In this challenging and constantly changing business environment, the West Niagara Chambers of Commerce want to support our Members by providing relevant and up-to-date information. This includes government announcements and support programs, resources, webinars, surveys, and other important updates.

This is a collaborativ e email to share information that applies to our Memberships at large, sent on behalf of th e Grimsby Chamber, L incoln Chamber, and West Lincoln Chamber.

Grimsby & District Chamber of Commerce - Rebecca Shelley

Lincoln Chamber of Commerce - Anna Murre

West Lincoln Chamber of Commerce - Denise Potter

As of today, regions in Ontario have started Stage 2 of reopening. Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff recently shared some insights into why Niagara was held back, and you can read that here.

Although it's disappointing that Niagara will not progress to the next stage yet, reopening is coming and now is the time to finalize your plan!

Opening later gives our local businesses the opportunity to see what the process looks like for other regions and learn best practices from other businesses in their industry that are reopening.

Below are some resources that may help finalize your plan and put you in a strong position to reopen!

Workplace Safety & Prevention Services

Ontario is heading back to work, but to stop the spread of COVID-19 we need to do it in the right way.

This video outlines some high level considerations for employers and employees.

Government of Ontario

Resources to Prevent COVID-19 in the Workplace

Ontario released safety guidelines to protect workers, customers and the general public from COVID-19 as it prepares for a gradual reopening of the provincial economy.

Sector-specific guidelines contain recommendations and tips for employers on how to keep workers safe on the job .

Canadian Business Resilience Network

Guide for Reopening

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce prepared a toolkit to provide guidance, or access to guidance, for business owners and senior managers respo nsible for re-establishin g their operations while protecting the health and safety of their staff, customers, suppliers and the general public.

The toolkit offers:

Business Resilience Service

The Business Resilience Service, coordinated by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Government of Canada and EY, with support from CPA Canada and Imagine Canada, offers free tax and accounting advice to help your business navigate COVID-19 uncertainty and plan for recovery .

Access the service by calling 1-866-989-1080

Niagara Region

Reopening Your Businesses During COVID-19

Access resources and information regarding:

Workplace Safety & Prevention Services

Post Pandemic Business Playbook

A guide outlining:

Pandemic Recovery: Return-To-Business Checklist

This checklist is intended as a self-assessment tool to assist you in ramping back up to regular business operations. While it is a high level guide, you may have unique requirements based on your type of business.

Retail Council of Canada

Recovery Playbook

Guidance to assist retailers in their reopening planning, including:

Retail Recovery Checklists

Resources include:

Restaurants Canada

COVID-19 Reopening Best Practices

Reopening best practices guidelines for restaurants:

BDO

On-Demand Webinar

Planning for Recovery: How to Restart Your Business in the Wake of COVID-19

BDC Chief Economist Pierre Cléroux gives an economic update and addresses the expected timeline for different sectors to recover, and BDC Advisory Services experts discuss how to address the new operational and financial challenges that businesses face.

You'll discover:

As part of a partnership between the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario, Digital Main Street announced three new programs to support businesses across Ontario.

From Sam Oosterhoff, MPP:

Through the $57-million contribution to the Digital Main Street platform, businesses will be able to take advantage of three new programs to support their digital transformation:

shopHERE  powered by Google will leverage Ontario's strengths by hiring highly skilled and trained students to build and support the launch of online stores for businesses that previously did not have the capacity to do so themselves.

The core goal will be to help small businesses compete and grow, in a world that is increasingly online, and help them recover as quickly as possible following COVID-19.

Digital Main Street Grant will help main street small businesses be digitally more effective. Through a $2,500 grant administered by the Ontario BIA Association, small businesses will be able to adopt new technologies and embrace digital marketing.

Municipalities, Chambers of Commerce, and Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) can apply for a Digital Service Squad grant, which will allow them to establish teams to provide personalized, one-on-one support.

Future-Proofing Main Street will provide specialized and in-depth digital transformation services and support that helps existing main-street firms adapt to changes in their sector and thrive in the new economy.

By leveraging teams of digital marketing professionals and talented students, these firms will be able to create new online business models, develop and implement digital and e-commerce marketing strategies, and maximize digital tools, platforms and content.

The Small Business Relief Tool helps business owners navigate the available federal, provincial and private funding measures through a quick, easy-to-use questionnaire that takes less than two minutes to complete and comprises of four simple questions.

The tool will help you find the relevant programs that your business can apply for and the process to do so. Currently there are over 100 programs available to Canadian small businesses.

This email was sent by on behalf of the West Niagara Chambers of Commerce, which consists of the Grimsby & District Chamber of Commerce, the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, and the West Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. You have received this email because you subscribed to our newsletters; your email address will not be shared and will be used only for these updates.

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Please contact your local Chamber if you have any questions or concerns.