CWCC PULSE - April 1st

April 1, 2021

A Message from Sally Litchfield, General Manager:

Hello everyone,

Today is a busy day and while I write this we are watching the announcement from the provincial government. We have included more details below, but there are a couple of key things I'd like to highlight:

The Ontario Small Business Support Grant deadline has been extended to April 7. This was designed for businesses impacted by shutdown, and a 'double up' was announced with the provincial budget last week, meaning, all eligible businesses will receive a second, equal, payment, with no action needed by them. If you have not yet applied for the first payment, I urge you to take a look at the eligibility and apply if you are able to.

In response to the surge in case numbers and impact on hospitals and ICU admissions being at a critical level, the Ontario government is imposing the emergency brake from the COVID-19 Response Framework, across the whole province, starting Saturday Apr 3 at 12:01am, and continuing for at least 4 weeks. The emergency brake includes stringent shutdown measures, and pauses the 'colour' framework.

We know that Ontario's business community continues to be frustrated with changes to lockdown measures and vaccine distribution, and we continue to advocate alongside the Ontario Chamber of Commerce for quick and continued deployment of vaccinations, as well as, clarity around what warrants changes in lockdowns.

This morning I did have the pleasure of participating in a Speed Networking event that was in partnership with the Guelph Chamber of Commerce – don’t forget, if you’re looking to expand your reach to include Guelph, we do have a joint membership agreement. Send me an email to chat further!

Today is also the day that our Coupon Book is hitting mailboxes! We were thrilled to have over 80 businesses participate in this, and are excited to see the impact this will have. If you’ve already received it with your copy of the Wellington Advertiser, we’d love for you to take a pic and share on social media – don’t forget to tag us! (Didn’t get one? Send us an email!) Along with this launch, we are rolling out a series of videos which are all about showing the people behind the businesses, and encouraging and thanking people for supporting local. Please consider recording one of these clips here and we look forward to sharing them!

You may have seen our sponsorship opportunities email this morning – we are looking for partners to get involved with the Awards of Excellence, as well as looking to fill just two empty spots on our Community Supporters Banner. To discuss these or other custom opportunities, please never hesitate to reach out.

We’re in the process of building out a few new initiatives, including a Google My Business workshop series and a digital Welcome Wagon. We are also re-visiting the structure of our networking breakfasts, to return to these soon, virtually, and eventually, as hybrid and in-person events. Stay tuned for more updates!

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, ideas, etc, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Stay safe everyone.

Sally

Government & COVID19 Related Updates

Ontario Implements Provincewide Emergency Brake

The Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts, is imposing a provincewide emergency brake as a result of an alarming surge in case numbers and COVID-19 hospitalizations across the province. The provincewide emergency brake will be effective Saturday, April 3, 2021, at 12:01 a.m. and the government intends to keep this in place for at least four weeks. The full news release is here.

The details of the enhanced public health measures, what can be open and how, and what cannot be open, can be found here.

Events:

Indoor organized public events and gatherings are not allowed
Outdoor organized public events and gatherings - no more than 5 people, and with all physical distancing protocols in place.

There are several pieces of the framework around capacity limits in retail spaces. To calculate capacity:

All businesses or facilities that engage in retail sales to the public must post a sign in a location visible to the public that states the maximum capacity they are permitted to operate under.

for 50% capacity: divide the total square metres of floor space accessible to the public (not including shelving and store fixtures) by 8 and round down to the nearest whole number
for 25% capacity: divide the total square metres of floor space accessible to the public (not including shelving and store fixtures) by 16 and round down to the nearest whole number

In person shopping permitted for all retail, subject to ability to maintain two metres of physical distancing and capacity limits of:

50% for supermarkets and other stores that primarily sell groceries, convenience stores and pharmacies
25% for all other retail, including discount and big box retailers, liquor stores, cannabis stores, hardware stores and garden centres

The list of businesses that can open and the relevant restrictions is here.

Businesses not permitted to open:

Amusement parks, water parks
Casinos, bingo halls and gaming establishments
Concert venues, theatres and cinemas (includes drive in or drive through events)
Horse racing (open for training only, no races or spectators)
Motorsports
Museums and cultural amenities
Personal care services
Tour and guide services
Zoos and aquariums (permitted to operate for the care of animals)

Kitras’ neighbourhood, wellbeing task force idea approved by council

A motion proposed by councillor Stephen Kitras early in the year returned to Centre Wellington council March 29.

Kitras had proposed a Community Wellbeing and Neighbourhood Hospitality Taskforce, a group that would start on-the-ground neighbourhood activities to generate a sense of community and connectivity, and combat isolation during the pandemic. Read more here

Ontario Expanding Pharmacy and Primary Care Locations for COVID-19 Vaccinations

Locations across the province offering AstraZeneca vaccine to individuals aged 55+

The Ontario government is steadily increasing capacity in its COVID-19 vaccine rollout with the addition of over 350 additional pharmacies and more primary care settings across the province.

All of these locations will be offering the AstraZeneca vaccine to individuals aged 55 and over, with some locations to begin offering the vaccine as early as Saturday, April 3, 2021.