In Today's Update
- A Message from NOTO's Executive Director
- Great Ontario Getaway Giveaway - Next Round of Winners To Be Announced!
- Canada-US Border & FAQs
- CBSA Vote to Strike
- REMINDER: A Notice from CBSA on Bait
- CEWS & CERS Proposed Extension
- TIAO Calls
- Tourism Relief Fund Webinar Recap
- When Will We Move Out of Step 3?
- Ontario Bringing High Speed Internet to More Communities
- Tourism SkillsNet North - Hired new employees? Get them trained for free & receive a subsidy!
- NOTO Members - Have you joined our Facebook group?
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Safe Travels Stamp - Apply Online!
- 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:
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A Message from NOTO's Executive Director
Laurie Marcil
This week, our work remained focused on getting answers on the details of the border reopening, continuing our push for meaningful financial support and finding staffing solutions for those operations in need of staff.
The US border closure extension announced last week, the CBSA strike announcement this week and the lack of details on random testing continue to cause mass confusion and frustration for operators and travellers. We know that operators and their guests need answers and want to move ahead confidently.
We are working hard to get those answers and encourage you to stay in touch through our NOTO Group FB page if you're a member or keep an eye on your emails if you are not a member at this time. We will continue to share our weekly newsletters to every business in our sector for now.
A few hours ago, we received some potentially great news for tourism businesses as the Federal Government announced they have proposed that the CEWS and CERS be continued at better rates until late October. I know for many of you the CEWS was a lifeline and allowed you to keep your staff while you had large reductions in revenues. We have been working hard to see this change and appreciate that the Federal Government has listened. More details are available in this newsletter.
Thank you to those of you who attended the webinar on the Tourism Relief Fund yesterday. We also want to thank Tracey Forsyth from FedNor for providing the presentation and for taking the many questions that came in from tourism business owners who joined us. Concerns were raised during the event that unless a business was incorporated it would not be eligible for this program. NOTO and TIAO have followed up with Minister of Finance, The Honourable Crystia Freeland today regarding this concern. We are pressing for all other forms of businesses that are recognized by the Canadian Government to be eligible for this and all funding programs. We will keep you posted as we move forward.
As we close off this week and move into the week ahead we are hopeful that we will see more details on all of the outstanding components of this first phase of the border re-opening.
Be well,
Laurie
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Great Ontario Getaway Giveaway
Next Round of Winners to be Announced!
Join Fish'n Canada on Friday, July 30th at 4pm EDT for the announcement of the next round of winners! You can watch the live stream on Fish'n Canada's Facebook page by clicking here.
The winners of the trips will be sent a release form from Fish'n Canada which allows us to share their contact details with the winning lodges. Once we receive the signed release forms, we will be contact all winning lodges with their next steps.
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FAQs About the Border
In addition to last week's FAQs, here are some of the latest questions we've been receiving. All operators are encouraged to keep an eye on the Government's website as additional details may become available as we continue to approach August 9th.
Q. What are the requirements for unvaccinated children (18 and younger)?
- Unvaccinated children between the ages of 12 and 18 will be subject to the mandatory 14 day quarantine.
- Unvaccinated children under the age of 12 will not be required to quarantine, however they will need to stay with the parents and avoid group settings.
- All children (unless under the age of 5) will need to undergo a Day 1 and Day 8 COVID-19 test post-arrival.
Q. Will Americans be able to return home? They are confused by the USA's announcement on the border closure extension.
Yes. Similarly to Canadians returning home, all Americans citizens will be able to return to the US, regardless of the border closure. The border closure announcement from the US Government does not allow Canadians to cross into the US for non-essential travel.
Q. Why is the ArriveCAN app telling my guests they are ineligible?
The changes in the ArriveCAN app to account for the new fully-vaccinated American exemption will only be updated a few days prior to August 9th. Travellers should only be entering their information into the ArriveCAN app within 72 hours of their arrival.
Q. If my guests are told that they need to quarantine for 14 days and don't meet the exemption criteria, can they still go fishing?
No. Your guests will be required to stay at their quarantine location for the full 14 days, or choose to return to the US. Public Health officials may do spontaneous drop-ins or call them at any time to confirm they are at their quarantine location. If they are not in their cabins during any of these check-ins, they will face serious fines.
We are still gathering more details on the random testing process and will share ASAP. You can view all the details that the Canadian Government expects from fully-vaccinated travellers here. This page will be updated regularly as we approach August 9th so be sure to check regularly.
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CBSA Officers Vote to Strike
The two unions representing over 8500 CBSA employees have confirmed earlier this week that the majority of their members have given them a strike mandate. This means that CBSA officers could begin strike action as soon as August 6th, just days prior to the loosening of border restrictions for fully-vaccinated Americans.
We know that this has caused even more uncertainty and concerns for your guests. Please know the following:
- 90% of CBSA employees have been identified as essential therefore the border can not be fully shutdown, however, it is expected that the process to cross the border will see delays..
- The strike will not only slow down traffic at the land border, but will also impact international mail and the collection of duties and taxes.
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REMINDER: Note from CBSA on Bait
NOTO has been notified by CBSA that they will not allow any bait (worms, minnows-live or dead, and obviously no leeches) into Canada. Currently, the only people permitted to import any of these would be commercial bait dealers who may be able to satisfy the CFIA or MNR in order to import them legally.
CBSA is concerned that with all the other rules which may affect border wait times (verification of public health rules for entry and other admissibility), they don’t have time for education on newly implemented bait rules. They also don’t know how widely these rules have been circulated in the United States and have asked us to help circulate this information to guests prior to their trip across the border.
We need to remind our guests that this may be a temporary measure during this first phase of reopening. We know it is one more thing for our both operators and guests to keep in mind but if we want their entry process to go smooth, we will need to help guests be prepared.
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Federal Government Announces CEWS & CERS Extension
The Federal Government has proposed to extend CEWS and CERS until October 23rd, 2021. Along with the extension, the Government is proposing to increase the wage and rent subsidy rates between August 29th and September 25th, 2021.
Specifically, the maximum rate for the wage and rent subsidies would be set at 40% in Period 20 (August 29 to September 25) instead of being reduced to 20% as originally planned. These programs would also be extended by one additional period, with a maximum rate of 20% in Period 21 (September 26 to October 23).
The government is also proposing technical changes and clarifications to increase flexibility and certainty for organizations using these programs and the Canada Recovery Hiring Program.
Please note that these changes are pending, as they require Royal Assent. To read more about the proposed changes, please click here.
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TIAO Calls - Tuesday August 3rd
COVID-19 Northern Ontario Tourism Update Call
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM (EDT)
Access Code: 391-665-981
COVID-19 Ontario Tourism Update Call
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM (EDT)
Canada (Toll Free): 1 888 455 1389
Canada: +1 (647) 497-9391
Access Code: 141-432-653
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Tourism Relief Fund Webinar Recap
FedNor, NOTO and Destination Northern Ontario hosted a webinar which provided an overview of the Tourism Relief Fund program that was launched earlier this month and provided operators the opportunity to ask questions live.
This presentation was delivered by Tracey Forsyth, Acting Manager, Program Delivery, North Central (NC) Region, with support staff: Max Merrifield, Initiatives Officer for the NC Team & Sarah Miller, Executive Assistant. We've included a copy of the PowerPoint presentation in this newsletter. You can access the presentation slides by clicking on the button below.
If you were unable to attend this webinar, you can re-watch the recording by clicking here. You will need to scroll down to ADAPT 2020 – A WEBINAR SERIES FOR TOURISM and it will be the last video in that subsection.
We received a large amount of questions during this presentation and although many were answered live, we will follow-up with additional Q & A's in next week's newsletter.
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About the Tourism Relief Fund
This program will be delivered by Regional Development Agencies (FedNor/FedDev) directly to tourism businesses and organizations to adapt their operations to meet public health requirements while also investing in products and services to facilitate their future growth. Businesses will have the choice to select one of following options:
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Receive up to $100,000 in non-repayable contributions for up to 50% of eligible costs OR
- Receive up to $500,000 in repayable contributions for up to 75% of eligible costs
The loans are interest free and can have up to 10 year payback terms depending on the loan amount. Eligible applicants include tourism entities that cater mainly to visitors, such as
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businesses; only tourism businesses that are incorporated are eligible for this program.
- not-for-profit organizations, such as tourism associations; and
- band councils or other Indigenous organizations and cooperatives.
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When Will We Move Out of Step 3?
Another question that the NOTO office has been receiving is "when will we move out of Step 3?". Earlier this week, Minister Elliott confirmed that Ontario will remain in Step 3 until the following conditions are met:
- 80% of those 12+ received their 1st dose
- 75% of those 12+ received their 2nd dose
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No Public Health unit has less than 70% of their 12+ population fully vaccinated
- Other key indicators remain stable
To date, Ontario has met the first criteria; over 80% of Ontarians over the age of 12 have received their first dose. There's still work to be done before further restrictions are lifted.
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Ontario Bringing High-Speed Internet to More Communities
Ontario is investing up to $14.7 million in 13 projects to expand high-speed internet to more areas in Ontario through the Improving Connectivity for Ontario (ICON) program. This programm will expand high-speed internet from Belleville to Bancroft, Muskoka Lakes to Puslinch, and Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls to Moose Cree First Nation.
The Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario have partnered to support large-scale, fibre-based projects that will provide high-speed internet access to all corners of the province by 2025, totaling more than $1.2 billion. This investment will move Ontario almost 40% of the way in its ambitious plan to achieve 100% connectivity for all regions in the province by the end of 2025.
To learn more about Ontario's Broadband and Cellular Action plan, click here.
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Tourism SkillsNet North
This program will help train both new and re-hires, and also provide operators with a 30% wage subsidy of up to $3,000 per employee.
If you are using this program to re-hire employees, please ensure that both you and the employee are registered to participate in the program and let NOTO know the name of the employee so that we match them to your business right away. NOTO will then send you a placement confirmation form that will need to be completed.
If you are seeking to fill vacant positions, NOTO will send you a list of potential trained candidates which you can then interview and choose from. Once you and the employee have confirmed the placement, you will receive a placement confirmation form from NOTO.
Once the placement period is near completion, NOTO will then send you the steps to claim the wage subsidy. We will need pay stubs and additional information at that time.
Tourism SkillsNet North (TSNN) was designed to identify specific workforce labour gaps, train up to 300 potential employees and match them with available job opportunities within Northern Ontario’s tourism sector.
To register for this program, please click on the button below.
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NOTO Members - Have You Joined Our Facebook Group?
For up to date information on NOTO's advocacy efforts, for rapid answers to your questions, and to participate in discussions with other operators across Ontario, please join NOTO's Private Group on Facebook!
This group was made to create a safe space for NOTO members to share comments, questions and concerns with us on a regular basis.
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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’.
In Ontario, the Safe Travels Stamp are administered by TIAO. NOTO's health and safety protocols, which have been vetted by the Government of Ontario have been recognized as standardized protocols for this purpose.
NEW - The application process is now online for easier delivery.
Click the link below.
If you've implemented our protocols, or any other Government approved protocols throughout your workplace, apply to receive your stamp!
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Renew Your Membership or Join NOTO!
NOTO has extended the early bird membership pricing for the remainder of 2021!
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Entry Level: $452.00
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Bronze:
$621.50 NOW: $593.25
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Silver:
$734.50 NOW: $706.25
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Basic:
$621.50 NOW: $593.25
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Bronze:
$779.70 NOW: $734.50
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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 for your support!
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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 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 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
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