidance and support for our industry. If the province is to re-open in this manner, there needs to be specific guidelines that are consistent across all districts.
As a result of the announcement focusing on the potential reopening of Ontario Park's on June 14th, NOTO initiated an industry-led letter campaign to highlight the impacts COVID-19 has had on your businesses and to demand that our businesses be allowed to open as well. We are very pleased to see that many of you have heeded our call to action and as of this moment we have been cc'd on over 70 emails to the Premier, Minister MacLeod and MPPs across the Province. Keep up the pressure, keep writing your letters!! See later in this newsletter for more details.
Last week, NOTO submitted the health and safety protocols for resource-based tourism businesses to Workplace Safety & Prevention Services for vetting. Once approved, we will share these protocols with industry
as well as the Premier and his Cabinet Ministers so they can be confident we will be ready to open safely. In the meantime, you can find resources on cleaning protocols set out by public health on our
COVID-19 page.
We have not forgotten about our US camp owners. We are still in regular contact with the Federal Government and the CBSA border crossings across Ontario and will continue to press for your re-entry to Canada. We know that this is very challenging for all of you.
Thank you all for continuing to engage with us. It is vital that we hear from you to know what challenges you are facing and to talk about how we can work through them together.
We will continue to press Government for better financial support measures and educate the Government on the importance of our sector to the Northern Ontario economy.
NOTO has made a request to present at the upcoming Provincial Finance Committee hearings. We look forward to this opportunity to bring the impacts of COVID-19 on the RBT industry to this group of provincial leaders and decision makers.
Please keep moving forward to our call to action!
NOTO Team
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An Update on Tourism Funding
FedNor:
On May 31,2020 a FedNor press release was issued entitled "
The Government of Canada invests $7.6 million to support communities, businesses and organizations in Northern Ontario to help create jobs, spur growth and support the tourism industry.
" We inquired about this release and as we suspected the $7.6 million has already been allocated for projects that were applied for prior to COVID-19. There is no new money here however the projects are certainly geared to support tourism in the North.
New funds from FedNor are $49.5 million and are being made available to the North through the Regiona Relief and Recovery Fund.
Regional Relief and Recovery Fund Update:
The $962-million fund, being delivered through Canada’s regional development agencies, aims to support businesses and tourism SMEs across Canada that have been unable to access existing federal relief measures. In Northern Ontario, a total of $49.5 million will be delivered between FedNor and Northern Ontario’s 24 Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs). In southern Ontario, FedDev is delivering $213 million to support Southern Ontario SMEs.
I
n Northern Ontario, FedNor is delivering $24 million of this RRRF investment through its Regional Economic Growth through Innovation program. Eligible applicants include businesses such as incorporated companies, corporations or co-operatives, or Indigenous organizations and businesses, as well as various not-for-profit entities.
Click here to view details
.
Northern Ontario's 24 Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) will deliver $25.5 million in RRRF support directly to small businesses and entrepreneurs in rural areas. This includes sole proprietorships or partnerships not covered under the Regional Economy stream. To find out more about RRRF funding available through this stream, contact your local CFDC or consult this
CFDC directory
.
Destination Canada:
Destination Canada will invest $30 million with Provincial and Territorial Marketing Organizations to help restart marketing efforts across Canada over the next 18 months. These efforts will encourage Canadian's to support local businesses.
Click here to read more.
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Provincial Government News
Today, Ontario launched new initiatives to
help with electricity costs.
Starting June 1st, customers will be billed based on a new fixed COVID-19 Recovery Rate of 12.8 cents per kilowatt hour. The COVID-19 Recovery Rate will be in place until October 31, 2020. Other initiatives announced include:
- $9 million for the COVID-19 Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) to support consumers struggling to pay their energy bills during the pandemic. CEAP will provide one-time payments to consumers to help pay down any electricity bill debt incurred over the COVID‑19 period. Applications will be available through local utilities in the upcoming months;
- $8 million for the COVID-19 Energy Assistance Program for Small Business (CEAP-SB) to provide support to businesses struggling with bill payments as a result of the outbreak; and
- An extension of the Ontario Energy Board's winter disconnection ban until July 31, 2020 to ensure no one is disconnected from their natural gas or electricity service during these uncertain times.
The Provincial Legislature will meet Tuesday June 2nd to pass legislation to extend the State of Emergency to June 30th.
Last week, Ontario extended the
emergency orders
to June 9th. All emergency orders remain the same including the closure of non-essential businesses, closure of outdoor recreational amenities, restaurants open for take-out or delivery only, gathering restrictions of up to 5 individuals.
Over the weekend, Ontario announced the
re-opening of camping
on crown land as well back-country camping in Ontario Parks as of June 1st. The closure of all other overnight camping and some day-use activities at provincial parks and conservation reserves has been extended to June 14 and will continue to be reassessed. All buildings and facilities including campgrounds, roofed accommodations, visitor centers, park stores, playgrounds, and beaches remain closed.
Premier Ford also announced on Friday May, 29th that the Government is looking at a regional approach to re-opening the province which will begin in Phase 2. This will give local Public Health Units more authority on implementing the emergency orders and enforcement and also allow them to select which businesses may open or close based on the COVID-19 situation in their respective areas. The Premier has made it clear that we are not entering Phase 2 as of yet.
The Premier also stated last week that seasonal vacation rentals are not to open until phase 2 of
Ontario's Framework to Reopening the Province.
Although we have been hearing several inconsistencies and messages from Public Health Units across the province, we encourage operators to continue to follow the Provincial Governments emergency orders until NOTO's health and safety protocols for resource-based tourism are vetted by the Workplace Safety & Prevention Services which is now underway.
This means short term rentals are not to open unless they are providing a place for individuals to self-isolate during the emergency period and for seasonal campgrounds, only those with full season contracts who's trailers are hooked up to electricity, water, and have access to a facilities for sewage disposal may be permitted in compliance with the
essential services list stipulations
.
If you are considering re-opening in advance of clear communication from Government, NOTO urges you to take the following steps:
- Contact your insurance company to discuss whether you are covered if you open during the emergency order
- Contact your health unit
- Contact your municipality
- Contact the OPP
Ultimately, you are assuming the risk and you will need to determine whether you are going to open or not in absence of an official announcement. In the meantime, we encourage all tourism businesses to do is get their protocols ready.
NOTO has completed a comprehensive protocol document for the Resource-Based Tourism Sector and have submitted them to the Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS) for vetting. We hope to share them with you all this week. We have gathered information on our
COVID-19 Page
that you can use as well the WSPS has developed a number of protocol documents for different sectors on their
COVID-19 Hub
.
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It's Time to Demand that we be Permitted to Open
As a result of the announcement that crown land camping will be open effective June 1st and the potential of Provincial Campgrounds opening June 14th as well as the lack of clarity on who in private industry can and cannot be open, we are calling on all tourist operators to write to Premier Ford, the Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries and your MPP.
It is time that you tell them directly about:
- the financial losses you've suffered
- the need for more meaningful financial assistance from the Province
- the challenges that you have and will continue to face
- the staffing issues
- the concerns for safety of staff and guests
- the lack of respect and acknowledgement for seasonal businesses who are the backbone of the economy
- the inconsistent communications from all levels of Government and their agencies
- the inability for businesses to plan with no clear dates or timelines
- and any other points you want to make.
In addition to these activities, NOTO is currently joining forces with all other tourism sector organizations to demand urgent action from the Government to restart Ontario's tourism and travel sector. We will continue our efforts to obtain the clarification we believe is necessary for the sake of the resource-based tourism industry.
We have learned that there is a group of tourism operators in Northwestern Ontario that are planning a legal protest to bring attention the need for our Government to support the tourism industry as it struggles to survive this pandemic. NOTO applauds the organizers for taking these steps. We must make our voice louder! Please see a message from the organizers later in this newsletter.
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TIAO Calls - Tuesday June 2nd, 2020
Northern Ontario Conference Call
Time: 10:00 am (EST)
Access Code: 975-911-349
Tourism Operators and Educators
Call Time: 4:00 pm (EST)
Access Code: 294-380-429
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Destination Canada Webinar
Destination Canada will be hosting their next webinar on
Wednesday June 3, 2020 at 3p.m. EST.
They will provide an overview of DC’s latest market research and how it can help inform your organization’s next steps. They will also share some quick website and social media ideas that SMEs can use during COVID-19.
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Northwestern Ontario Tourism Operators Planning A Peaceful Rally
June 1, 2020
Hello fellow tourism operators!
Thank you to NOTO for allowing us to use their newsletter to reach out to Northwestern operators. We felt this was one of the best ways to get the word out.
A movement is underway to organize a peaceful rally/protest to draw attention to the fact we need meaningful support from the government for tourism that we have not yet received. Anyone with a stake in tourism is welcome to join us. Just to make it clear, we will not tolerate profanity, violence, or any talk about the border opening or the virus.
Our mission and goal is clear – we need meaningful help and clear communication from the government to save our businesses since they won’t allow us to even open to Canadian tourism. We also need the government to allow USA business owners across the border so they can protect their investments.
We have a code of conduct to sign at the rally upon entering that basically states the above message. This will show anyone in authority our intention to protest peacefully and follow all social distancing guidelines.
If you want to get involved, you can email or call or Facebook. We have a group called
Tourism Matters NWO Rally
that you can go to and ask to join. If you cannot make it because you are stateside, let us know your lodge name and we will make sure you are represented!
Please join us!
Thank you.
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Messages and Special Offers from our Preferred Suppliers!
Our Preferred Suppliers want you to know that they are here for your during this difficult time.
Many have messages they would like to share with you and many of our Preferred Suppliers have set up discount programs and special offers to help you get ready as the province moves towards re-opening the economy. This page will be regularly updated as well as our Preferred Suppliers continue to provide us with messages and special offers.
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You can now view recordings of completed webinars by either signing in or creating a TEN account and
clicking here!
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Re-Opening Ontario's Hospitality Industry
Presented by: Tony Elenis, President & CEO, Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association
June 3rd, 2020 - 11:00 am EDT
- Economic Climate Trends
- Advocating Overview
- Operation Protocols in the New Norm
- Obstacles to Overcome
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Locals First - Creating Experiences to Appeal to the Local Ontario Market
Presented by: Eva Gutsche, Owner, STEM Consulting
June 4th, 2020 - 11:00 am EDT
This webinar will help businesses understand who their short-term Ontario-based customer could be and how to adjust their product offering and experiences to appeal to that market.
Driving short-haul Ontario business for Summer 2020:
- Market expectations - research
- Shifting customer type - moving from your traditional traveller to a local traveller
- Targeting your best fit - short haul traveller - e.g. family, couples, outdoor adventure, culinary
- Working with community partners to create experiences
- Considering COVID guidelines in experience design
- Marketing your offering - focus on creating a plan
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NOTO's COVID-19 Page
This page was created to keep you informed on the latest developments that may impact/help your businesses. This page features links to our COVID-19 newsletters, Government resources, information that may be useful to tourism operators and links to supports for tourism operators as they become available. This page will be updated regularly during this pandemic.There are FAQ's with answers and tips from NOTO. FAQs will be regularly updated as well.
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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.
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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
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