Vol. 10 - Issue 23
October 2, 2020
GLOBAL - INNOVATIVE - DISTINCT
Watch the video to see why Halton Hills is a great place to do business.

The Town of Halton Hills continues to take proactive, decisive and coordinated action to respond to COVID-19 and to support the local business community
  • Halton Hills’ Digital Main Street Program Launches October 19
  • Halton Hills’ Ritual ONE Partnership Offers Local Businesses Online Ordering Platform
  • Results of Halton Region COVID-19 Business Impact Survey Published
  • New Virtual Workshop Series for Halton Hills’ Tourism Businesses
  • Ontario Introduces Legislation to Extend Ban on Commercial Evictions until 2021
  • McGibbon Hotel Project Resurrected
  • Visit InvestHaltonHills.com for COVID-19 Business Support Programing and Information
Halton Hills' Digital Main Street Program Launches October 19
The Town has secured a $12,500 grant from Digital Main Street in its ongoing efforts to support the local business community and expedite economic recovery in Halton Hills. As part of Halton Hills’ Digital Main Street program, the Town’s Digital Service Squad (DSS) member will assist businesses with:

  • Applying for a $2,500 Digital Transformation Grant (DTG)
  • Completing an audit of their digital presence (website, social media, etc.)
  • Adopting new technologies for their businesses
  • Enhancing digital marketing and social media
  • Building a basic website or improving an existing one
  • Optimizing online presence through tools like Google My Business
  • Setting up online ordering systems
  • Creating customer databases

The deadline to apply for the DTG is November 30, 2020. Consultation and additional resources will be available from October 19 to December 14, 2020.
Halton Hills' Ritual ONE Partnership Offers Local Businesses Online Ordering Platform
Halton Hills has partnered with Toronto-based startup, Ritual, to offer local businesses an easy way to accept digital orders online. Ritual ONE is a platform that provides businesses – such as restaurants, grocers, retailers and coffee shops – with an easy way to accept commission-free digital orders directly from a ‘Google My Business’ page, website or social media account.

This initiative provides Halton Hills’ businesses with the opportunity to sign up for Ritual ONE and receive digital ordering and marketing services for free until the end of 2020, including:

  • Waived Ritual ONE subscription fees for the remainder of 2020 (normally $50/month)
  • Waived credit card processing fees for remainder of 2020 (normally 2.8%)
  • Waived Ritual ONE setup fee for the remainder of 2020 (normally $100)

Businesses will also be provided with a dedicated expert to support them during the onboarding process.

Interested businesses are encouraged to explore the Ritual platform, its benefits and how/if it would be suitable for their specific operations.
Results of Halton Region COVID-19 Business Impact Survey Published
Halton Region Economic Development, in partnership with the Local Municipalities, conducted a Halton COVID-19 Business Impacts Survey from August 17 to September 3, 2020. This survey collected input from Halton business owners on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their business operations and workplace. The survey also asked which supports businesses may need as they move toward reopening and recovery.

Over 1,000 Halton business owners participated in the survey and the results indicate the pandemic has had profound impacts on the Halton business community.
New Virtual Workshop Series for Halton Hills' Tourism Businesses
The Hamilton Halton Brant Regional Tourism Association (RTO3) is offering four free virtual training workshops in October and November to help tourism operators re-imagine their businesses and respond to COVID-19:

  • 4 Ways to Grow Your Business – October 15 @ 2 p.m.
  • Pivoting to Virtual Events, Conferences and Festivals – October 22 @ 2 p.m.
  • What Makes Good Content – November 5 @ 10 a.m.
  • Building Your Business Online – November 11 @ 6:30 p.m.
Ontario Introduces Legislation to Extend Ban on Commercial Evictions until 2021
The Ontario government has introduced the Helping Tenants and Small Businesses Act that would, if passed, extend a temporary ban on evictions for commercial tenants. The ban was initially in place from May 1, 2020 to August 31, 2020, to align with the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) for small businesses.

The temporary ban would continue to apply to businesses that are eligible for federal-provincial rent assistance through the CECRA for small businesses, but whose landlords chose not to apply for the program. The ban will protect small businesses from being locked out or having their assets seized during COVID-19.
McGibbon Hotel Project Resurrected
After announcing in 2018 that the McGibbon Hotel condominium development was cancelled, the Town is pleased to advise that the project has been resurrected with interest from Amico. 

“What I can tell you right now, is that Amico has filed a planning application with the Town,” said Mayor Rick Bonnette. “We are very excited that they have expressed interest and indicated that they will respect many of the previous elements that were approved as part of the former developers’ application such as maintaining the ten storey height and the heritage façade on the outside of the building.”
Visit Invest Halton Hills for COVID-19 Business Support Programming and Information
As part of its ongoing commitment to engage with and support the local business community, the Town continues to update and add to its COVID-19 Business Supports web page. We are continuously gathering information and supports to help you navigate through the resources being announced by all levels of government.
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