In Today's Update
- Message from NOTO's Executive Director
- Ontario Enters Step 1 of Roadmap to Reopen TODAY!
- Canada-US Border Moving in the Right Direction
- Need Staff? Tourism SkillsNet North can help
-
FedNor Confirms RRRF Extension - Deadline June 30, 2021
-
Ontario Tourism & Travel Small Business Support Grant - Deadline June 25, 2021
- Great Ontario Getaway Giveaway - Still time for operators to participate
- Safe Travels Stamp
- Renew or Join NOTO! - Early Bird Rates Extended!
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:
|
|
A Message from NOTO's Executive Director
We are elated to see the Province's move to begin Step 1 of the Roadmap to Reopen this today (June 11th). We have been watching the updates to regulations, scouring Government websites and reaching out to key Government contacts to understand what this means for our sector of tourism.
We have not found anything in Government regulations or advice that indicates businesses in our sector have restrictions on guest bookings beginning June 11th. Their reopening website states clearly that the emergency break regulations will remain in place UNTIL Step 1. We have asked specifically about whether or not guests have to be from the same household but we have only been pointed to the revised O. Reg. 82/20 and other associated regulations. There are regulations that do impact your guests' experiences and we have included them in this newsletter.
There has been a great deal of media coverage this week regarding the US-Canada border but only one actual announcement was made. The only change that was announced was the elimination of the hotel quarantine for people that are currently permitted to cross the border. Nothing changes for our American guests. See more in this newsletter regarding the border. We continue to see things moving in the right direction and this is great but NOTO is continuing its work to ensure that you get the support you need to survive this pandemic and come out strong on the other side.
We continue to press the Federal and Provincial Governments for continued non-repayable financial support. We know that regardless of whether the border opens or not this year, the debt load that operators are carrying now will absolutely slow their recovery. We continue to advocate for an increase in the proposed CEWS coverage rates, making more of the loans forgivable, and an extension of the payback terms for the CEBA and the RRRF.
On a personal note, this week I reached my 30 year mark with NOTO. As I reflect back and remember all of the good times and the bad, I am so grateful for all of the hard working and passionate tourism operators and colleagues that I have met over the years. I cherish the relationships that I have built with so many of you. During this pandemic, those relationships and the lessons I have learned from all of you has kept me inspired and committed to push on for our sector. Thank you.
That being said LOL, I am taking a few days off next week to recharge my battery but you will be in great hands with Kate Boissonneault.
Be well,
Laurie
|
|
Ontario Enters Step 1 of the Roadmap to Reopen TODAY!
The majority of Ontario moves into Step 1 of the Roadmap to Reopening plan today (June 11). The Porcupine Health Unit will not begin Step 1 today due to a high number of case counts. June 24th is the tentative date that they expect to begin Step 1.
According to the updated O.Reg. 82/20 these are the rules impacting our sector businesses:
Under Schedule 7 - Businesses that may open at Step 1
Hotels, motels, lodges, cabins, cottages, resorts and other shared rental accommodation (O.Reg. 82/20 - #22):
- Any indoor pools, communal steam rooms, saunas or whirlpools, indoor fitness centres, or other indoor recreational facilities that are part of the operation of these businesses, are closed.
Campgrounds (O. Reg. 82/20- #23):
Campsites that meet the following conditions:
1. Any restaurant, indoor pool, communal steam room, sauna or indoor whirlpool, meeting room, indoor fitness centre or other indoor recreational facility on the premises must be closed to the public, except for any portion of those areas that,
i. is used to provide first aid services,
ii. is used to provide take-out or delivery service or outdoor dining
iii. contains a washroom, or
iv. provides access to an area described listed above (i,ii,or iii)
Restaurants, bars, food trucks, concession stands and other food or drink establishments (O. Reg. 82/20- #3): No indoor dining, take-out, delivery or 4 people/table for outdoor dining. To see more on the regulations surrounding food establishments see O.Reg. 82/20 Schedule 7 Section 3.
Marinas, boating clubs and other organizations that maintain docking facilities for members or patrons that meet the following conditions can open:
1. Any clubhouse, restaurant, pool, communal steam room, sauna or whirlpool, meeting room, fitness centre or other indoor recreational facility on the premises must be closed to the public, except for any portion of those areas that,
i. is used to provide first aid services,
ii. is used to provide take-out or delivery service or outdoor dining
iii. contains a washroom, or
iv. provides access to an area described listed above (i,ii,or iii)
2. For greater certainty, nothing in this Order precludes a person responsible for a marina, boating club or other organization that maintains docking facilities for members or patrons from operating a grocery or convenience store on the premises or from providing fuel supply, watercraft repair and servicing, watercraft docking and watercraft launching services.
Recreational Boating (O. Reg 82/20 - #4 (6) under Schedule 8):
Each person responsible for a boat or watercraft shall ensure that if a group of persons uses that boat or watercraft together for recreational purposes, the members of the group are all members of the same household OR one other person from outside that household who lives alone or a caregiver for any member of the household.
Tours and Guiding (O.Reg 82/20 - #66 under Schedule 7):
Businesses that provide outdoor tour and guide services, including guided hunting trips, tastings and tours for wineries, breweries and distilleries, trail riding tours, walking tours and bicycle tours, but NOT motor vehicle tours or boat tours, may open. For a list of the conditions on these activities, see O.Reg. 82/20 Schedule 7
|
|
Do you have your COVID Protocols in Place? It is Regulation.
Before you open it is very important that you comply with all of the regulations above and have implemented enhanced health and safety protocols. Any business which is permitted to be open at this time must have their safety plan/protocols in place that can be made available if a health official or enforcement officer requests to see it.
A safety plan is essentially a document highlighting all your health and safety protocols, COVID-19 protocols, and your plan in the event that an employee or guests develops COVID-19 at your workplace.
Not sure where to start or what to do? Fear not, there are some great resources available to you. In fact, last year with the support of Destination Northern Ontario, NOTO developed a comprehensive COVID-19 best practices guide for the RBT sector business that you can pull from.
You may consult and implement NOTO's health and safety protocols to help you comply with all the health and safety requirements. This document covers all aspects of the resource-based tourism industry from road-based and fly-in operations to houseboats and campgrounds, and have been vetted by the Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS). Simply pull the components that best suit your business model and build your own document. Reach out if you need help.
|
|
Canada-US Border
Keep the messages to Government Going!
There has been a great deal circulating in the media as well as in the general public about the Canada/US border opening on June 23rd. This week the only official announcement that was made was regarding a proposal to lift some border restrictions for those who are already deemed eligible to enter Canada. There has been no modification to the list of people eligible to enter Canada yet.
That being said, there is an enormous amount of pressure being applied from concerned businesses, communities, industries and most importantly the tourism sectors across Canada to get the border open now and for Government to share their plan as soon as possible so that businesses can plan. We know how critical it is for you to know what is actually happening so that you can respond to your guests and plan for your business. I remain optimistic that we will see border restrictions lessen for tourists before the end of July.
The work that TIAC and TIAO have done this week in their Open The Border campaign has been strong and received a good amount of media and Government attention. NOTO has supported this campaign through letters and calls to MPs this week. Google #OpenTheBorder to see the coverage. We encourage all of you to once again write a letter to your local MP as part of this campaign to help elevate the message. Visit https://www.openuscanborder.ca/home to participate in this important initiative.
We remain hopeful that Prime Minister Trudeau and President Biden are taking the opportunity at the G7 this week to discuss a path for moving forward with opening the border in the coming weeks and months not a year from now.
We continue to keep our voices strong, and our ears open as we push united for the border to reopen during this season.
|
|
Are you in need of staff? Tourism SkillsNet North Can Help
Announced May 27th, 2021 by Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development joined by Lisa McLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture Industries, The Ontario Tourism Education Corporation (OTEC), Destination Northern Ontario, Nature and Outdoor Tourism Ontario, District Social Services Administration Boards, Indigenous Tourism Ontario and Northern Ontario Workforce Planning Boards have collaborated to launch Tourism SkillsNet North - a new initiative designed to provide support to the hard-hit tourism sector. The newly launched initiative will identify workforce labour gaps specific to northern Ontario, design responsive customized training to meet these specific needs, train employees and match them with available job opportunities within Northern Ontario's tourism sector.
The Ontario government is investing $1.25 million through Destination Northern Ontario to identify and train 300 employees and match them with a minimum of 150 employers within Northern Ontario's tourism sector, as tourism operators scale up for the year of the Ontario Staycation. Qualified employers whose businesses have been negatively impacted by the pandemic will be eligible for a 30 per cent wage subsidy up to $3,000 per employee.
Did you know you can use the Tourism SkillsNet North program to help fill your rehiring needs for 2021? If you have employees you’ve had to lay off or let go because of the pandemic and are going to be hiring back as COVID-19 restrictions lift, now is the time to act to ensure you qualify for these special subsidies. With access to 30% of wages, up to a maximum of $3,000 per employee available for qualifying employers, the time to act is now! Any employer can only qualify for up to two positions.
The process is easy - both you and each employee will fill out a quick form on Tourism SkillsNet North and make a note of your potential employee(s) so they can be matched by our team. We will then connect you with local employment organizations who can provide additional assistance, including potential access to other programs, training and subsidies.
Once approved, the Ontario Tourism Education Corporation will work with your incoming staff to give them up to two weeks of specialized, cost-free training, including WHMIS, SmartServe, First Aid, Service Excellent and specialized position training so when the time is right, your staff will arrive energized, empowered, fully trained and ready to go! Even if you get a late start to the season, or are having troubles finding the right employee, you may still be eligible to receive up to a 30% subsidy on hours worked.
To view more information about the program, please click on the button below.
|
|
REMINDER: FedNor RRRF Extension Ends This Month
The Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) for small businesses in Northern Ontario that have sustained COVID-related losses since April 1, 2020, or anticipate losses up until September 30, 2021, has been extended to June 30, 2021.
Applications will be received and processed until the Fund has been fully committed.
|
|
REMINDER: Ontario Tourism & Travel Small Business Support Grant
The Ontario Tourism and Travel Small Business Support Grant is now available. The application portal will remain open until June 25th, 2021. This program will provide grants of $10,000-$20,000 to eligible businesses. Businesses can use this support grant in whatever way makes the most sense for their business.
We have heard from a number of operators that they received their grants over the last two weeks. This is great news!! We have also heard that the application process was simple and only took a very short time to complete once they had the documentation they needed. We are glad to hear of these positive experiences.
If you are having any difficulties or would like to share anything regarding the grant process, please reach out to us here at NOTO.
For more information and details on the grant and what information you will need for your application, please click here.
|
|
Great Ontario Getaway Giveaway
Announcements
The next round of winners (5 winning participants and 5 randomly selected lodges) will be announced during Fish'n Canada's livestream event at the end of June!
Participating Operators: Take Advantage of the Advertising Opportunities!
Only a handful of participating operators have taken advantage of the free advertising opportunity on Fish'n Canada's website! In order to maximize your exposure through this contest, we highly encourage operators to take advantage of these opportunities! If you have any questions, e-mail kate@noto.net.
There is still Time to Participate?
Now that we have entered reopening Step 1, you may want to consider reaching out to the domestic market. If you haven't submitted an application yet, you can still do so. We've had over 50 of resource-based tourism businesses submit their packages for this program which highlight the great variety of unique experiences Northern Ontario has to offer! The contest will run until August so it's not too late to join in on the action. Please remember, awarded trips can be fulfilled in 2021 OR 2022.
|
|
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!
|
|
Renew Your Membership or Join NOTO!
Great news! The NOTO Board of Directors is extending the early bird membership pricing for the remainder of 2021!
If you were a member in 2019 and/or 2020 and have not yet renewed your membership, please note traditional invoices for membership will be sent out in June. This year they will be at the early bird rate.
-
Entry Level: $452.00
-
Bronze:
$621.50 NOW: $593.25
-
Silver:
$734.50 NOW: $706.25
-
Basic:
$621.50 NOW: $593.25
-
Bronze:
$779.70 NOW: $734.50
-
Silver:
$1,367.30 NOW: $1,299.50
Prices listed above include HST. To renew your membership or to join NOTO, please click on the appropriate category link above to access the membership form. Completed forms can be printed and mailed to the NOTO office, or scanned and emailed to kate@noto.net or laurie@noto.net.
Thank you so much for your support!
|
|
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 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.
|
|
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.
|
|
NOTO is a membership based organization that works hard to support the outdoor tourism industry through advocacy and information services. We rely on annual memberships from tourism businesses, organizations, product and service suppliers, and partners to continue our work. For more information about membership with NOTO visit noto.ca
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
