Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland today announced an extension of COVID-19 emergency economic benefits through June 5, 2021.
This extension includes the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and the Lockdown Support.
This means that the following rates of support will remain in place until June 5:
The maximum base wage subsidy rate for active employees would remain at 40%, and the maximum top-up wage subsidy rate for employers most adversely impacted by the pandemic would remain at 35% making the maximum combined wage subsidy rate 75%.
The maximum rent subsidy rate would remain at 65%.
Lockdown Support would remain at 25% and continue to be provided in addition to the rent subsidy, providing eligible hard-hit businesses with rent support of up to 90%.
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New health and safety education campaigns to help small businesses in the province reopen safely have been announced, in conjunction with inspections from provincial offences officers who will be visiting businesses and carrying out inspections in regions opening into grey, red and orange zones.
Provincial Employment Standards Call Centre (webes@ontario.ca) and Occupational Health and Safety Contact Centre (webohs@ontario.ca) to answer small business health and safety questions.
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Extension of Federal Benefits
At his Feb. 19 press conference, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government will introduce regulatory and legislative amendments to increase the number of weeks available for benefits under the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) and the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) by 12 weeks, thus extending the maximum duration of the benefits to 38 weeks. The number of weeks available under the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) would also be increased to four weeks from the current two.
The proposed changes would also increase the number of weeks of EI regular benefits available by up to 24 weeks to a maximum of 50 weeks for claims that are made between Sept. 27, 2020, and Sept. 25, 2021.
The full government of Canada News Release can be found »» at this link.
The full government of Ontario News Release can be found »» at this link.
As many people anticipated, the Ontario government has made the decision to extend the Stay-at-Home orders in Toronto, Peel and North Bay-Parry Sound until at least March 8, 2020 after consulting with the medical officers of those Public Health regions.
The York Public Health Region will transition out of the shutdown and into the Red-Control level and will no longer be subject to the Stay-at-Home order.
In addition, Lambton Public Health, which has seen a worsening of infection levels, will be moving from the Orange-Restrict level to the Red-Control level. These changes will come into effect on Monday, February 22, 2021 at 12:01 a.m.
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The government has also extended the province’s emergency orders under the Ontario Reopening Act (ROA).
As I have advised on earlier occasions, this is largely a matter of legislative housekeeping. The ROA must be extended every 30 days and the government must notify the public which orders have been extended.
The extension of the emergency orders does not change the length of how long a region is placed in lockdown.Orders under the ROA include the province’s ability to implement rules on public gatherings, business closures and managing outbreaks in hospitals or long-term care homes. The full list of orders being extended by the Ontario government can be found here
It’s nice to be able to send along some good news on a Friday:
The government of Ontario announced today that 27 public health regions will be moving back to the COVID Response Framework on Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 12:01 a.m. and will no longer be subject to the Stay-at-Home order.
Enjoy the Family Day Weekend!
Moving to Grey-Lockdown:
Niagara Region Public Health
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Moving to Red-Control:
Chatham-Kent Public Health
City of Hamilton Public Health Services
Durham Region Health Department
Halton Region Public Health
Middlesex-London Health Unit;
Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services
Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit
Southwestern Public Health
Thunder Bay District Health Unit
Wellington-Dufferin Guelph Public Health
Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.
Moving to Orange-Restrict:
Brant County Health Unit
Eastern Ontario Health Unit
Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
Huron Perth Public Health
Lambton Public Health
Ottawa Public Health
Porcupine Health Unit
Public Health Sudbury and Districts.
Moving to Yellow-Protect:
Algoma Public Health
Grey Bruce Health Unit;
Northwestern Health Uni
Peterborough Public Health
Moving to Green-Prevent:
Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit
Timiskaming Health Unit.
For North Bay Parry Sound District, Peel Public Health, Toronto Public Health and York Region Public Health, it is proposed that the shutdown measures and the Stay-at-Home order will continue to apply until at least Monday, February 22, 2021.
The Premier announced yesterday that the province has updated its COVID-19 Response Framework: Keeping Ontario Safe and Opento revise some retail regulations in areas under Grey Zone ‘lockdown’ restrictions, and will also begin a staggered reopening of the province as regions move from the Stay-at-Home order to Grey Zone designation.
Easing of retail restrictions
The shutdown and Stay-At-Home order and all existing public health and workplace safety measures will be maintained in the majority of the public health regions in Ontario, with these amendments to restrictions in the Grey Zone lockdown regions:
In person shopping permitted for retail sales, with capacity limits;
In addition to the previous restriction of 50 per cent capacity limit for supermarkets and other stores that primarily sell groceries, convenience stores, and pharmacies:
25 per cent capacity limit for all other stores that engage in retail sales to the public, including, big box stores;
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Stores will be required to publicly post store capacity limit
Individuals will be required to wear a face covering and maintain physical distance when indoors in a business, with limited exceptions
There are also revised regulations for Red Zone and Green Zone regions.
The following three regions will be moving back to the Green-Prevent level on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 12:01 a.m. and will no longer be subject to the Stay-at-Home order:
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health
Renfrew County and District Health Unit
It is proposed that the Stay-at-Home order will continue to apply to 28 public health regions until Tuesday, February 16, 2021.
For Toronto, Peel and York regions, it is proposed that the Stay-at-Home order will continue to apply until Monday, February 22, 2021. Final decisions will be subject to review of the trends in public health indicators at that time.
Applications are now open and full details available for the Ontario Small Business Support Grant (OSBSG) which I advised you of on December 21, 2020.
The grant provides a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $20,000 to eligible small businesses who have had to restrict their operations due to the Provincewide Shutdown which began December 26, 2020.
As I noted in my earlier email, the OSBSG is a one-time grant and the funding may be used in whatever way makes the most sense for each individual business. For example, some businesses could need support paying employee wages, while others could need support with their rent.
Eligible small businesses include those that:
Were required to close or significantly restrict services due to the Provincewide Shutdown being imposed across the province effective 12:01 a.m. on December 26.
Have fewer than 100 employees at the enterprise level.
Have experienced a minimum of 20 per cent revenue decline in April 2020 compared to April 2019. New businesses established since April 2019 will also be eligible if they meet the other eligibility criteria.
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As anticipated, the government of Ontario is introducing stricter measures in an effort to reduce the rate of COVID-19 infections occurring throughout the province.
The measures will come into effect between Tuesday January 12, 2021 and Thursday, January 14, 2021.
All non-essential retail stores, including hardware stores, alcohol retailers, and those offering curbside pickup or delivery, must open no earlier than 7 a.m. and close no later than 8 p.m.
The restricted hours of operation do not apply to stores that primarily sell food, pharmacies, gas stations, convenience stores, and restaurants for takeout or delivery.
Non-essential construction is further restricted, including below-grade construction, exempting survey.
Employees
As I previously advised, the government has increased the number of ESA inspectors and these inspectors will be focussing on workplaces with reported COVID-19 outbreaks, manufacturing businesses, warehouses, distribution centres, food processing operations, construction projects and publicly accessible workplaces deemed essential, such as grocery stores.
An employee who becomes infected with COVID-19 may be entitled to federally funded paid sick leave of up to $500 a week for two weeks.
NOTE: Workers can also access Canada’s Recovery Caregiver Benefit of up to $500 per week for up to 26 weeks if they are unable to work because they must care for their child under 12 years old or a family member who needs supervised care.
Over the summer, the government enacted a new regulatory amendment that put non-unionized employees on Infectious Disease Emergency Leave during the COVID-19 outbreak any time their hours of work are temporarily reduced by their employer due to COVID-19, ensuring businesses aren’t forced to terminate employees after their ESA temporary layoff periods have expired.
Under the Safe Restart Agreement, the federal government is funding a temporary income support program that allows workers to take up to 10 days of leave related to COVID-19, preventing the risk of further spread in the workplace and allowing workers to focus on their health.
Schools and Child Care Centres
Schools in the following public health units (PHUs) will not return to in-person instruction until February 10, 2021:
Windsor-Essex
Peel Region
Toronto
York
Hamilton
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Schools in northern PHUs will continue to remain open and required to follow new health and safety measures.
Throughout the province, child care centres for non-school aged children will remain open, with new health and safety measures implemented, such as:
enhanced screening
voluntary participation in targeted testing and
additional infection prevention and control measures to align with schools.
By January 20, 2021, the Chief Medical Officer of Health will advise the Ministry of Education on which public health units (PHUs) will be permitted to resume in-person school instruction.
In areas where in-person elementary learning is suspended, emergency child care will continue for eligible families in regions subject to school closures. In those approved PHUs, any emergency child care for school-aged children will end on January 22.
Social and Public Interaction
Outdoor organized public gatherings and social gatherings are restricted to a limit of five people.
Individuals are required to wear a mask or face covering in the indoor areas of businesses or organizations that are open. Wearing a mask or face covering is now recommended outdoors when you can’t physically distance more than two metres.
Enforcement
Under the declaration of a provincial emergency, all enforcement and provincial offences officers, including:
Ontario Provincial Police
local police forces
bylaw officers, and
provincial workplace inspectors
will have authority to issue tickets to individuals who do not comply with the stay-at-home-order, or those not wearing a mask or face covering indoors as well as retail operators and companies who do not enforce.
All enforcement personnel will have the authority to temporarily close a premise and disperse individuals who are in contravention of an order and will be able to disperse people who are gathering, regardless whether a premise has been closed or remains open such as a park or house.
The government notes that those who decide not to abide by orders will be subject to set fines and/or prosecution under both the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, (ROA) and EMCPA.
On December 21, 2020 the government of Ontario announced a new Ontario Small Business Support Grant.
That information may have been obscured because the announcement focussed on the impending province-wide shutdown of December 26. Below is a government statement from this past Friday that highlights the Support Grant and other available financial programs.
The Ontario Small Business Support Grant will provide a minimum of $10,000 and up to $20,000 to eligible small business owners who needed to close or significantly restrict their services during the shutdown.
The application process will be instituted later this month and I will inform you when the government makes that announcement. Currently available information can be found here: https://news.ontario.ca/en/backgrounder/59788/post-4
The government statement below also touches on property tax and energy bill rebates to support businesses required to close or significantly restrict services because of public health restrictions.
TTORONTO – Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, issued the following statement regarding today’s monthly employment release by Statistics Canada:
“Employment in Ontario decreased by 11,900 in December. Despite this decrease, employment in the manufacturing sector increased by 16,400. In the last seven months, Ontario’s employment increased by 893,300. Today, 29,600 more men and women are working in the manufacturing sector than pre-COVID.
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On December 21, 2020, in response to the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases, our government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts, imposed a Provincewide Shutdown. This difficult, but necessary, step was put in place to help stop the spread of COVID-19, preserve health system capacity, and protect vulnerable populations and those who care for them.
While the shutdown is intended to keep people safe, we are acutely aware that people across Ontario continue to struggle during this challenging period. And that’s why we are providing significant support to businesses, workers and families as we continue to plan for our economic recovery and the future.
To help businesses that are struggling we are introducing a new Ontario Small Business Support Grant, which will provide a minimum of $10,000 and up to $20,000 to help eligible small business owners who needed to close or significantly restrict their services during the shutdown. Each eligible small business will be able to use this funding in whatever way makes the most sense for their individual business. People will be able to apply for this support beginning later this month.
Our government is also providing $600-million for property tax and energy bill rebates to support businesses required to close or significantly restrict services because of public health restrictions.
In addition, we are providing tax relief which includes a proposal to provide municipalities with the ability to cut property taxes for small businesses and reduce business education taxes. The province has also permanently increased the Employer Health Tax (EHT) payroll exemption to $1 million, meaning 90 per cent of employers pay no EHT.
The people of this province are making difficult sacrifices to stop the spread of this virus, often at great personal cost. But through it all they have continued to support one another, working together in the fight against this terrible virus. It is that Ontario Spirit that will power the economic recovery of Canada’s job-creation engine as we look towards a brighter future together.”
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Yesterday the Toronto Public Health Unit announced changes to its reporting of COVID-19 cases in the workplace and new safety measures for businesses and organizations permitted to be open under the Reopening Ontario Act.
Below is a brief summary of the changes with the full text of the city’s news release at the bottom of this email.
Workplace outbreaks to be published
As of Jan 7, 2021 all workplace outbreaks will be published weekly on the city’s COVID-19 monitoring dashboard. There are 10 categories of businesses for which information will be published. These are determined by Public Health Ontario and based on the North American Industry Classification System. The full list of categories is in the News Release below.
Broadly, the Letter reiterates the procedures and safety measures that are required to be in place, such as:
ensuring hand sanitizer and hand-washing facilities are available
providing rigorous and frequent environmental cleaning in all high-touch public areas
reviewing heating and ventilation
minimizing risk of individuals travelling together for work and
ensuring appropriate physical and operational barriers and precautions are in place
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It also outlines:
when TPH should be notified of COVID-19 cases
what contact information is required for workers
Notification procedures for Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training, and Skills Development and other relevant government authorities
TPH also recommends that employees be informed of income replacement and workplace-related benefits they are entitled to:
when they are being tested for COVID-19
if they are a close contact of someone who tests positive for COVID-19 and/or
they have to isolate due to virus symptoms
In the release, TPH continues to remind residents that washing hands frequently and remaining at home when ill are essential to reducing the spread of COVID-19.
It also stresses that all members of the public should:
only leave their homes for essential activities such as work, education and fresh air and exercise
limit contact, as much as possible, only to people in the same household
keep at least two metres (six feet) apart from people not in the same household and
wear a mask when outside of their homes, especially in indoor settings and when physical distancing is difficult.
Toronto Public Health releases new COVID-19 workplace outbreak data and announces new measures for COVID-19 related workplace safety
News Release January 4, 2021
Toronto Public Health (TPH) has launched new content on its monitoring dashboard to illustrate how the pandemic is affecting workplace settings. Today, TPH released the findings and trends from recently collected COVID-19 case data on current and historical workplace outbreaks, organized by business sector.
As of Jan 7, 2021 all workplace outbreaks will be published weekly in the following categories determined by Public Health Ontario and based on the North American Industry Classification System:
Bar, restaurant, nightclub and other entertainment venues
Event venues, and religious facilities
Non-institutional medical health services including doctor’s offices, physiotherapy clinics, dental settings and wellness clinics
Personal service settings including hair salons, tattoo parlours, nail salons and spas
Recreational fitness facilities, group fitness classes, team sports and related events
Retail settings including grocery stores, pharmacies and malls
Farms
Food processing plants
Offices, warehouses, shipping and distribution, construction, and manufacturing settings
Other workplaces and community settings not captured in these categories
Unknown
TPH is disclosing workplace outbreak information where a public health risk exists when there is:
evidence of sustained transmission of COVID-19 in the workplace;
a significant proportion of staff have been involved in the outbreak;
significant duration of the outbreak and the approximate time for a positive case to generate a second and third positive case, or cases; and
the workplace is large enough that risk of privacy concerns are mitigated.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, TPH, along with the provincial government, has developed and promoted extensive guidance documents on how to prevent and manage COVID-19 spread in the workplace. This includes providing tailored guidance documents for specific settings and sectors. All of these documents are available online.
Additionally, TPH has issued new requirements to businesses and organizations given the continued acute rise in COVID-19 infections in Toronto. TPH has also issued a letter of instruction to those businesses currently permitted to operate under the Reopening Ontario Act. The letter outlines additional measures to take to further limit opportunities for COVID-19 spread including:
Immediately notifying TPH of two or more people who test positive for COVID-19 within 14 days that are connected to the workplace setting by calling 416-338-7600.
If two or more people test positive for COVID-19 within 14 days that are connected to a workplace, the employer must provide a designated contact to work with TPH to immediately implement any additional required measures to reduce virus spread.
Providing contact information for all workers within 24 hours to support case and contact tracing, and notify the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training, and Skills Development and any other relevant government authorities.
Following enhanced infection prevention and control recommendations to help reduce virus spread such as ensuring hand sanitizer and hand-washing facilities are available, and that there is rigorous and frequent environmental cleaning in all high-touch public areas.
Conducting a regular review of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems to ensure they are functioning well.
Minimizing instances of more than one individual travelling together in a vehicle for work, or ensuring face coverings are worn in the vehicle and driving with the windows open.
Ensuring a two metre physical distancing between workers throughout the workplace in lunchrooms, change rooms and washrooms. This includes installing one-way walkways to reduce close physical interactions and implementing physical barriers, such as plexiglass, when physical distancing is not possible.
TPH also recommends that employees are informed of income replacement and workplace-related benefits they are entitled to if they have to isolate due to virus symptoms, when they are being tested for COVID-19, or if they are a close contact of someone who tests positive for COVID-19. Licensed child care programs, schools and school boards are currently exempt from these instructions due to sector-specific legislation, directives and guidelines governing COVID-19 measures in these settings.
TPH continues to remind residents to only leave their homes for essential activities such as work, education and fresh air and exercise. As much as possible, residents are asked to limit contact to people in the same household, keep at least two metres (six feet) apart from people not in the same household and wear a mask when outside of their homes, especially in indoor settings and when physical distancing is difficult. Washing hands frequently and remaining at home when ill are essential to reducing the spread of COVID-19.
“Even during the lockdown, we know there are many people who can’t work from home. I urge all businesses permitted to operate under the Reopening Ontario Act to do the right thing and follow these additional measures to protect their employees and help protect the health of all Toronto residents. This is about providing as much protection as possible to all the hardworking people who are still going to work in-person to provide essential goods and services. These are recommendations based on the best public health advice we have and will help keep people safe while ensuring businesses can stay open.”
– Toronto Mayor John Tory
“In our fight against this pandemic, information is power. The more that we know about COVID-19, the better we can understand how it’s spreading and what we need to do to keep people safe. The data released by Toronto Public Health clearly shows that people are getting sick at work, and that frontline and essential workers – the very people we rely on every day to keep our city moving – are at greatest risk. At Toronto Public Health we will continue to do everything in our power – absolutely everything – to keep frontline essential workers safe.”
– Councillor Joe Cressy (Spadina-Fort York), Chair, Toronto Board of Health
“Toronto Public Health continues to review the most current evidence to identify ways to better protect our community against COVID-19. This is why I am providing instructions to local businesses today to equip them with additional measures to prevent opportunities for this virus to spread and help keep these settings as safe as possible. On behalf of my team, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to our local business community for their efforts to protect the health and safety of workers, volunteers, customers, and our city as we live with this virus.”
– Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health
Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit the City’s website or follow us on Twitter , Instagram or Facebook . Toronto Public Health Media Relations tphmedia@toronto.ca
As had been widely expected, the government of Ontario today announced a province-wide shutdown that will go into effect as of Saturday, December 26, 2020, at 12:01 a.m.
A new support grant program was also announced to assist small businesses required to close or restrict services under the shutdown.
The government is advising that employers in all industries should make every effort to allow employees to work from home.
I am providing a brief summary for you with the full News Release following.
General All Ontarians are advised to stay home as much as possible with trips outside the home limited to necessities such as food, medication, medical appointments, or supporting vulnerable community members.
These measures will override any restrictions currently in place. The impacts of the shutdown measures will be evaluated throughout 14 days in Northern Ontario and 28 days in Southern Ontario to determine if it is safe to lift any restrictions or if they need to be extended.
Measures in the shutdown include, but are not limited to:
Gatherings: The shutdown restricts indoor organized public events and social gatherings, except with members of the same household (the people you live with). Individuals who live alone may consider having exclusive close contact with one other household.
Shopping: In-person shopping in most retail settings will be prohibited. Curbside pickup and delivery can continue. Discount and big box retailers selling groceries will be limited to 25 per cent capacity for in-store shopping. Supermarkets, grocery stores and similar stores that primarily sell food, as well as pharmacies, will continue to operate at 50 per cent capacity for in-store shopping.
Shopping Malls: Indoor access to shopping malls will be restricted. Patrons may only go to a designated indoor pickup area (by appointment only), essential retail stores that are permitted to be open (e.g. pharmacy, grocery store), or, subject to physical distancing and face covering requirements, to the food court for takeout purchases. Shopping malls may also establish outdoor designated pickup areas.
Dining: Restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments will be permitted to operate by take out, drive-through, and delivery only. Indoor and outdoor dining is prohibited.
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Schools All publicly funded and private elementary and secondary schools are to move to teacher-led remote learning when students return from the winter break on January 4, 2021.
Schools in some Northern Public Health Unit regions can resume in-person instruction on January 11, 2021 for both elementary and secondary students. In all other Public Health Unit regions, elementary school students are planned to be able to return to in-person learning on January 11, 2021, and secondary school students will continue learning remotely until January 25, 2021.
Small Business Support Grant
The new Ontario Small Business Support Grant will provide a minimum of $10,000 and up to $20,000 to eligible small business owners to help navigate this challenging period.
The grant can be used in whatever way makes the most sense for each individual business, including paying employee wages and/or rent.
Eligible small businesses include those that:
Are required to close or significantly restrict services subject to the Provincewide Shutdown effective 12:01 a.m. on December 26, 2020;
Have less 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.
The grant provides businesses with dollar for dollar funding to a maximum of $20,000 to help cover decreased revenue expected as a result of the Provincewide Shutdown. 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.
Essential businesses that are allowed to remain open will not be eligible for this grant.
More information about the Ontario Small Business Support Grant is available here. Further details, including how to apply, will be announced in January 2021.
Businesses that are impacted by the Provincewide Shutdown will also be eligible for the property tax and energy cost rebates previously announced. More information can be found on the government website: Get COVID-19 relief funding for your business
TORONTO — As COVID-19 cases continue to rise at an alarming rate, the Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts, is imposing a Provincewide Shutdown. Additional restrictions will be put into place and reinforce that Ontarians should stay at home as much as possible to minimize transmission of the virus and prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. The Provincewide Shutdown will go into effect as of Saturday, December 26, 2020, at 12:01 a.m.
Details were provided today by Premier Doug Ford, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health, and Dr. Naveed Mohammad, President and CEO, William Osler Health System.
“The number of daily cases continue to rise putting our hospitals and long-term care homes at risk,” said Premier Ford. “We need to stop the spread of this deadly virus. That’s why, on the advice of Dr. Williams and other health experts, we are taking the difficult but necessary decision to shutdown the province and ask people to stay home. Nothing is more important right now than the health and safety of all Ontarians.”
In response to these exceptional circumstances, the Provincewide Shutdown would put in place time-limited public health and workplace safety measures similar to those in other jurisdictions. It would help stop the trend of high COVID-19 transmission in communities, preserve health system capacity, safeguard vulnerable populations and those who care for them, and save lives. Measures include, but are not limited to:
Restricting indoor organized public events and social gatherings, except with members of the same household (the people you live with). Individuals who live alone may consider having exclusive close contact with one other household.
Prohibiting in-person shopping in most retail settings – curbside pickup and delivery can continue. Discount and big box retailers selling groceries will be limited to 25 per cent capacity for in-store shopping. Supermarkets, grocery stores and similar stores that primarily sell food, as well as pharmacies, will continue to operate at 50 per cent capacity for in-store shopping.
Restricting indoor access to shopping malls – patrons may only go to a designated indoor pickup area (by appointment only), essential retail stores that are permitted to be open (e.g. pharmacy, grocery store), or, subject to physical distancing and face covering requirements, to the food court for takeout purchases. Shopping malls may also establish outdoor designated pickup areas.
Prohibiting indoor and outdoor dining. Restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments will be permitted to operate by take out, drive-through, and delivery only.
On the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, all Ontarians are advised to stay home as much as possible with trips outside the home limited to necessities such as food, medication, medical appointments, or supporting vulnerable community members. Employers in all industries should make every effort to allow employees to work from home.
The current COVID-19 Response Framework will be paused when the Provincewide Shutdown comes into effect. The impacts of these time-limited measures will be evaluated throughout the 14 days in Northern Ontario and 28 days in Southern Ontario to determine if it is safe to lift any restrictions or if they need to be extended. The Chief Medical Officer of Health will assess and apply lessons learned thus far to the COVID-19 Response Framework to ensure appropriate and effective measures are in place to protect the health of Ontarians and enable economic recovery after the Provincewide Shutdown ends. This will include an assessment of how a revised approach for the safe reopening of retail may be operationalized, according to the latest available evidence.
“This was not an easy decision before the holidays, but we have reached a tipping point,” said Minister Elliott. “We continue to see sharp increases in hospitalizations and occupancy in intensive care units is reaching concerning levels. Urgent action must be taken to prevent our health care system from becoming overwhelmed. By implementing a Provincewide Shutdown, we can work to stop the virus in its tracks, safeguard hospital capacity, and save lives.”
The government is also providing $12.5 million to implement a High Priority Communities Strategy to contain the virus in high-risk communities. The strategy will take a tailored, community-based approach to fund community agencies in 15 priority communities in the York, Peel, Durham, Ottawa, and Toronto regions. The funding will also allow for the hiring of community ambassadors to make people aware of available services and assistance, for coordination of increased testing opportunities and for the arrangement of wraparound supports for those who are COVID-positive. Additional funding of $42 million will also be available to establish isolation centres.
The province will work with our local municipal partners to establish new isolation centres to help those who may need to isolate following testing.
“We continue to see the number of cases in the province grow and the trends in public health indicators worsen. Additional measures are needed provincewide in order to interrupt this concerning growth,” said Dr. Williams. “We must work together to enable everyone to follow these new and time-limited restrictions and protect our health system and our communities.”
The government is working to limit the transmission of COVID-19 in workplaces by supporting essential businesses in doing whatever is necessary to keep workers safe. The Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development is leading a multi-ministry COVID-19 Safety Team. The team will partner with local authorities to carry out additional enforcement blitzes in sectors where they are needed most.
New School Protocols
While transmission in schools remains low, all publicly funded and private elementary and secondary schools are to move to teacher-led remote learning when students return from the winter break on January 4, 2021. This action is being taken in support of the Government’s broader efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Schools located in the following Public Health Unit regions can resume in-person instruction on January 11, 2021 for both elementary and secondary students:
The District of Algoma Health Unit
North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit
Northwestern Health Unit
Porcupine Health Unit
Sudbury and District Health Unit
Thunder Bay District Health Unit
Timiskaming Health Unit
For schools in all other Public Health Unit regions, elementary school students are planned to be able to return to in-person learning on January 11, 2021, and secondary school students will continue learning remotely until January 25, 2021, at which point they may resume in-person learning. During this period, child care centres, authorized recreational and skill building programs and home-based child care services will remain open. From January 4-8, 2021, when elementary students move to remote learning, before and after school programs will be closed and emergency child care for health care and frontline workers will be provided. As part of the government’s efforts to protect the most vulnerable, boards will be required to make provisions for continued in-person support for students with special education needs who cannot be accommodated through remote learning for whom remote learning is challenging.
“While our schools are not a source of rising community transmission, we can play an important part of the solution to save lives from COVID-19,” said Minister Lecce. “During this period, students will pivot to teacher-led online learning, with child care provided for our frontline workers. We are taking proactive and preventative action to protect schools following the holiday break to ensure kids can continue in-class learning — something we believe is so important — for the remainder of the year.”
The New Ontario Small Business Support Grant
The government recognizes that small businesses impacted by these necessary public health measures will require additional support so they can continue serving their communities and employing people in Ontario once the COVID-19 pandemic is over. That is why the government is announcing the new Ontario Small Business Support Grant, which will provide a minimum of $10,000 and up to $20,000 to eligible small business owners to help navigate this challenging period.
“Ontario’s business owners have shown remarkable resolve and ingenuity throughout the pandemic. They know better than anyone what they need to come through this very difficult time, so they can continue to serve and employ people in their communities,” said Rod Phillips, Minister of Finance. “The new Ontario Small Business Support Grant will provide significant financial support to eligible small business owners in addition to the other supports made available to our small business community.”
Small businesses required to close or restrict services under the Provincewide Shutdown will be able to apply for this one-time grant. Each 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 support maintaining their inventory.
Eligible small businesses include those that:
Are required to close or significantly restrict services subject to the Provincewide Shutdown effective 12:01 a.m. on December 26, 2020;
Have less 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.
Starting at $10,000 for all eligible businesses, the grant will provide businesses with dollar for dollar funding to a maximum of $20,000 to help cover decreased revenue expected as a result of the Provincewide Shutdown. 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.
Essential businesses that are allowed to remain open will not be eligible for this grant. More information about the Ontario Small Business Support Grant is available here. Further details, including how to apply, will be announced in January 2021.
Businesses that are impacted by the Provincewide Shutdown will also be eligible for the property tax and energy cost rebates. In November, the government launched a program to provide rebates to offset fixed costs such as property tax and energy bills for businesses that are required to shut down or significantly restrict services due to provincial public health measures. These Ontario Small Business Support Grant rebates will continue to be available for businesses impacted by the Provincewide Shutdown and earlier restrictions. Business can apply for the rebates here.
Quick Facts
Currently, hospitalizations for COVID-19 have increased by 74 per cent over the last four weeks and are more than 15 times higher than they were at the beginning of September. Intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy for COVID-19 has more than doubled over the last four weeks and is 20 times higher than at the beginning of September.
Ontario currently has 915 COVID-19 patients requiring acute care, 265 patients in ICU, with 152 on a ventilator.
Based on the latest modelling data, cases across the province are continuing to grow and the number of people requiring an intensive care bed is projected to rise well above 300 people within the next 10 days.
Some jurisdictions around the world, including those in Canada have implemented similar time-limited measures to respond to a dramatic resurgence in cases. Based on their experiences, measures of four to six weeks are expected to interrupt transmission of COVID-19 in Ontario.
Municipalities and local medical officers of health may have additional restrictions or targeted requirements in their region.
If you have questions about what will be open or impacts to your business or employment, call the Stop the Spread Business Information Line at 1-888-444-3659.
Get tested if you have symptoms compatible with COVID-19, or if you have been advised of exposure by your local public health unit or through the COVID Alert App. Visit Ontario.ca/covidtest to find the nearest testing location.
The Ontario Small Business Support Grant is part of the Province’s more than $13.5 billion in support for people and jobs outlined in the 2020 Budget, Ontario’s Action Plan: Protect, Support, Recover. It is also in addition to $4.8 billion to address critical areas to support a strong long-term recovery that helps workers, employers and communities get back on their feet, while building the foundation for recovery and growth.
To find the right supports, visit COVID-19: Support for People, which has information about the many available and free mental health services and supports.
To stay safe you can download the COVID Alert App free from the Apple and Google Play app stores.
To date, as part of the province’s COVID-19 immunization program, over 3,000 frontline health care workers have been vaccinated.
Schools continue to be safe, and according to data reported by school boards, as of Friday, December 18: approximately 99.64 per cent of students in Ontario have not reported a case of COVID-19; approximately 92 per cent of schools across the province have had either no cases or one case reported within the last 14 days; and approximately 80 per cent of schools do not have an case of COVID-19.
