Free COVID-19 Safety Training Course
Emery Village BIA is planning to sponsor the official Bluedrop COVID-19 Safety Program. The course will be sponsored by Emery and free to all our BIA members and their staff, with a certificate awarded upon completion. The program includes all course updates for one year and can be done at your own leisure time. Registration closes August 16th 2020 and there is limited space, so register soon!
Emery Village BIA PPE Booklet
Reopening Guidance Package for BIAs
Emery Village BIA has put together a PPE Directory including businesses which are offering any of the following: gloves, temperature screening, electrostatic disinfection, masks, face shields, or eye protection.
The City of Toronto is preparing to oversee the safe restart of some services and partial reopening of many businesses. Resources have been developed to help support business through this time. For guidance on safely reopening, business operators can reference the Toronto Public Health Planning Guide, and visit the COVID-19: Reopening Guidelines for Businesses & Organizations to view sector specific resources.
Decisions about when and how businesses can begin operating will be made by the Government of Ontario in accordance with its framework to reopen the province after COVID-19.
COVID-19 Guidelines for Re-Opening your Restaurant
This guide provides you with the information you need to re-open your restaurant, or other food premise, after being closed or limited to take-out and delivery only. Part 1 provides advice on preparing your restaurant for food service, and Part 2 helps you to modify your premises and practices to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19.
You are advised to start preparing now for re-opening, but you are not permitted to start operating dine-in services until the revised order under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act is announced by the provincial government and comes into effect. Please note that announcement may contain conditions, which may result in amendments to Part 2 of this document. These conditions are likely to be minor, and you will be informed of them immediately. Please check the City’s website at www.toronto.ca/COVID19 for updates and new information.
Digital Main Street Programs Across Ontario
FedDev Ontario and the Province have provided funds to expand Digital Main Street’s services and resources across Ontario. You can see the overview here: https://www.feddevontario.gc.ca/eic/site/723.nsf/eng/02590.html?OpenDocument
What this means for municipalities and BIAs is that the following resources will be available to help you support your main street businesses over the coming months:
- Digital Main Street Grant – there will be $2,500 grants available to main street businesses to support their purchase of technologies. These will be available July 1st.
- Future-Proofing Program – Digital Main Street will be launching a new program focused on helping future-proof businesses. More details will follow on this in the coming weeks.
In addition, this also means the ShopHERE program, which builds an online store for small businesses and artists at no-cost, is also available across Ontario. You can find the details about the program here: www.digitalmainstreet.ca/shophere.
Last week, the Emery Village BIA hosted a tele-town hall to address members’ questions about the impacts of COVID19 and the steps being taken by our governments to provide assistance to the business community. The one hour town hall featured commentary from local Humber River-Black Creek government representatives including Toronto City Councillor Anthony Perruzza, MPP Tom Rakocevic and Honourable MP Judy Sgro. Based on the feedback received in the discussion, the BIA is issuing a letter to Mayor Tory and the City’s Economic Support & Recovery Task Force outlining recommendations for a responsible approach to reopening the economy. If you were not able to make it to the tele-town hall, you may listen to a recording here:
