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News, updates, and so much more…
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Ontario Providing Supports for Small Businesses, Workers and Families
Ontario COVID-19 Small Business Relief Grant for small businesses that are subject to closure under the modified Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen. It will provide eligible small businesses with a grant payment of $10,000.
Eligible small businesses include:
- Restaurants and bars;
- Facilities for indoor sports and recreational fitness activities (including fitness centres and gyms);
- Performing arts and cinemas;
- Museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos, science centres, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens and similar attractions;
- Meeting or event spaces;
- Tour and guide services;
- Conference centres and convention centres;
- Driving instruction for individuals; and
- Before- and after- school programs.
Eligible businesses that qualified for the Ontario Small Business Support Grant and that are subject to closure under modified Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen will be pre-screened to verify eligibility and will not need to apply to the new program. Newly established and newly eligible small businesses will need to apply once the application portal opens in the coming weeks. Small businesses that qualify can expect to receive their payment in February.
Further, online applications for the previously-announced Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program will open on January 18. This program will provide eligible businesses that are required to close or reduce capacity with rebate payments for up to 100 per cent of the property tax and energy costs they incur while subject to public health measures.
Eligible 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. Those 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. A complete list of eligible businesses will be provided prior to the launch of the application portal. |
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Electricity Rate Relief Support
For 21 days, starting at 12:01 am on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, electricity prices will be set 24 hours a day at the current off-peak rate of 8.2 cents per kilowatt-hour, which is less than half the cost of the current on-peak rate. The off-peak rate will apply automatically to residential, small businesses and farms who pay regulated rates set by the Ontario Energy Board and get a bill from a utility and will benefit customers on both Time-of-Use and Tiered rate plans. This will provide immediate savings for families, small businesses and farms as all Ontarians work together to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.
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Record-breaking number of building permits issued in 2021, topping over 1,110
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2022
Welland, ON – The City of Welland concluded 2021, having issued 1,108 building permits, compared to 767 in 2020. Of those permits, 759 were for new dwelling unit starts.
The construction value for all 2021 buildings permits is approximately $245M, resulting in a 22 per cent increase from the estimated construction value for the 767 permits issued in 2020 (approx. $200.1M).
“What these 2021 numbers represent is a strength in the City’s economy and the confidence people have in making Welland a preferred destination for their homes and businesses,” said Grant Munday, director of planning and development services. “We knew coming out of the pandemic that numbers would naturally increase, but the types of permits issued, especially when it comes to apartments and other options for housing, tells you where the City is heading in its growth.”
Residential growth within the city’s built-up area finished at 85 per cent, a 10 per cent increase over the previous year. Built-up growth occurs in areas where municipal services and development already exist, helping the City and Region achieve economies of scale in service delivery and reduce urban sprawl.
The City collects development charges on building permits at the date of issuance. Those charges go toward recovering growth-related costs associated with the capital infrastructure needed to service new development and redevelopment within the City.
Some notable developments in Welland in 2021 include a 4-storey, 103 unit apartment building at 300 South Pelham Road, a 6-storey, 137 unit apartment building at 699 Niagara Street; a 37 unit townhouse development on the south-east corner of Broadway and Perenack Avenue (former Broadway School Site); 108 lot subdivision on the north-west corner of Webber Road and South Pelham Road (known Sparrow Meadows Phase 7) and a 98 lot subdivision on the north side of Sauer Avenue, west of Bradley Avenue (known as Waterways Commons Phase 2).
It is anticipated that in 2022, the City will once again exceed totals in many categories, highlighting Welland as a premier place to live, work, play, and invest.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Marc MacDonald
Corporate Communications Manager
905-735-1700 x2337
znep.znpqbanyq@jryynaq.pn
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Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program
Online applications for the Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program will open on January 18. This program will provide eligible businesses that are required to close or reduce capacity with rebate payments for up to 100 per cent of the property tax and energy costs they incur while subject to public health measures in response to the Omicron variant.
Eligible 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. Those 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. A complete list of eligible businesses will be provided prior to the launch of the application portal.
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Improving Cash Flow for Ontario Businesses
The government is also improving cash flows for Ontario businesses by providing up to $7.5 billion through a six-month interest- and penalty-free period starting January 1, 2022 for Ontario businesses to make payments for most provincially administered taxes. This supports businesses now and provides for the flexibility they will need for long-term planning.
Building on Ontario’s leadership on improving cash flows for businesses, the Province continues to call on the federal government to match provincial tax deferral efforts by allowing small businesses impacted by public health restrictions to defer their HST remittances for a period of six months.
Current provincial measures to support businesses and workers, include:
- Cutting wholesale alcohol prices to provide approximately $60 million in annual support to restaurants, bars and other businesses, as well as making it easier for business to create and extend patios and permanently allowing licenced restaurants and bars to include alcohol with food as part of a takeout or delivery order.
- Extending COVID-19 paid sick days until July 31, 2022 to keep workers safe and ensure they do not lose pay if they need to miss work for reasons related to COVID-19.
- Enabling an estimated $10.1 billion in cost savings and support to Ontario businesses in 2021, with more than 60 per cent, or $6.3 billion, going to small businesses, including:
- Supporting a reduction in Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) premiums.
- Allowing businesses to accelerate write-offs of capital investments for tax purposes.
- Reducing the small business Corporate Income Tax rate to 3.2 per cent.
- Providing the Digital Main Street program, which helped more than 20,000 businesses across the province to increase their digital presence in 2020-21.
- Introducing and temporarily enhancing the Regional Opportunities Investment Tax Credit to encourage investments in certain regions of Ontario that have lagged in employment growth in the past.
- Providing targeted COVID-19 support through the Ontario Tourism and Travel Small Business Support Grant.
- Lowering high Business Education Tax (BET) rates for job creators.
- Increasing the Employer Health Tax (EHT) exemption from $490,000 to $1 million.
- Lowering electricity bills through measures such as the Comprehensive Electricity Plan, with the Province paying for a portion of high-priced, non-hydro renewable energy contracts.
Providing targeted COVID-19 support through the Ontario Small Business Support Grant, which delivered $3 billion in urgent and unprecedented support to over 110,000 small businesses across the province. |
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Tourism Industry Association of Ontario launches survey on challenges facing tourism businesses in 2022
In the coming weeks, the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) will be meeting with a variety of government ministers, opposition critics, MPPs and MPs to detail the very latest information regarding the state of the tourism industry in Ontario.
As they head into these meetings, TIAO has underscored the importance of empirical information that helps us fill the gaps of support. Any tourism businesses are invited to complete the survey and help TIAO to advance their interests with the provincial and federal governments.
Please click here to fill out the survey.
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Deadline for CEBA loan repayment extended until December 31, 2023
The repayment deadline for CEBA loans to qualify for partial loan forgiveness is being extended from December 31, 2022, to December 31, 2023, for all eligible borrowers in good standing.
Repayment on or before the new deadline of December 31, 2023, will result in loan forgiveness of up to a third of the value of the loans (meaning up to $20,000).
Outstanding loans would subsequently convert to two-year term loans with interest of 5 per cent per annum commencing on January 1, 2024, with the loans fully due by December 31, 2025.
The government is also announcing that the repayment deadline to qualify for partial forgiveness for CEBA-equivalent lending through the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund is extended to December 31, 2023.
The GNCC had previously recommended to the Government of Canada that CEBA loan deadlines be extended as the pandemic has lasted longer than anticipated. This decision will help a lot of businesses and assist in our economic recovery.
Click here for more information.
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Improving Cash Flow for Ontario Businesses
The government is providing up to $7.5 billion through a six-month interest- and penalty-free period starting January 1, 2022 for Ontario businesses to make payments for most provincially administered taxes.
The Province continues to call on the federal government to match provincial tax deferral efforts by allowing small businesses impacted by public health restrictions to defer their HST remittances for a period of six months.
Read the Government of Ontario’s media release here.
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Best regards,
Alexis Higginbotham
Executive Director
WDBIA
60 East Main Street
Welland, ON
L3B 3X4
905.736.2884
downtownwelland.ca
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