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 collaborative email to share information that applies to our memberships at large, sent on behalf of the Grimsby Chamber, Lincoln Chamber, and West Lincoln Chamber.
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We made it! Ontario is officially in Step 3 of its Roadmap to Reopen.
- Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events for up to 100 people
- Indoor social gatherings and organized public events for up to 25 people
- Indoor dining with no limits to the number of patrons per table
- Retail with capacity limited to ensure physical distancing
- Indoor religious services, rites, or ceremony gatherings with physical distancing
- Indoor sports and recreational fitness facilities with capacity limits
- Personal care services with capacity limited to ensure physical distancing
- Museums, casinos, and bingo halls with capacity limits
- Cinemas, concerts, theatres, and other performing arts venues with capacity limits
The current vaccination numbers are as follows:
Vaccine questions? Click HERE. |
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From the West Niagara Chambers of Commerce
As always, the West Niagara Chambers of Commerce are here for YOU. Please never hesitate to reach out with questions, comments, or concerns. We will use all of the resources that we have available at our three Chambers to help you and your business.
We hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend!
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COVID-19 vaccination appointments available |
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Appointments are available for first and second doses. Haven’t had your first dose yet? Residents 12 and older who have not received their first dose are particularly encouraged to book an appointment as soon as possible.
Appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations can be booked either online through the provincial portal or by calling the provincial booking system at 1-833-943-3900. Anyone without an Ontario health card is invited to contact Public Health to help book an appointment by either completing this form COVID-19 Vaccination - No Health Card or calling at 905-688-8248 or 1-888-505-6074, press 7.
Protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community by getting vaccinated. We’re all in this pandemic together. Getting vaccinated is a part each of us can play to help bring it to an end.
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Coming soon: Bulk applications for the COVID-19 Worker Income Protection Benefit program |
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Employers will soon be able to submit bulk applications for reimbursement under the Ontario COVID-19 Worker Income Protection Benefit program.
The bulk application solution will allow employers to provide a large volume of the required employee-level claims information when seeking reimbursements for more than 50 employees, rather than manually completing the application individually by employee, helping to reduce the administrative work required.
The bulk application solution is expected to be deployed around mid-August 2021. If you are concerned about submitting outstanding applications for reimbursement within 120 days of paying an employee for paid infectious disease emergency leave, please contact WIPB support and a claims specialist will communicate with you.
More information will be provided about the bulk application solution soon. You can continue to file claims through the existing application process if you require reimbursement prior to the launch of the new solution. |
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Ontario Keeping Workers Safe As Province Reopens
Free health and safety training now available for small businesses
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The Ontario government is investing $10.5 million to provide up to 60,000 small businesses across the province with free health and safety training over the next three years. The new Small Business Health and Safety Training Program will improve health and safety awareness to help prevent illnesses and injures by training health and safety representatives of small businesses on how to keep workers safe in the retail, construction, health care, accommodation, food services, and other sectors. Businesses will also be reimbursed for the time the representatives are away from work.
The e-learning training course is offered through Workplace Safety and Prevention Services. The free training takes about six to eight hours for most people to complete, and covers a range of topics, including:
- occupational health and safety laws
- rights, duties, and responsibilities of workplace parties
- duties and responsibilities of the health and safety representative under the Occupational Health and Safety Act
- recognition, assessment, control, and evaluation of common workplace hazards
Quick Facts
- To register for the free training, eligible small businesses must access the course through Workplace Safety and Prevention Services’ website. Once training is complete, small business applicants should retain a copy of the certificate of completion as proof for their refund of the $25 registration fee and the $150 toward the cost of worker training time.
- Small businesses can apply for reimbursement through the Small Business Health and Safety Training Program starting in Fall 2021. More details will be available soon on Workplace Safety and Prevention Services’ website.
- Selected by workers, a health and safety representative’s duties include inspecting the workplace on a regular basis, identifying possible hazards, making recommendations for improvements, and making health and safety resources available to those in the workplace.
- In Ontario, about 130,000 small businesses require a health and safety representative.
- Workplaces with 20 or more workers are required to have a joint health and safety committee.
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Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs
PROFIT Workshops: July 16th - August 17th
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The OMFAFRA's Profit workshops provide a free webinar series designed to assist Ontario agri-food companies by providing practical information on exporting to the United States.
Includes:
- Readiness Assessment
- Legal Considerations
- Facility Preparation
- Export Strategy
- Risk Management Planning
- Product Labelling
- Freight and Logistics
For more information on the informative series and how to register, see the link below!
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COVID-19 vaccinations, the workplace, and the law |
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The Roadmap to Reopen is closely tied to Ontario's vaccination numbers. Can businesses make vaccinations mandatory? Get tips from one legal expert on vaccinations, the workplace, and the law. |
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The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety: COVID-19 Assessments and Workplace Safety Plans |
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The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has developed a free online course to help organizations in Canada conduct a COVID-19 workplace risk assessment and safety plan.
The course outlines the steps needed to plan and conduct a COVID-19 workplace risk assessment, and to plan and evaluate a workplace safety plan.
Managers, supervisors, and health and safety committee members or representatives will learn the work and personal factors to consider when assessing and preventing the risk of exposure, reviewing a safety plan to ensure it is effective, and keeping up to date with current COVID-19 guidelines.
Quick facts
- The average time to complete this course is approximately 20 minutes.
- CCOHS courses are unique in that they are developed by subject specialists in the field, and reviewed by representatives from labour, employers, and government to ensure the content and approach are unbiased and credible.
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Border Measures Eased Further |
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With COVID-19 case numbers continuing to decline across the country, federal officials announced their plans to open the border for discretionary travel, lifting mandatory quarantines for fully vaccinated travellers.
Beginning August 9, U.S. citizens and permanent residents who are fully vaccinated will be allowed to enter Canada for non-essential travel, without having to quarantine for two weeks. Fully vaccinated individuals from all other countries will be eligible to enter Canada for non-essential travel beginning September 7. All travellers must still provide proof of vaccination prior to departure, meet pre-entry and on-arrival testing requirements, and adhere to all public health measures.
Unvaccinated children under 12 years of age who are accompanying a fully vaccinated guardian will be permitted entry but must also abide by all public health guidelines. Fully vaccinated international students who plan to study in Canada will also be permitted to enter if they meet the specific entry requirements.
Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra said flights arriving from international destinations will also be allowed at five additional airports including Halifax, Quebec City, Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton, but the ban on direct flights between Canada and India is being extended until August 21, based on advice from the Public Health Agency of Canada regarding the Delta variant.
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Federal Tourism Relief Fund |
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The Government of Canada has just launched the Tourism Relief Fund to be delivered through FedDev Ontario. The Tourism Relief Fund supports tourism businesses and organizations to adapt their operations to meet public health requirements while investing in products and services to facilitate their future growth. This fund has a $500 million budget (ending March 31, 2023) and will focus on product development and destination development. The fund will empower businesses to create or enhance tourism experiences and products to attract visitors and to help the sector provide the best Canadian tourism experiences.
Contributions to businesses will be either non-repayable contributions up to $100,000 for up to 50% of eligible costs OR fully repayable contributions up to $500,000 for up to 75% of eligible costs.
The fund will offer a minimum of $50 million to support Indigenous tourism initiatives and $15 million will be dedicated to national initiatives that support the advancement of national tourism priorities. Eligible applicants include tourism entities that cater mainly to visitors, such including businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and band councils or other Indigenous organizations and cooperatives.
To be considered eligible for this fund, applicants must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Be a key supplier or operator in the visitor experience;
- Be part of a defined tourism cluster or a tourism dependent community, including supporting downtown cores; or
- Provide an anchor product or service in a tourism destination.
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COVID-19 Rapid Screening Kits |
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Our three West Niagara Chambers of Commerce – West Lincoln, Lincoln, and Grimsby – are collaborating to roll out the Rapid Screening program to our local business communities. We are proud to work together to bring this important program to our businesses and be part of the solution to keeping our communities safe.
We are offering two locations for test kit pick-ups:
LEARN MORE ABOUT PROGRAM DETAILS AND TO SCHEDULE A PICK-UP HERE
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Share YOUR Message
Want to place your communication in our collaborative newsletter? For just $150 + HST, we’ll send your message to our collective 1000+ contacts!
Limited to one paid spot per bi-weekly newsletter edition, on a first-come, first-serve basis. Content to be approved by all three Chambers ahead of time. Must be a member (associate or full) of all three Chambers.
Contact your home Chamber for more details and to reserve your spot:
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The West Niagara Chambers of Commerce are dedicated to supporting local businesses during the pandemic through advocacy, connecting you to information and resources, offering a space to develop a support system of Chamber peers, and more. Please reach out to Rebecca Shelley (Grimsby), Lindsey Hendriks (Lincoln), or Denise Potter (West Lincoln) if there is anything our Chambers can do to assist your organization during these difficult times.
We're with you!
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Contact Your Local Chamber |
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Grimsby & District Chamber of Commerce
Executive Director
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Lincoln
Chamber of Commerce
Executive Director
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West Lincoln
Chamber of Commerce
Executive Director
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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.
You may unsubscribe from receiving these emails at any time.
Please contact your local Chamber if you have any questions or concerns.
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