In Today's Update
- Happy Holidays!
- Message from our Executive Director
- Takeaways from Tuesday's Border Call
- Ontario News: Potential Southern Ontario Lockdown, Thunder Bay to Receive Vaccines
- Northern Ontario Tourism Training Week Resources Now Available
- Minister MacLeod's White Paper
- Coalition of Hardest Hit Businesses Calling for Immediate Action from Federal Government
- Ontario's New CWD Prevention Regulations
- Alberta Pilot Project Shows Low Infection Rates
- Get Your Safe Travel Stamp
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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The NOTO Staff and Board of Directors would like to wish you and your families a safe, healthy and happy holiday season!
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A Note from our Executive Director
We have had another busy week full of opportunities and meaningful discussions. We remain focused on building solid recommendations that will provide meaningful support to the resource-based tourism industry.
This we heard from industry regarding a plan for re-opening the border on TIAO's Northern Ontario tourism industry call on Tuesday and we have been receiving more feedback since. Thank you and keep it coming.
We also heard from several in our sector regarding the white paper that was released yesterday by Minister MacLeod. We hear your concern regarding the lack of details and we too are disappointed. However, we knew going in that this was not going to be a plan for moving forward. The Minister has identified the areas that she believes need a plan or a strategy moving forward to assist with recovery.
We are choosing to see this as an opportunity to develop a plan for our sector in the north and in the rural and remote sections of this Province and lead the way to recovery. NOTO takes great pride in listening to the small business owners in our sector. We will take what we have learned from all of you and bring it to Government to ensure that any plan forward will truly support you.
We know that many of you are worried about what 2021 will bring. We we commit to you that we will stay focused and keep pushing for the financial support and business supports that you need to get through this but first our office staff will be taking some time between December 23rd and January 4th to be with family and recharge. We will however be here if there is something urgent that we have to deal with. I can be reached at 705-499-7556. Bob Garson, our President can be reached at 705-253-4938.
I may be writing to you again before we step away from the office next Wednesday but in the event I don't, I hope each and every one of you take some time to be with family (virtually or physically) over the next couple of weeks and I wish you a Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy 2021.
Take care,
Laurie
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Takeaways From The Industry Feedback Border Call
Thank you to all the operators who took the time to join us on the industry feedback call on Tuesday. In the event you could not attend this meeting, here are a few highlights and comments collected from operators. The call focused on the following questions:
- How do we ensure that people crossing the border go to their intended destination? We have to assume that they have been vaccinated or tested before the came.
- What do you think the process should look like? Rapid testing, a second test post arrival, proof of vaccine?
- How do we track this at the border crossing so that we can report back?
- If we were able to get the border open in your region for a pilot program, what would we have to do as an industry to ensure resident sentiment was addressed?
If you have any other comments, please e-mail info@noto.net and we will bring them forward to the Northern Ontario Border Working Group.
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Ontario News: Potential Southern Ontario Lockdown, Thunder Bay to Receive Vaccines
Premier Ford confirmed that Toronto and Peel will remain in lockdown for another 28 days. The Government will release further guidance for the province on Monday. The Government is considering implementing a full lockdown of Southern Ontario from Boxing Day to January 11th, 2021 to help prevent community spread from Christmas gatherings. The details of this potential lockdown will be released on Monday as well. Northern Ontario would be excluded from all lockdown measures. Earlier this week the Ontario Hospital Association was calling for a 28-day lockdown in all public health units where the weekly COVID incidence rate is 40 per 100,000 or more, which is the current criteria for health units in Red Zones.
Ontario will be distributing additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine to 17 more hospital sites over the next two weeks, including regions with the highest rates of COVID-19. Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre was selected to test the travel logistics in Northern Ontario and support the administration of the vaccine to Indigenous and remote communities. It is expected that Ontario will receive up to 90,000 doses from the Federal Government before the end of the year. Health care workers, essential caregivers, long-term care homes and retirement homes will continue to be prioritized.
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Northern Ontario Tourism Training Week Resources Available
During the week of November 23rd, NOTO and Destination Northern Ontario teamed up to deliver the first ever virtual Northern Ontario Tourism Training Week. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the attendees, presenters and partners whose efforts brought this virtual training week to life! We spent five days together learning, growing and connecting the tourism industry.
If you were unable to attend a training session or if you were hoping to revisit your favorites, you will be able to access all content, recordings and PowerPoints by clicking on the button below.
We hope you enjoyed the virtual training week and were able to walk away with new network connections, information, practical skills and inspiration. We were thrilled to be able to bring you this year's Northern Ontario Tourism Training Week virtually and we cannot wait to see you all in person soon!
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Minister MacLeod's White Paper
Minister MacLeod has released her Ministry's White Paper called Reconnecting Ontarians: Re-emerging as a Global Leader. This document lists all the initiatives the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries plans to build over the next 18 months, three years and five years.
The following items were highlighted for tourism:
- Provide Ontario residents with support of up to 20% for eligible Ontario tourism expenses to encourage them to discover Ontario in 2021, the year of the staycation. The government is setting aside $150 million for this initiative and will be consulting with stakeholders about the details.
- $100 million over two years for the Community Building Fund, administered by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, to support community tourism, cultural and sport not-for-profit organizations that are experiencing significant financial pressures due to the pandemic.
- Ontario is connecting workers in the tourism and hospitality sector and others most affected by the pandemic to training and jobs with an investment of $180.5 million over three years
- $60 million for one-time costs for PPE for small business ($1000 PPE grant)
- $1 billion in broadband expansion to support rural communities.
- $600 million in relief to support eligible businesses required to close or significantly restrict services due to enhanced public health measures (red zones or lockdown)
- Cancelling the wine tax increase and freezing beer tax rates
NOTO acknowledges that the measures listed for tourism do not highlight our industry's needs. We will be writing a formal response to this paper and advocating for additional supports.
Minister MacLeod invites everyone to provide comments on this White Paper by sending an email to MHSTCIRoadmapforRecovery@ontario.ca. Please take the time to read the white paper and express your frustrations respectfully. Share with her your story and please provide recommendations with your comments such as additional grant programs, pushing for the reopening of the border, municipal or provincial tax relief, and any other item that may help your business.
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Coalition of Hardest Hit Businesses Calling for Immediate Action from Federal Government
Help them by submitting a letter to your local MP
The Coalition of Hardest Hit Businesses are calling on the Federal Government for immediate action. They highlight that the vast majority of the tourism and hospitality sectors have been without revenue for the last 8 months, with zero revenue expected until summer of 2021. Their latest survey highlight that without any additional funding, close to 70% of respondents stated they will not make it to the summer and 40% of those will struggle to survive pass February.
They are currently asking all stakeholders to send a letter to their local MP to push to pass the HASCAP program and get money into operators hands by the end of January 2021. Their goal is to get at least 500 letters sent to MPs before next week.
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Ontario's New CWD Prevention Regulations
MNRF has amended regulations under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act to prevent chronic wasting disease from entering the province and to better protect deer, elk and moose populations. CWD was discovered on a Quebec deer farm close to the border in 2018 and in all 5 US states bordering Ontario.
Effective January 1, 2021, these amendments:
- prohibit importation into Ontario of live, captive cervids from outside of the province, while allowing for limited exceptions through a permitting approach administered by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (e.g. permits are only available if the cervid is from a jurisdiction that has been CWD free for at least six years prior to the date of import and originates from a herd with certified status under the jurisdiction’s herd certification program);
- prohibit movement of live cervids from one part of Ontario to another, while allowing for limited exceptions (e.g. movement directly to a place of slaughter);
- strengthen restrictions on the import of dead cervids and cervid parts, while providing certain low risk exceptions (e.g., packaged meat that has been butchered and de-boned); and
- expand rules on the use and possession of products made from bodily fluids from cervids (e.g., urine, gland oil, etc.) to ensure the rules apply to anyone using or possessing these products, not only hunters.
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Alberta Pilot Project Shows Low Infection Rates
The pilot project in Alberta allowing international travellers to enter Canada at the Calgary airport and a US border crossing in Southern Alberta has been very successful to date.
14,382 travellers have participated as of last Thursday. About 1.4% of travellers tested positive with the initial swab and 0.7% testing positive after the second test. This pilot project is expected to last six months, or until 52,000 individuals have gone through the process.
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Get Your Safe Travel Stamp!
The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) created the Safe Travels Stamp which is an international symbol designed to allow travellers to recognize governments and companies around the world, which have adopted health and hygiene, standardized protocols – so consumers can experience ‘Safe Travels’.
NOTO's health and safety protocols, which have been vetted by the Government of Ontario have been recognized as standardized protocols for this purpose.
If you've implemented our protocols, or any other Government approved protocols throughout your workplace, apply to receive your stamp!
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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.
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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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