Perth & District Chamber of Commerce
40 Sunset Blvd., Suite 30 K7H 2Y4 Perth, ON, Canada

With all the virtual zoom meetings we are doing this really struck me as incredibly accurate. Am I alone in my thinking?

Ontario Government Safety Plan Guide and Checklist. Read more here. The Ontario government has released a guide to help employers develop a COVID-19 safety plan and checklist to keep employees safe. On the website, visitors will see a new button beside the safety plan template for the online version of the checklist. Clicking that button takes the visitor to the pdf form. In the sidebar at the right of the safety plan page, visitors will also see links to related guidance s...uch as: Using masks in the workplace Meal and break periods at work Poster: Your break is not a break from COVID safety Poster: Keep it to yourself during COVID Poster: COVID should not be on the menu at lunch https://www.ontario.ca//develop-your-covid-19-workplace-sa

Welcome to our NEW Member: Evoy Real Estate Team RE/MAX Affiliates Realty. We are a Team of passionate Realtors who share the responsibility of keeping our clients happy with the help of our Administrative Assistant, our Transaction Coordinator, photography team, staging company and all of the people we love to refer. Every client we work with, we bring to them our high energy and efficiency. Tanya and Chris are parents of 2 amazing little boys and call Franktown their home which is conveniently located near every community they serve. Real Estate is our job, but it is also our life and we love it. Please help me by welcoming them by visiting their website at www.evoyrealestate.ca to check out their services.

Looking for funding to help mitigate the cost incurred by COVID Safety measures? TRIP Capital Projects The Ontario’s Highlands’ Tourism Recovery & Innovation Program Capital Projects (TRIP-Capital Projects) is an application-based funding program to support small business recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This program is designed to encourage resiliency and enable businesses to make changes to their operations and facilities that will allow them to quickly and easily t...ransition in response to the pandemic. OBJECTIVES Tourism business operations have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only have businesses experienced loss in tourism revenues but many have had to, and will continue to incur additional costs to modify their operations in order to safely serve the general public. The TRIP Capital Projects funding will support small businesses as they adapt to the public health guidelines and requirements, and will: Assist tourism businesses to adapt their visitor experiences to meet health and safety reopening protocols; Regain consumer confidence that public health and safety is a priority for the industry; Allow continued operations whenever possible in response to public health restrictions; and Mitigate the financial burden COVID-19 continues to place on local tourism-dependent businesses. This program offers funding of up to 80% of eligible capital expenses to a maximum of $20,000 in non-repayable funding. An online application portal has been created and will begin accepting applications on Jan. 15, 2021. Funding will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis with priority given to applications received before Jan. 31, 2021. Eligible project costs must have been incurred between June 1, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2021. Not all eligible projects are guaranteed acceptance. Business owners interested in applying for this program are encouraged to review the program and eligibility guidelines and click Apply at the end of the guidelines. Be prepared to submit an application as soon as possible. Please review this list of frequently asked questions. OHTO gratefully acknowledges the generous support from Ottawa Tourism in the development of this program, along with the collaboration of our six county partners: Haliburton County, Lanark County, Renfrew County, Hastings County, Lennox & Addington and Frontenac County.

Do you qualify for CRB? Under the federal government’s $37-billion CERB transition plan, millions of Canadians who collected the CERB have been moved onto a more flexible and accessible EI program. If they don’t qualify for EI but still can’t work due to the pandemic, they may be eligible for the three new temporary benefits. The Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) will provide $500 per week for up to 26 weeks for the next year. Anyone who has stopped working due to COVID-19 or had... their income drop by at least 50 per cent due to COVID-19 is eligible, though they must not be eligible for employment insurance (EI). More information on this benefit found here. https://www.canada.ca//b/recovery-benefit/crb-contact.html

Last chance to register for the CRA Webinar that starts at 9am on Tuesday, Oct 6th. http://perthdistricton.chambermaster.com//cra-seminar-host

This program is still available!! Apply soon! The RE3 program will help women-headed businesses in southern Ontario recover, resume and relaunch their activiti...es. We offer, by competition, one-time, performance-based, non-repayable financial assistance up to $5000 for the following: Acquisition of personal protective equipment [PPE] required or mandatory); The reconfiguration of the workspace to take into account the health gap; Hardware or software upgrades to improve online capacity, customer service and accessibility. Is the RE3 program in line with your resilience and renewal plan for your business? If so, we invite you to apply now! Click the link below to find out. Apply now: https://financingandstrategy.com/re3/ #smithsfalls #lanarkcounty #perthontario #Mississippimills #carletonplaceontario #leedsgrenville #rideaulakes #westportontario #tayvalley #lanarkhighlands #tayvalleytwp #elizabethtownkitley #drummondnorthelmsley #merrickvilleontario #montague #deltaontario #beckwithtwp #comewander #perthanddistrictchamberofcommerce #carletonplacechamberofcommerce #smithsfallschamberofcommerce #merrickvillejeweloftherideau #perthbia #smithsfallsdba #downtowncarletonplace

Did you know that minimum wage has gone up? This increase started October 1st. https://www.ontario.ca//your-guide-employment/minimum-wage

Canadian travel restrictions extended until Halloween Canada extends travel restrictions on international travellers for another month while it continues to invite new immigration candidates to apply for permanent residence. Canada is once again extending travel restrictions to foreign travellers as cases of coronavirus continue to rise.... A new Canadian government Order in Council states that coronavirus travel restrictions will be extended until Halloween, on October 31. This means Canada will have two important decisions to make at the end of October. The first is whether to extend its travel restrictions yet again. The second is how many immigrants it should target under its Immigration Levels Plan 2021-2023. Canada initially closed its borders from March 18 to June 30. Since then travel restrictions have been rolled over on a month-by-month basis. The border is closed to foreign travellers who are coming to Canada for a non-essential reason such as recreation, tourism, or entertainment. Read more: https://www.cicnews.com//canadian-travel-restrictions-exte

Canadian Chamber: Rent is due today. What’s the plan? (OTTAWA) The Canadian Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Hon. Perrin Beatty, issued the following statement, regarding the urgent need for clarity on commercial rent support: When the September extension of the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program was announced, it was made clear the program was being wound down. Businesses needing rent support would need a new and improved program to help keep... them afloat. The problems associated with CECRA are well-documented: it was complex, restrictive, took a month-to-month approach, and depended on landlords, to name a few. Governments at all levels understand these issues and that’s why a new program is the preferred path. We agree. The reality, however, is that businesses operate in real time and must be able to plan in order to be successful. Now, rent is due Thursday. That means businesses urgently need to know the plan. A business-led recovery from the pandemic is our goal. But for many sectors, including restaurants, travel, and tourism, recovery from the pandemic remains a long-term challenge as restrictions on those businesses continue. As those businesses continue to be limited, the need for corresponding long-term programs to help cover some of the resulting losses is also ongoing. Together, we need to ensure that businesses are able to survive the winter. Millions of Canadians’ livelihoods depend on it. On commercial rent, it’s time to see the long-term plan. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce helps build the businesses that support our families, our communities and our country. We do this by influencing government policy, by providing essential business services and by connecting businesses to information they can use, to opportunities for growth and to a network of local chambers, businesses, decision-makers and peers from across the country, in every sector of the economy and at all levels of government, as well as internationally. We are unapologetic in our support for business and the vital role it plays in building and sustaining our great nation.

Employers Take Note: New Requirements for COVID-19 Screening for Employees and Essential Visitors Now in Effect Ministry of Health The Ontario government has announced that Ontario employers are now required to apply a COVID-19 screening test to employees and essential visitors before they enter the workplace.... The regulation outlining Rules for Areas in Stage 3 has been amended to include a requirement that persons responsible for businesses and places under Schedule 1 that are open shall operate the business or organization in compliance with the advice, recommendations and instructions issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health on screening individuals. This change came into effect on September 26, 2020. In its news release dated September 25, the government published recommendations for COVID-19 screening. They set out a number of questions to be answered by the employee or essential visitor relating to COVID-19 and state that the screening should occur before or when a worker enters the workplace at the beginning of their day or shift, or when an essential visitor arrives. No additional guidance is given as to how the COVID-19 screening questions are to be administered. Consistent with an employer’s obligation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act to take all precautions reasonable in the circumstances to protect its workers, employers should now be requiring the COVID-19 questionnaire to be completed before an employee or essential visitor enters the workplace. Employers should also ensure that appropriate records are kept so as to be able to demonstrate compliance if needed, with the necessary safeguards in place given the sensitivity of the information being collected. http://www.health.gov.on.ca//workplace_screening_tool_guid

Do you take great photos? Would you like to win $500 in prizes? This year the Perth & District Chamber of Commerce is looking for photos for the upcoming 2021 Perth & District Visitor Guide. Photos must be from Tay Valley Township, Township of Drummond North Elmsley, Town of Perth or Township of Lanark Highlands. WE are looking for a cross section of photos including: -All seasons... -Outdoor activities: Boating, Fishing, Hiking, Canoeing -Parks -Old Buildings -Events You get the drift..... More details found on the chamber website at www.perthchamber.com Deadline for submissions is Friday, October 9th. Don't forget to SHARE

No Christmas train for the annual Holiday Train concerts across Canada this year.

It's not too late to make some "cents" out of taxes. Join the Small Business Advisory Centre Smiths Falls/Lanark County and MQ Accounting Professional Corporation on October 1st as they navigate the complicated world of our Canadian tax system.

The Big Grant, For Small Business We have some exciting news! McDougall Insurance has partnered up with Grenville Mutual Insurance Company to offer a grand total of $10,000 to small business owners who have been impacted by COVID-19. We are calling the contest: The Big Grant, for Small Business.... But they need your help!!! If you know a small business owner who has struggled over the past year have them submit a brief essay to our contest page along with a picture of their business or staff and they will be eligible to win a share of $10,000. The contest runs from Oct. 1st - 31st and the winners will be announced Nov. 2nd. Learn More https://www.mcdougallinsurance.com/the-big-grant-for-smal/

Didn't see the Chamber's Business Awards last Friday? Here is the Youtube link of all the nominees, winners and presenters. This video is 21 minutes long that we encourage you to share. https://youtu.be/Uc7PbzQwi44... Once again thank you to our supportive sponsors who made this event possible: A & B Ford Sales Ltd.., Community Employment Services - Algonquin College, Perth, Jim Noble of RBC Wealth Management, Valley Heartland CFDC, Omya, Kelly's Flowers, Prodecal Ltd and Carolina Retirement Residence.