January 5, 2022
A Message from the Executive Director

The Lincoln Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and staff is officially wishing everyone a Happy New Year. With only a few days in, the year brings unexpected changes and challenging circumstances. The latest restrictions have impacted many small businesses, restaurants, retails and service industry yet again. It is not what we were anticipating, but we know our community will persevere in the upcoming weeks.

Since the onset of this pandemic, we have been dedicated to helping businesses navigate this crisis by keeping members informed with critical information and access to support. The government has introduced two new supports for many businesses, please review the details below in our “Supports for Businesses” section. As your chamber of commerce, we will continue to be a valuable partner in your business as we come out the other side of this crisis.

We would like to inform you all that with the rise of COVID-19 cases, and the latest restrictions, our staff is working remotely until restrictions are lifted. Should you require certificate of origins, please call or email to book an appointment. We appreciate your understanding as we do our part to help keep our community safe. We continue to encourage our members to support local businesses by ordering online and support local restaurants in the upcoming weeks by ordering take-out, if you can do so.

In the meantime, I would be happy to connect with you, learn more about your business, your goals for 2022 and discuss how the Chamber can help reach those goals. Please pick a convenient time on my calendar for a short phone call. To book a meeting with me, please click here. Looking forward to connecting with you.

- Lindsey Hendriks
Your Hometown Holiday Campaign
That's a wrap!

The "Your Hometown Holiday Campaign", run by the the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Town of Lincoln and Downtown Bench Beamsville, has come to an end!

This strategic holiday campaign worked to support Chamber members and businesses within the Town of Lincoln throughout the holiday season.

Please find various local business spotlights and our shopping contest details below!
Commercials
Check out our holiday commercials that showcase a variety
of local businesses:
Business Video Spotlights
We also had the pleasure of working with former broadcast journalist and current digital content creator, Britt Dixon, who created eight different video spotlights on various local businesses. Click below to view each video:

Social Media Workshops
We'd like to extend a huge thank you to Peggy from The Social Gourmet for offering 3 FREE virtual social media workshops for small businesses as part of our "Your Hometown Holiday" campaign. ⁠
Workshop 1: Combatting Social Media Overwhelm – Don’t Panic! You Got This!
  • This workshop challenged business owners to not get caught up (and overwhelmed) by the magnitude of social media marketing and instead, use what they already know to connect with their audience.⁠
Workshop 2: Marketing Do’s & Don’ts for Social Media
  • This workshop delved into marketing best practices, supposed “growth hacks”, Terms of Service, and copyright law. All that stuff that we SHOULD know, but just don’t have the time to dive into.⁠
Workshop 3: The Marathon vs The Sprint – Organic vs Paid Social
  • This workshop taught small business owners about the pros and cons of paid and organic social media and which would work best for their business.⁠
Shopping Contest
Our draw has officially closed on December 31. We will draw our winners on
Friday, January 7, 2022.
Ontario Updates
Update to Rapid Screening Programs for Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade
Please note that the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce
does not have any rapid testing kits.
Ontario currently has a limited supply of rapid antigen tests that are being prioritized for health care and highest risk settings.

The province is continuing to urge the federal government to make more rapid tests available to provinces as quickly as possible. Currently, our Chambers do not have rapid testing kits to provide to businesses. Unfortunately, the Ministry is not able to provide an ETA for supplies at this time, but most Chambers are not expecting anything to come in during the month of January. We will keep you posted on availability.
Ontario Temporarily Moving to Modified Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen
Ontario Newsroom

The province will return to the modified version of Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen effective Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at 12:01 a.m. for at least 21 days.

Read more
news.ontario.ca
Updated Eligibility for PCR Testing and Case and Contact Management Guidance in Ontario
Ontario Newsroom

In response to the rapidly spreading and highly transmissible Omicron variant, the Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, is updating its COVID-19 testing and isolation guidelines.

Read more
news.ontario.ca
Supports for Businesses
In recognition of the impact the Omicron variant and additional public health measures have on small businesses, the government is introducing two new supports for many businesses that are most impacted by public health measures in response to the Omicron variant.

  • The Ontario Business Cost Rebate Program: Eligible businesses that are required to close or reduce capacity will receive rebate payments for a portion of the property tax and energy costs they incur while subject to these measures. Eligible businesses required to reduce capacity to 50 per cent, such as smaller retail stores, will receive a rebate payment equivalent to 50 per cent of their costs, while businesses required to close for indoor activities, such as restaurants and gyms, will receive a rebate payment equivalent to 100 per cent of their costs. A full list of eligible business types will be made available when applications for the program open later this month.

  • Six-month interest- and penalty-free period to make payments for the following provincially administered taxes (beginning January 1, 2022, and ending July 1, 2022).
  • Employer Health Tax
  • Beer, Wine & Spirits Taxes
  • Tobacco Tax
  • Insurance Premium Tax
  • Fuel Tax
  • International Fuel Tax Agreement
  • Gas Tax
  • Retail Sales Tax on Insurance Contracts & Benefit Plans
  • Mining Tax
  • Race Tracks Tax

The Federal Government also announced its intention to temporarily expand eligibility for key support programs to ensure Canadians are protected and workers and businesses get the help they need to sustain them through new public health restrictions. Using regulatory authority provided in Bill C-2, the government intends to introduce new regulations that would:

  • Expand the Local Lockdown Program to include employers subject to capacity-limiting restrictions of 50 per cent or more; and reduce the current-month revenue decline threshold requirement to 25 per cent. Eligible employers will receive wage and rent subsidies from 25 per cent up to a maximum of 75 per cent, depending on their degree of revenue loss. The 12-month revenue decline test continues to not be required in order to access this support.

  • Expand the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit to include workers in regions where provincial or territorial governments have introduced capacity-limiting restrictions of 50 per cent or more. As announced previously, this benefit will provide $300 a week in income support to eligible workers who are directly affected by a COVID-19-related public health lockdown, and who have lost 50 per cent or more of their income as a result.

These updated regulations will apply from December 19, 2021, to February 12, 2022, during which time it is expected that public health authorities will continue to implement “circuit-breaker” restrictions that limit the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 across Canada.
Minimum Wage Increase
Ontario Newsroom

As part of its plan to grow an economy that works for everyone, the Ontario government has raised the general minimum wage to $15.00 per hour starting January 1, 2022

Read more
news.ontario.ca
Initiatives
Canada Summer Jobs 2022:
Application Period for Employers Now Open
Not-for-profit organizations, public sector employers, and private sector employers with 50 or fewer full-time employees can now apply for funding to hire young Canadians this summer.

Employers interested in applying for CSJ 2022 funding can submit their applications electronically via either the online fillable application or the Grants and Contributions Online Service.

Applications close on January 25, 2022.
Town of Lincoln: Community Improvement Plans
The Town currently has five Council-approved Community Improvement Plans (CIPs) that provide grants for various projects ranging from restoration and improvements for designated heritage buildings to grants for investment attraction and job creation, as well as one focused on mixed-use and residential intensification. The questions relate to all of the financial incentives, but the focus of the review will be the Beamsville, Vineland and Mixed-Use CIPs.
 
The goals of the review are to: 
  • increase affordable housing options; 
  • encourage environmental sustainability;
  • encourage more focused and strategic investments in identified key areas of the community; 
  • place greater emphasis on urban design and built form. 
 
As part of this review it would be appreciated if you could take some time and complete an online survey. Please complete the survey labelled as CIP Survey for Business by January 14, 2022.
Member Benefits
Advertising Opportunities
Looking for a great way to increase your organization’s exposure AND support your Chamber? We’ve got lots of ways to help you reach your target audience in an effective, inexpensive way.
Website Advertising

Our website averages over 3,200 visits and over 2,100 unique visitors each month. With a strong viewership in Niagara and the surrounding areas, this is your chance to touch base with your community to share more about your organization or event.

And, for a limited time, lock in 2021 pricing! Price increases February 1, 2022 - so don't delay!
Lincoln Chamber E-Blasts

Quickly spread the news about your special offer, sale details, promotion or upcoming event to our network of over 700 email address for only $50!
West Niagara Chambers
E-Blasts

Quickly spread the news about your special offer to our network of over 1,100 email addresses for only $150!

Chamber Member Spotlights
With the new year comes a new Chamber initiative! Every Monday, we'll be spotlighting one of our Chamber members on our social media channels in order to showcase just how amazing you all truly are. We will be going down our membership list alphabetically.

Please reach out to us at office@lincolnchamber.ca if you would like us to include something specific in your spotlight. If not, we will go off of the description that we have on file for your business. Additionally, if you would not like to participate, please contact us to let us know.

We are so excited to show you all off!
Member Referral
You’ve each got your own reasons for being part of the Chamber – why not share those reasons with colleagues and friends?

A growing membership strengthens the Chamber’s voice; a voice that advocates for important issues, enhances services for our Members, and provides more business connections.

This is why we have implemented a NEW referral program. Members who refer a new business to the Chamber will receive a $50 gift card to a local grocery store, and the referred business that joins the Chamber will receive a $25 gift card to a local grocery store. It’s a win-win situation!

Any full member in good standing with the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce can participate in this program. A referral bonus will be awarded for a NEW business or organization that joins the Chamber as a direct result of a current member’s efforts.

Organizations are considered ‘NEW’ if they have not been a member of our Chamber for at least 2 years. There is NO limit to the number of referrals you can make.
Lenovo Clearance