Wednesday March 3rd, 2021 Newsletter

Ontario, Canada invest in arts sector The Ontario government is supporting the arts sector with a one-time investment of $25 million to help artists and arts organizations survive the COVID-19 pandemic, remain solvent and prepare for a time when they can fully re-open their facilities, resume full programming and welcome back their visitors and audiences. The arts sector has been affected badly by the COVID-19 pandemic and the attendant loss of live events and audiences. $24 million has been allocated to 140 organizations across the province, including the Niagara Symphony Association and the Shaw Festival. Additionally, $1 million will provide much-needed support directly to artists and creators from across the province. More information on this, including eligibility requirements and application deadlines, will be available soon on the Ontario Arts Council website. The Government of Canada also announced that it will allocate $181.5 million in funding for the live arts and music sectors in 2021–2022. This funding will support the planning and presentation of COVID-19-safe events in the arts and music sectors—including both live and digital—and provide work opportunities in these sectors. Funding will also help stabilize the overall environment for the arts and music sectors by providing a one-year renewal of funding for three Canadian Heritage programs originally provided in Budget 2019. The Department of Canadian Heritage is receiving $40 million in new funding to stimulate short-term contracting of workers in the live events sector through three Canadian Heritage programs: Building Communities through Arts and Heritage, the Canada Arts Presentation Fund and the Canada Music Fund. Information on how to access the new fund will be available next week on the Canadian Heritage website.

Ontario Small Business Support Grant now offers online status checks To help keep businesses informed with the most up to date information, the Government of Ontario now offers a new way to check the status of an application online at https://www.app.grants.gov.on.ca/msrf/#/home#BSGStatusWindow. Applicants will need to scroll down to the section marked “Check Ontario Small Business Support Grant application status.” To check  application status, authorization number and CRA business number are required. Starting at $10,000 for all eligible businesses, the grant provides them with funding to a maximum of $20,000 to help cover decreased revenue expected as a result of the Provincewide Shutdown. In order to qualify, business must demonstrate that 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 are also eligible provided they meet the other eligibility criteria. Over 67,000 applications have been approved to date, with more than $950 million in payments going to businesses in communities across the province.

1. 6 ways to meet COVID-19 variants head on
   • With more infectious variants, should we wear two masks instead of one? Indoors and out? Masks are workplace essentials, but a starting point, not an end point.
2. Evaluate your COVID-19 controls before an outbreak
   • You’ve assessed hazards, put a safety plan in place, and trained workers. But have you evaluated the effectiveness of these controls?
3. Keeping virtual H&S training real for new hires
   • To continue delivering onboarding and other training during the pandemic, go virtual. That’s what winemaker Andrew Peller Ltd. has done.
4. COVID-19 and WHMIS: 7 disinfectant do’s and don’ts
   • Disinfectants are critical for controlling the COVID-19 virus, but they may pose serious hazards. Protect workers handling or using disinfectants with these seven suggestions