In Today's Update
- NOTO AGM Update
- MECP Provides Relief to Operators Located Within Ontario Parks
- NOTO's Response to the Provincial Budget
- Northern Ontario Tourism Training Week Registration Steps
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Thunder Bay Joins Sudbury in Yellow Zone, Regions Move Into Lockdown
- Transportation Canada Proposes Changes to Pleasure Craft Licensing Program and the Pleasure Craft Operator Competency Program
- Canada-US Border Closure Extended
- Clarification on Province's PPE Grant, Electricity and Property Tax COVID-19 Programs
- REMINDER: DNO COVID-19 Industry Survey
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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NOTO's AGM Information Update
If you are not a member of NOTO but would like to attend, you are more than welcomed. The only thing we ask is that you identify yourselves as a non-member on the voting polls as they appear on your screen during the AGM.
Please read the following registration instructions carefully!
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To attend the AGM, you must first register for the Northern Ontario Tourism Training Week. Registration is free and easy.
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To access the training week, you will need the following link: https://eventmobi.com/northern-2020/login?redirect=%2Fnorthern-2020%2F. If you are joining us via mobile device, please download the EventMobi app from your app store and type Northern-2020 in the access code box to enter the training week.
- Enter the email and password you used during the registration process. Once you have entered the Training Week App or Website, click on "Sessions".
- Click on the date box on the top to access the agenda for November 26th.
- Click on the NOTO AGM box and then click the green "Register Now" button. You will receive a link to the webinar via email once you've registered. This is the link you will need to join us for the AGM. (Please note, you need to register for each session you would like to attend during the training week).
NOTO will be sending out information to all registered attendees prior to the AGM. These documents will include the AGM agenda, an update from NOTO's President and NOTO's Executive Director, NOTO's financial statements, as well as an overview of NOTO's Board of Director Election process. Please keep an eye on your inbox for those documents.
We encourage everyone to take a look at the other training webinars that are being offered next week. We are sure that you will find some helpful sessions and we encourage you to register for as many as you like. It's all FREE!
We look forward to seeing you there!
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Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks Provide Relief to Operators Within Ontario Parks
MECP is providing financial relief for tourism operators located in Ontario Parks. This will help approximately 250 resource-based tourism businesses located in provincial parks and conservation reserves including setting Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act land use fees for commercial outpost camps to $0 for 2020.
The individual notices were mailed on Friday November 13th. Operators should be receiving them shortly.
We thank the Ministry for accommodating our request and providing RBT operators within Ontario Parks with some financial relief. NOTO will continue to work with MNRF, MECP and the Ministry of Finance to ensure everyone receives their Crown Resource Fee refunds for 2020 as well as get the 2021 fees waived for resource-based tourism operators.
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NOTO's Response to the Provincial Budget
NOTO is currently building a response to Ontario's Provincial Budget and we would love to hear your feedback as well to help build our position and guide our advocacy efforts.
The resource-based tourism industry has fallen through the cracks time and time again during this pandemic. There are over 1300 RBT businesses across Ontario offering unique outdoor experiences. NOTO knows that the provincial budget does not provide the support operators need. NDP MPP John Vanthof also mentioned this in Queen's Park on November 18th. We thank him for shedding a light for our industry. Here's what NOTO has to say about the Tourism items identified in the budget to date:
- NOTO supports the Government’s intention to make 2021 the year of the staycation through the implementation of a travel tax credit for Ontarian’s to explore the province. This may assist in getting people to explore regions which are further than four hours from a major city center.
- The Northern Ontario Recovery Program (NORP) has so far assisted many small to medium sized Northern Ontario businesses, however, there is a need to have more money allocated to this program so that more businesses can be supported. Allocating more funds so that more Northern Ontario businesses can access the NORP will be increasingly important as operators prepare to open their doors in the spring.
- The COVID exemptions from the Employer Health Tax and the reduction in the Business Education Tax rates has helped some tourism operators, and we are happy to see the Government’s decision to make these exemptions permanent.
- Unfortunately, the Community Building Fund will not be of great assistance to our industry. Many RBT businesses are located outside of municipal boundaries. The same issue arises with the announcement of the Government’s intention to create property tax saving initiatives.
- There is no mention on the waiving of Crown Resource Fees for 2021 in the budget. There are a large number of RBT operators who have paid their 2020 fees that have yet to see a refund. All RBT operators have lost their 2020 non-resident hunts this year. As NOTO’s fall survey has shown, the loss of these hunts have led to an average loss of $54,300 per operator who offer these services, with $500,000 being the largest loss reported by a single operator. These losses, in addition to the thousands of dollars lost as a result of non-resident fishing trip cancellations, caused several operators to fear that they will not remain economically viable to 2021. NOTO is currently working with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry as well as the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks to press the Ministry of Finance to ensure all operators receive their refunds for 2020, as well as waive these fees for 2021.
- Hyperlocal marketing initiatives only go so far. Many operators rely on American guests and many have tried to shift their marketing efforts to the domestic market with little to no success. It appears that operators located within four to six hours of travelling distance from any major city center were able to attract individuals from southern parts of the province, however operators located in areas further away had little to no success. This is particularly evident in the Northwest. Those that have been able to book domestic guests have reported that they are not necessarily interested in traditional products and do not understand the value of the experiences our tourism operations offer. This results in our operators booking at much less capacity and some at lower prices.
- We strongly urge the Provincial Government to work with the Federal Government to ensure the Canada-US border can be reopened by spring 2021 with proper health and safety precautions in place. We highly recommend following the rapid testing pilot project implemented in Alberta to help waive the 14-day quarantine requirement to anyone who’s results are negative, as long as these individuals agree to be re-tested on day 6 or 7 post-arrival. This will greatly help tourism businesses who rely on US clientele, while also helping the Ontario economy recover from COVID-19 with new money.
The negative financial impacts of COVID-19 will not end within 2020. Many economists and business experts say that tourism's recovery will not begin to take place until 2022 or 2023. This is of great concern to small and medium sized business owners in Ontario’s RBT industry and of great concern to NOTO.
If you have any suggestions or comments to add to our current feedback and highlights, please email either Kate (kate@noto.net) or Laurie (laurie@noto.net)
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Join us virtually NEXT WEEK for the Northern Ontario Tourism Training Week!
November 23rd - 27th 2020
This year, registration is free to all industry partners, so you can focus on operations, saving money, and staying safe. We hope you will join us!
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How to Register for Sessions
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STEP 01
Open your registration confirmation email and download our app to
start building your schedule!
STEP 02
Register for each session individually. To do so, please click on the session you would like to join then click the green "Register Now" button. Note: Clicking + Add to Schedule does not register you for the session.
STEP 03
Once you have registered, you will receive an email with a link.
STEP 04
Click the link to join the webinar at the specified time and date.
STEP 05
Enjoy your training session!
Joining Via Mobile?
STEP 01
Download the EventMobi app from the iPhone or Android app store.
STEP 02
Launch the app and enter the unique event code
"Northern-2020"
STEP 03
Access event information, network with other
attendees, build your schedule and more!
STEP 04
Click on the sessions you would like to join and click the green "Register Now".
Once you have registered, you will receive an email with a link.
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Ontario Implements Lockdown in Peel and Toronto, Moves other Health Units to Red and Orange Zones.
In consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, local medical officers of health, and other health experts, the province is moving public health unit regions into new zones. These changes will take effect on Monday November 23rd at 12:01am. The following public health unit regions will move from their current level to the following levels:
- Red-Control
- Durham Region Health Department; and
- Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services.
- Orange-Restrict
- Huron Perth Public Health;
- Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit;
- Southwestern Public Health; and
- Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.
- Yellow-Protect
- Chatham-Kent Public Health;
- Eastern Ontario Health Unit;
- Grey Bruce Health Unit;
- Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health;
- Peterborough Public Health; and
- Thunder Bay District Health Unit will join Sudbury in the yellow zone for the North.
Toronto and Peel will move into Lockdown on Monday. Measures under Lockdown include, but are not limited to:
- Schools and child care will remain open;
- Post-secondary schools open for virtual learning with some limited exceptions for training that can only be provided in-person, such as clinical training or training related to a trade;
- No indoor gatherings except with members of the same household. Individuals who live alone may consider having close contact with one other person;
- Outdoor organized public events or social gatherings limited to a maximum of 10 people;
- Wedding services, funeral services and religious services, rites or ceremonies can have up to 10 people indoors or 10 people outdoors with physical distancing;
- Retail permitted to be open for curbside pick-up or delivery only, with certain exceptions such as for supermarkets, grocery stores, pharmacies, hardware stores, discount and big box retailers selling groceries, beer, wine and liquor stores, safety supply stores, and convenience stores, which will be allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity;
- Restaurants, bars, and food and drink establishments will only be able to provide takeout, drive-through and delivery. Indoor and outdoor dining services are prohibited;
- Personal care services closed;
- Casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments closed; and
- Indoor gyms, sports and recreational facilities, including pools, closed.
The government is amending Ontario Regulation 950 under the Provincial Offences Act, allowing for a ticket to be issued for any contravention of a COVID-19 specific order issued by a medical officer of health. The government will also ask the Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice to establish a set fine to be attached to any ticket issued for violating a section 22 order relating to COVID-19 made by a local medical officer of health.
Ontario is also increasing support for businesses impacted by Lockdowns as part of the Property Tax and Electricity Programs to $600 million from the original $300 million announced in the budget.
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Transportation Canada Proposes Changes to Pleasure Craft Licensing Program and the Pleasure Craft Operator Competency Program
IMPORTANT NOTE: Within these changes, TC is looking at repealing the provision for the Rental Boat Safety Checklist as being accepted as proof of competency. This would not be good for our industry. We highly recommend all operators submit comments by clicking on the button below. This forum will remain open until January 15th.
- Bringing grandfathered pleasure craft licenses (with no expiry date) into a five-year validity regime.
- Reducing the ten-year validity period for licenses (PCLs) to five years.
- Expanding the application of the SVR to include all pleasure craft equipped with motors of 10 horsepower (7.5 kilowatts) or more, including personal watercraft, which are principally maintained or operated in Canada; and all pleasure craft (including all power-driven and sail-alone vessels) above 6m in length, with the exception of human-powered vessels (e.g. kayak, canoe).
- Reducing the timeframe for vessel owners to report a name or address change from 90 days to 30 days, and specifying 30 days for the buyer to notify a sale or transfer of a vessel ensuring that updated information is available in the same boating season.
- Providing TC the authority to cancel a PCL if the license holder does not comply with regulatory requirements.
- Introducing a service fee of $15 for pleasure craft licenses thereby reducing the cost borne by taxpayers for providing this service.
- Strengthening course accreditation requirements & setting course accreditation to a five year renewal period.
- Providing TC the authority to suspend or revoke course accreditation if a course provider does not comply with regulatory requirements
- Providing TC the authority to cancel a Pleasure Craft Operator Card if it is deemed to have been obtained under fraudulent circumstances
- Repealing the provision for the Rental Boat Safety Checklist as being accepted as proof of competency
- Introducing a $5,000 accreditation fee to course providers every five years and a test materials access fee of $8.50 for each Pleasure Craft Operator Card issued.
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Canada-US Border Closure Extended
Premier Ford stated last week that he would like to see rapid testing replace the current restrictions surrounding international travelers, similarly to the pilot project in Alberta. This would mean individuals arriving in Canada would need to get tested upon arrival and quarantine until they receive their results. If they test negative, they will be permitted to leave their quarantine as long as they commit to getting tested at a pharmacy on day 6 or 7 post-arrival.
NOTO hopes that the Federal Government will implement these measures across the nation by spring of 2021.
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Clarification on Province's PPE Grant, Electricity and Property Tax COVID-19 Programs
We have been receiving quite a few questions surrounding the Main Street PPE Grant as well as the Electricity and Property Tax COVID-19 Programs. Here is some additional information.
For the PPE Grant, you may be eligible for a one-time grant up to $1000. To be eligible, you must have between 2 and 9 employees and be in retail, accommodation and food services, repair and maintenance services or personal and laundry services. Unfortunately if you've applied for the NORP or used funding from other sources (i.e. RRRF) to cover PPE costs during the pandemic, you will be ineligible for this program. You will need to submit receipts or proof of costs for PPE purchased since March 17th, 2020. These costs can include; gloves, masks, face shields, eye protection, hand sanitizer and wipes, plexiglass, signage or temperature monitors. To apply, click here.
The Property Tax and Energy Cost Rebate Grant Programs are only available to businesses who have been required to shut down or significantly restrict services due to provincial health measures (modified stage 2) as of October. Going forward, this program will be available to any areas in Red or Lockdown Zones.
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REMINDER: Destination Northern Ontario COVID-19 Survey
Win $1,250 by sharing your input on your performance and the impacts of COVID-19 on your property, and learn how best to plan and market your business in 2021!
We realize that you may be surveyed out, but as an industry stakeholder, DNO and its partners really need and appreciate your input. This information is critical to the ongoing efforts by organizations like NOTO to advocate and have informative discussions with Government.
Destination Northern Ontario (DNO), in partnership with Northeastern Ontario Tourism, Algoma Country, Sunset Country and Superior Country, is conducting a new survey that will focus on tracking the fixed roof operating performance, use of government funding/loan programs, and the market impacts of COVID-19 on fixed roof accommodations throughout Northern Ontario. The results of this survey will be put into a final report that can help you to:
- Assess performance in 2020 by sub-region compared to last year;
- Measure losses in 2020 due to COVID-19;
- Forecast short-term topline and bottom-line results by property type, and consider opportunities to access government funding; and
- Better plan and market their businesses in 2021.
With your help, DNO and its partners will have concrete data to advocate on behalf of the industry. Now more than ever, it is important to track the performance of the tourism industry across Northern Ontario. Our industry is one that will need continuous assistance until it is back on its feet.
Survey respondents have a chance to win $1,250 to put towards a membership/advertising package with their regional marketing organization of choice! There will be 1 winner in each of the 4 marketing regions of Northern Ontario.
Survey closes November 30th.
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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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