IN THE NEWS
Ontario Moving to Next Phase of Reopening on February 17

Effective February 17:
Ontario will further ease public health measures, including, but not limited to:
  • Increasing social gathering limits to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors
  • Increasing organized public event limits to 50 people indoors, with no limit outdoors
  • Removing capacity limits in the following indoor public settings where proof of vaccination is required, including but not limited to:
  • Restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments without dance facilities
  • Non-spectator areas of sports and recreational fitness facilities, including gyms
  • Cinemas
  • Meeting and event spaces, including conference centres or convention centres
  • Casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments
  • Indoor areas of settings that choose to opt-in to proof of vaccination requirements.
  • Allowing 50 per cent of the usual seating capacity at sports arenas
  • Allowing 50 percent of the usual seating capacity for concert venues and theatres
  • Increasing indoor capacity limits to 25 per cent in the remaining higher-risk settings where proof of vaccination is required, including nightclubs, restaurants where there is dancing, as well as bathhouses and sex clubs
  • Increasing capacity limits for indoor weddings, funerals or religious services, rites, or ceremonies to the number of people who can maintain two metres physical distance. Capacity limits are removed if the location opts-in to use proof of vaccination or if the service, rite, or ceremony is occurring outdoors.
Capacity limits in other indoor public settings, such as grocery stores, pharmacies, retail and shopping malls, will be maintained at, or increased to, the number of people who can maintain two metres physical distance.

Effective March 1:
Ontario intends to take additional steps to ease public health measures if public health and health system indicators continue to improve. This includes lifting capacity limits in all remaining indoor public settings.

Ontario will also lift proof of vaccination requirements for all settings at this time. Businesses and other settings may choose to continue to require proof of vaccination. Masking requirements will remain in place at this time, with a specific timeline to lift this measure to be communicated at a later date.
Changes to Mandatory Testing when Travelling to Canada

As of February 28, 2022 at 12:01 a.m. EST:

  • The Canadian Government will be easing the on-arrival testing for fully-vaccinated travellers. This means that travellers arriving to Canada from any country, who qualify as fully vaccinated, will be randomly selected for arrival testing. Travellers selected will also no longer be required to quarantine while awaiting their test result.
  • Children under 12 years old, travelling with fully vaccinated adults, will continue to be exempt from quarantine, without any prescribed conditions limiting their activities. This means, for example, they no longer need to wait 14 days before attending school, camp or daycare.
  • Unvaccinated travellers will continue to be required to test on arrival, on Day 8 and quarantine for 14 days. Unvaccinated foreign nationals will not be permitted to enter Canada unless they meet one of the few exemptions.
  • Travellers will now have the option of using a COVID-19 rapid antigen test result (taken the day prior to their scheduled flight or arrival at the land border or marine port of entry) or a molecular test result (taken no more than 72 hours before their scheduled flight or arrival at the land border or marine port of entry) to meet pre-entry requirements. Taking a rapid antigen test at home is not sufficient to meet the pre-entry requirement – it must be authorized by the country in which it was purchased and must be administered by a laboratory, healthcare entity or tele-health service.
  • The Government of Canada will adjust its Travel Health Notice from a Level 3 to a Level 2. This means that the Government will no longer recommend that Canadians avoid travel for non-essential purposes.
Applications Now Open for Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program

Eligible businesses required to close or reduce capacity due to the current public health measures put in place to blunt the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 can apply for the new Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program starting today. Through the new program, the government will provide eligible businesses with a rebate payment of up to 100 per cent for property tax and energy costs they incur while subject to these restrictions.
Ontario COVID-19 Small Business Relief Grant Portal Now Open

Eligible small businesses that were required to close under the modified Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen can now apply for the Ontario COVID-19 Small Business Relief Grant (OSBRG).
 
The application portal will be open from February 9 to March 11 for applications from:
  • Newly established businesses
  • Businesses that may not have previously applied to the Ontario Small Business Support Grant in 2021
  • Businesses that were previously deemed ineligible but are now eligible.
Ontario Government Declares State of Emergency Over Blocked U.S. Bridge on February 11

Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency, warning protesters blocking traffic at a key U.S. border crossing and causing gridlock in Canada’s capital that they will face stiff punishment if they don’t vacate.
Canadian Government invokes Emergencies Act in Response to Protests and Blockades on February 14

The Emergencies Act is being used for the first time ever to grant cabinet the ability to take 'special temporary measures that may not be appropriate in normal times'.
Advocacy In Action
Join us Friday, February 18th for an
update with the Honourable Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier, Minister of Health and MPP Newmarket-Aurora. Bring your coffee and your
questions for this interactive session. We look forward to seeing you there.

Friday, February 18, 2022
8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Via Zoom
The Aurora Chamber of Commerce hosted a roundtable discussion with the Honourable Nina Tangri, Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction and MPP Mississauga-Streetsville and Michael Parsa, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Finance and MPP Aurora-Richmond Hill-Oak Ridges, along with local business leaders to provide input on the upcoming budget, apprenticeship programs and red tape reduction.
The Aurora Chamber of Commerce is pleased to present our annual Town Hall Address with Mayor Mrakas. Please join us to hear the latest updates from the Mayor and other exciting initiatives happening in Aurora.  

Individual Ticket $75 + HST ~ Table For 8 $600 + HST
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Government Updates

Please click on the links below to read updates from the municipal, provincial and federal governments

Update from Mayor Mrakas, Town of Aurora, read here

Update from Christine Elliott, MPP Newmarket-Aurora, read here

Update from Michael Parsa, MPP Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill, read here

Update from Leah Taylor Roy, MP Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill, read here

Update from Tony Van Bynen, MP Newmarket-Aurora, read here