COVID-19 May 11th, 2020 Update
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- Marinas, Lodges, Camps and Trailer Parks Update
- Government Updates - Wage Subsidy, BCAP, Ontario State of Emergency & Parks
- Opportunity to Remove Red Tape
- TIAO Calls
- TIAC Survey - Business Credit Availability Program
- Destination Canada Webinar with Minister Joly
- ADAPT 2020 Webinars: This Weeks Series
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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Marinas, Lodges, Camps and Trailer Parks Update
We have been receiving quite a few calls and e-mails surrounding marinas, lodges, camps, and trailer parks and where they stand on the essential services list and whether or not they can open during the May long-weekend. We understand your frustrations with the emergency orders and all the grey zones surrounding Government recommendations vs emergency legislation. We hope that this helps clarify some of the uncertainty as we move towards the long weekend.
The current state of emergency remains in place until May 19th. Premier Doug Ford has come forward to say that it is expected that the Province will extend the state of emergency to June 2nd tomorrow. All of the emergency orders will also be reviewed during this time. We will advise you of any changes that may occur in the upcoming days!
Unfortunately under the current essential services list all camps, lodges, resorts, seasonal campgrounds, and trailer parks remain "non-essential" and must remain closed unless you are opening your accommodations to someone who is in need of a place to self-isolate (i.e. essential workers) or unless you are accommodating a "snowbird" who's trailer or cottage is their primary Canadian residence as stated
under the short term rental section
of the essential services list. As for marinas, the Government has made it clear that they are not to be open to the public. The essential services list states the following for marinas:
1.Marinas must ensure that only the following services are provided:
- Repairing or servicing boats or other watercraft.
- Placing boats or other watercraft in the water to be secured to a dock until the marina is open to the public.
2.Any other services that may be required to:
- enable individuals to access their place of residence or their other property,
- support government operations or services, or
- support the transportation of items by commercial barges.
Marinas cannot be used for recreational boating purposes, except as described above in paragraphs 1 and 2.
The essential services list is part of the state of emergency regulations. If a business is found to be in non-compliance with the essential services list, they can face
some major fines
!
Then there is also the confusion surrounding the use of Crown Land. The restrictions put in place on crown land do not impact those with LUPs however, your businesses have been deemed non-essential therefore you can not open unless you are providing a place for an essential worker to self-isolate. Camping on crown land is still prohibited however, other activities are still permitted. You can see which activities are allowed/prohibited as a result of COVID 19 on
crown land by clicking here
.
There is a good chance that MNRF will be out during the long weekend to ensure that people are obeying the social distancing requirements and that everyone who does access crown land to launch their boats come from the same household and so forth. RCMP will be especially present in waterways that are shared between the Canada-US border to ensure Americans don't come into Canada through waterways.
Another thing to consider is as the Province continues to slowly re-open, we are seeing new announcements everyday. It is very important that everyone stays up-to-date on the emergency legislation leading up to the long weekend as we may see more changes in a very short time span. NOTO will keep on top of these announcements and send all operators a note as more announcements and emergency regulations continue to be updated.
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Government Updates
Federal:
The Prime Minister has announced that the
Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy will be extended
beyond June to allow more businesses to get back on their feet. The eligibility criteria for the Business Credit Availability Program (BCAP) will also be reviewed to ensure that the program is accessible to businesses of all sizes and all industry sectors across the country. More details on both these announcement are expected to be made available later this week.
If you haven't already done so, please complete TIAC's survey on the BCAP!
This will help them advocate for eligibility criteria that make the program accessible for all businesses (survey included later in the newsletter).
The PM also announced that Minister Bains has
initiated a Industry Strategy Council
which will begin looking at individual sectors and what more needs to be done.
NOTO continues to bring forward our industry's comments and concerns to the Federal Government with the help of the Canadian Federation of Outfitter Associations and the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.
Provincial:
Today, the Premier has indicated that Ontario's legislature will meet tomorrow and it is expected that they will
extend the state of emergency
to June 2nd. All emergency orders will also be reviewed during this time. As of right now, the following emergency orders that impact our industry remain in place:
We will advise you all if any of these emergency orders change in the upcoming days.
During a townhall with Minister Phillips on Friday, Minister Phillips acknowledged that seasonal businesses have been particularly hard hit and that there is a need for more support. He mentioned that he and his colleagues will be looking into how they can best help these businesses in the upcoming weeks. Premier Ford also acknowledged that seasonal businesses are hurting over the weekend. We hope this indicates that some long-awaited support is on it's way for our sector.
Clarification on the Ontario Parks announcement:
Over the weekend, the Premier announced that
Ontario Parks will be opening this week.
This does not mean they are open for camping, boating, fishing, etc. nor are they making money from opening. Government has made it clear that the parks will only be open for
free
daytime access for activities such as walking, hiking, biking and birdwatching. All other activities are prohibited and all amenities and facilities, including washrooms will be closed to the public.
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Opportunity to Remove Red Tape Within the Industry
The Ontario government has launched the
COVID-19: Tackling the Barriers
website. Businesses working to reconfigure their operations, or those struggling to operate in this new environment can submit any potential roadblocks and suggest possible solutions through the website.
We encourage operators to take this opportunity to recommend changes to regulations with unnecessary red tape, regardless of the COVID-19 situation. This can be in relation to water sampling testing requirements, septic systems, the gas tax rebate, a temporary extension to the bear hunt season as a result of the potential loss of the spring bear hunt, etc. Many items cause many operators to spend a lot of their revenues to comply with regulations overwhelmed with red tape. Any changes brought forward would not only help operators save money in the short term, but may lead to some long term changes.
We also encourage you to echo NOTO's recommendation to have all LUP, BMA and other provincially administered fees waived for 2020. You can also take this opportunity to comment on the lack of support to the industry as a result of eligibility requirements or the seasonal aspect of your businesses.
Please share your submissions with Laurie (
laurie@noto.net
) so that we can include all your ideas in future advocacy efforts.
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TIAO Industry Calls
Please take the time to participate in this week's TIAO Industry Calls on
Tuesday May 12th
at the following times:
Northern Ontario Conference Call - 9:30am EST
Access Code: 392-382-253
Tourism Operators and Educators Call - 4:30pm EST
Access Code: 662-058-669
You can read the notes from last weeks meetings
here
.
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TIAC Survey
Business Credit Availability Program
As the Government announced today, they will be looking at changing the eligibility requirements for the BCAP. It is very important that you all take a few minutes to participate in TIAC's survey as we continue to advocate for support that is accessible to our sector.
Through the Business Credit Availability Program, Export Development Canada (EDC) is working with financial institutions to guarantee 80% of new operating credit and cash flow term loans of up to $6.25 million to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Business Development Canada (BDC) is working with financial institutions to co-lend term loans to SMEs for their operational cash flow requirements. The program offers differing maximum finance amounts based on business revenues.
TIAC has been hearing that some stakeholders are either being rejected outright by banks and other financial institutions or being required to undergo rigorous and expensive risk assessments. It is imperative that they obtain feedback from stakeholders who are attempting to access these programs immediately so we can provide feedback to federal government officials.
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Destination Canada Webinar
Destination Canada will be hosting their next webinar with the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages, and Tourism Industry Association of Canada on
Tuesday May 12, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. EST.
Here is the link to join the webinar:
Webinar ID: 865 8786 1221
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Ramping Up as the Curve Flattens
Presented by: Eva Gutsche, Owner, STEM Consulting
May 12th 2020 - 11:00 am EDT
Topics include:
- Easing back into business
- What do you need to consider from a safety standpoint?
- Getting your team up and ready
- Anticipated business levels (based on research and forecasts - 3-year view)
- Market expectations - rise and decline
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Business Succession and Transition
Financing During COVID
Presented by: Alison Anderson, CEO & Founder, SuccessionMatching and Ryan Reynard, Executive Director, Lake of the Woods Business Incentive Corp.
May 13th 2020 - 11:00 am EDT
Concerned about how changing market conditions have impacted your succession plan or financing of your transition? Our objective is to help ensure our members and community have access to resources to help navigate this process.
SuccessionMatching and the Lake of the Woods Business Incentive Corp. will be joining us to share their insights on:
- Succession trends during COVID and real time data on Northern Ontario
- Financing options and programs available to help Operators in both the short and long term
- Where to start? An overview of the first steps Operators should take on their succession plan and business transition
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Pivoting and Adjusting Your Sales Plan & Approach
Presented by: Eva Gutsche, Owner, STEM Consulting
May 14th 2020 - 11:00 am EDT
Topics include:
- Short term focus
- How to attract local and regional group business
- Planning for 2021 & beyond (larger conferences, meetings)
- Planning for 2021 & beyond (international market)
- Prioritizing your approach
- Putting steps into place now
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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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