COVID-19: April 15 Update
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- Federal Update: border closure extension, funding for small, rural and indigenous businesses
- Provincial Update: update from chief medical officer of health, funding for medical research, changes to the Insurance Act, & list of currently enacted emergency orders
- REMINDER: LUP, BMA and Baitfish Harvest Fees
- TIAC Survey: impacts to all tourism sectors, federal supports and future industry needs
- TIAO Industry Calls - April 21st, 2020
- Free Pandemic Awareness Training from WSPS
- Conducting Maintenance? Resources to help you comply & recommendations on number of employees on site
- Aviation Update
- Destination Canada Webinars
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.
NOTO Contact Emails:
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Government Announcements
Federal:
Over the weekend, Prime Minister Trudeau announced that the
Canada-USA border will remain closed for another 30 days
. The rules on the border remains the same; all non-essential travel including travel for leisure, tourism, or recreational purposes is prohibited. Only essential travel such as essential workers working in either country and supply chains will be allowed to cross the border. This closure will remain until May 20th, with possibility to extend upon review .
On Friday, the Prime Minister announced that $962 million dollars will be made available through
Canada's Regional Development Agencies
(RDAs)
and the
Community Futures Network
to help support small businesses in rural regions across Canada. For Northern Ontario businesses, funding programs will be made available through
FedNor
.
For Southern Ontario operators, funding programs will be made available through
FedDev Ontario
.
NOTO is looking for more information on this funding initiative and we will keep you updated as we receive additional details.
PM Trudeau also announced $306.8 million in funding to help
small and medium-sized Indigenous businesses
, and to support Aboriginal Financial Institutions that offer financing to these businesses. The funding will allow for short-term, interest-free loans and non-repayable contributions through Aboriginal Financial Institutions, which offer financing and business support services to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis businesses.
Late last week, the PM announced a rent assistance program. More details on the rent assistance for small businesses is expected to come later, as this program needs to be done with the provinces because they have jurisdiction over rental relationships. The Government also made
changes to the
eligibility criteria to the
Canada Emergency Response Benefit
(CERB), the
Canada Emergency Business Account
, and to the
Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy
. The CERB and Canada Emergency Business Account are now available, and the wage subsidy is expected to be available within the next 3 weeks.
Provincial:
Over the weekend, Premier Ford announced that Government will be investing
$20 million in Ontario research facilities
to help find innovative solutions to track and deafeat COVID-19, including the need to create a vaccine.
The Finance Minister has also announced that the
Province has enabled auto insurance companies
to provide driver rebates during COVID-19. By amending the Insurance Act, insurance companies would be able to provide auto insurance premium rebates to consumers for up to 12 months after the declared emergency has ended. The Government and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) will continue to work together to monitor how the auto insurance sector is responding.
The Province also continues the focus on providing support to long-term care facilities and protecting seniors.
The following emergency orders remain in place:
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IMPORTANT REMINDER:
Land Use Permit, Bear Management Area, and Baitfish Harvester Fees
To assist in our efforts to have these fees waived for 2020, we are asking all tourism businesses that have these annual fees to contact your MNRF District office (preferably via email) to request that your fees be waived/refunded (if you have already paid).
To use this tool effectively, please click on "Organization", enter your local MNRF office in the search box (i.e. Wawa), and select "Natural Resources and Forestry" in the Agencies box. Please send your e-mails to the District Manager or to the Resource Management Supervisor in your District.
Ensure that you indicate that your request is due to the impacts of COVID-19 on your business revenues and the uncertainty as to whether you will be able to open for even part of the upcoming season. This will help us to continue our discussions with the Province.
Please send your requests in to MNRF at your earliest convenience and advise us of any immediate responses you receive to your request.
Thank you,
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Tourism Industry Association of Canada Survey
The Tourism Industry Association of Canada and Destination Canada are working with the federal government to understand impacts on, and the needs of the tourism sector in the face of COVID-19.
This survey focuses on the impact felt by all tourism sectors, whether or not you have been able to access Federal supports, as well as beginning to understands the needs of the sector once public health restrictions begin to be relaxed and market activity can resume.
We encourage operators to complete this survey, especially if you haven't been able to access any Federal Support Programs so far. This survey takes approximately 5 minutes to complete and will be open until April 23rd, 2020 at 5 pm.
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TIAO Industry Calls
Tuesday, April 21st
On this weeks calls we are delighted to be joined by insurance specialist John Chippindale, Vice Chairman, National Chief Marketing Officer of Hub International Limited.
John will be giving a small presentation and answering questions on pertinent issues related to COVID-19.
He has also pointed us towards the Hub’s Coronavirus Resource Centre to access a directory of key areas of advice you may find helpful (e.g. business continuity, protecting your remote business, legal & regulatory considerations)
here
.
Northern Ontario Conference call
Time: 10am (EST)
Access Code: 226-980-221
Dial in: +1 (647) 497 9373
DMO Conference Call
Time: 2pm (EST)
Access Code: 605-000-909
Dial in: +1 (647) 497 9391
Sector Association Call
Time: 3pm (EST)
Access Code: 490-345-965
Dial in: +1 (647) 497 9373
Tourism Operators and Educators Call
Time: 4pm
Access Code: 603-711-837
Dial in: +1 (647) 497 9373
You can read the notes from last weeks meetings
here
.
Thank you.
The TIAO team.
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Free Pandemic Awareness Training from WSPS
A pandemic can affect all the areas of our lives however being informed and knowing what to do during a pandemic can help minimize the impact. WSPS is currently offering
a free course
which describes what a pandemic is, how a virus spreads, and the impact a pandemic may have on workplaces, our communities and us.
Topics include:
- What is a pandemic?
- The virus and how it spreads
- Being prepared
- What might happen
- What can we do?
- Staying healthy
- How to help stop the spread of the virus
Upon completion of this course, you will:
- Know the main characteristics of an pandemic
- Understand how the virus spreads
- Understand the impact of pandemic on your workplace, home and community
- Know ways to help stay healthy and reduce the spread of the virus
- Know how to be prepared at home and in your community
- Be able to find reliable information during a pandemic
All workers, supervisors, managers, and anyone looking to learn more about the pandemic can take this course. The average time to complete this course is
approximately twenty minutes
. Please click on the button below to access the course.
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Conducting Maintenance? Here Are Some Resources to Help Protect Yourself and Your Employees
We've heard from several operators who would like to bring employees to their camps to conduct maintenance, even if their businesses can not be open to the public due to the current emergency orders. Many are concerned about how to comply with Ministry of Labour expectations and how the gathering restrictions would impact how many employees they can have on site. As a result, NOTO has conducted research to find some resources to help operators comply with emergency orders, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and the expected enhanced health and safety measures.
According the the
Canadian Center for Occupational Health & Safety, there should be no more than 3-4 employees per 1000 sq ft or workspace, and no more than 10 employees within a 10,000 sq ft work area. This goes for both indoor and outdoor work areas. By limiting the amount of employees on site, you can properly implement social distancing practices in the workplace. the
CCOHS also created workplace tips which are updated regularly as new information becomes available from medical experts. We recommend operators reference the
Work Camp information sheet from the CCOHS. This worksheet covers everything from screening employees prior to transportation, enhanced cleaning measures to protect your employees, how to implement social distancing, best practices and so forth.
CCOHS also offers other tip sheets, free pandemic courses, posters, business continuity plans, as well as an emergency response planning guide.
Ontario's Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development has been creating special updates with regards to COVID-19. To view the Ministry of Labour's newsletters,
please click here.
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Are You Flying Your Employees In?
All Canadian air operators should have received
the following notice regarding new security measures and guidanc
e
related to COVID-19. Air operators that are certified to carry passengers and/or cargo have been identified as essential to air transportation and their employees as essential air transportation workers. However, float plane operations and other small commercial operations may not transport individuals for the purpose of leisure. Government has made it clear that everyone should stay home and avoid all non-essential travel.
Operators who are using their aircraft to transport employees for maintenance (which has been deemed an essential service in Ontario) would be allowed to do so however, operators are expected to have enhanced health and safety protocols and are expected to properly screen their employees prior to boarding the plane. This means ensuring you can implement social distancing to the best of your abilities, have employees wear proper protective equipment, enhance the cleaning of the cabin space and all frequently touched areas and so forth.
Operators are encouraged to follow the advice offered by Transport Canada in their "Guidance for Aviation Operators" webpage which you can access by clicking the button below.
Please note:
The Minister of Transport, the Honourable Marc Garneau, announced new measures requiring all air passengers to have a non-medical mask or face covering to cover their mouth and nose during travel. These measures came into effect at noon EDT on April 20, 2020. All of the latest transportation updates for aviation, rail, marine and road
can be seen here
. Another thing to consider is that t
he
Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety
recommends that there should be no more than 4 employees within a 1000 sq ft working area and no more than 10 employees within a 10,000 sq ft area. Please keep this in mind when planning how many employees you will transport or have working at any one time.
Operators with any further questions can contact Transportation Canada via e-mail at
questions@tc.gc.ca
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Destination Canada Webinars
The next Destination Canada Webinar will take place on April 28th.
Further details will be announced later this week. To view the last Destination Canada Webinar featuring an update from Minister Joly, please click the button below.
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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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