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News, updates, and so much more…
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Today’s vital updates:
- The Government of Ontario has issued an updated guidance document for public health and workplace safety measures(PDF link). A summary of rules and regulations for business can be viewed here. The GNCC urges all individuals and organizations to comply with these regulations, and hopes that rigorous compliance, along with more resources devoted to rapid testing, contact tracing, and vaccination will bring the pandemic under control and enable an end to restrictive measures for business as soon as possible. For more information, call the provincial Stop the Spread Business Hotline at 1-888-444-3659
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- The Government of Ontario has released further details of the Ontario Small Business Support Grant. The Grant will provide a minimum of $10,000 and up to $20,000 to help eligible small business owners during this challenging period. Small businesses required to close or significantly restrict services will be able to apply for this one-time grant. The business must demonstrate they experienced a revenue decline of at least 20 per cent when comparing monthly revenue in April 2019 and April 2020. This time period was selected because it reflects the impact of the public health measures in spring 2020, and as such provides a representation of the possible impact of these latest measures on small businesses. New businesses established since April 2019 will also be eligible. Each eligible small business will be able to use the support in whatever way makes the most sense for their individual business. For example, some businesses will need support paying employee wages or rent, while others will need assistance maintaining their inventory. Applications will open soon. Eligible small businesses include those that:
- Are required to close or significantly restrict services due to the Provincewide Shutdown, which began at 12:01 a.m. on December 26;
- Have fewer than 100 employees at the enterprise level; and
- Have experienced a minimum of 20 per cent revenue decline in April 2020 compared to April 2019.
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City of Welland
For Immediate Release |
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CITY URGES RESIDENTS TO FOLLOW
PROVINCIAL COVID-19 RESPONSE FRAMEWORK
Welland, ON – The City of Welland would like to remind the public that there are many outdoor opportunities to keep active safely while indoor recreation opportunities are on hold to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
Visitors to outdoor skating surfaces are asked to exercise caution before skating as ice may not be fully formed and thin in areas. Visitors are also asked to wear a mask or face covering, leave any non-essential personal belongings at home and ensure physical distancing is maintained while on the ice surfaces or taking part in other outdoor activities such as walking, cross country skiing and tobogganing.
As part of the COVID-19 Response Framework Grey/Lockdown measures, outdoor recreational amenities are open with restrictions, for example, no team sports such as hockey are to be played or practiced. Effective Thursday, January 14, the Province of Ontario will restrict outdoor organized public gatherings and social gatherings to a limit of five people.
During normal business hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM), concerns around enforcement of COVID-19 emergency orders, please contact By-Law Enforcement Division at 905-735-1700 Ext. 2224; by email at olynj_rasbep@jryynaq.pn. After 4:30 pm, COVID-19 concerns should be directed to the Region of Niagara’s information line at (905) 984-3690 or 1 (877) 552-5579 for further bylaw response and assistance.
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With the announcements of new measures from the provincial government yesterday, they have updated the ‘Enhancing Public Health and Workplace Safety Measures in the Provincewide Shutdown’ document. Please follow this link to find the updated document: https://www.ontario.ca/page/enhancing-public-health-and-workplace-safety-measures-provincewide-shutdown.
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City of Welland
For Immediate Release |
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CITY MAKES UPDATES TO FACILITIES AND SERVICES
DUE TO PROVINCIAL STAY-AT-HOME ORDER
Welland, ON – On Thurs. January 14, at 12:01 a.m., the provincial government is implementing a Stay-at-Home order that requires all residents to stay at home with exceptions for essential services such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy, accessing health care services, essential work and exercise. These measures were put into place to stop or slow the spread of COVID-19.
In accordance with Ontario Regulation 82/20, as amended by Regulation 6/21, the following city services and programming changes will be mandated:
Welland Arenas: Effective immediately, the Jack Ballantyne Memorial Youth Arena will be closed for the remainder of the 2020/2021 season.
Welland Community Wellness Complex (WCWC): The Welland Community Wellness Complex will remain closed. Staff anticipate the WCWC will re-open for winter programs on Feb. 22, 2021. Further information in regards to reopening will be communicated on or before the week of Feb. 1, 2021. For the latest updates and information on program schedules and COVID-19 facility procedures, visit wellness.welland.ca.
Outdoor facilities: Playgrounds will remain open however outdoor public gatherings are restricted to a limit of 5 people with limited exceptions. Please consult the Provincial website for full details regarding gathering restrictions https://covid-19.ontario.ca/.
Commissioning Services: Commissioning services will be available by appointment only on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons. To schedule an appointment, please contact 905-735-1700, ext. 0
For more information on City of Welland services, visit welland.ca.
For more information on Ontario’s response to COVID-19 visit https://covid-19.ontario.ca.
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The St. Catharines Digital Service Squad has a series of free webinars coming up to help local entrepreneurs gain insight on transforming their businesses digitally.
 Digitally Transforming Your Business – How to be a part of the evolving world of marketing
Jan. 20 at 10 a.m.
Topics include: what a digital strategy is; how to establish a buyer profile; what marketing initiatives provide the greatest ROI; social media strategy; website strategy; what SEO is; and how and where to use paid advertising.
eCommerce: Why it’s important & which platform is right for you
Jan. 27 at 10 a.m.
Not selling online yet? You are missing out! With more consumers shopping online than ever before the importance of having an online store is growing. In this virtual class we will explore the benefits of operating an online store and breakdown some of the most popular eCommerce platforms.
Success with Paid Ads on Social & Google
Feb. 3 at 10 a.m.
Paid ads seem like the thing to do when you want to ramp up sales and drive the right people to make a certain action, but how do you do this when you have no idea where to begin? During this virtual class we’ll unpack each ad platform and learn about their capabilities to help you choose a platform.
Learn more about these webinars, and others we run for to help small businesses, at https://www.investinstc.ca/site/training-and-seminars
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Regards,
Alexis Higginbotham
Executive Director
WDBIA
60 East Main Street
Welland, Ontario
L3B 3X4
905.736.2884
downtownwelland.ca
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