Dear Neighbour, 

It's been a very busy week at Queen's Park. The Ontario Government continues to work around the clock to make sure we are protecting the health and well-being of Ontarians. These are difficult times and I've heard from many of you about how current measures to combat the virus are impacting your lives in very different ways.

The Ontario Government is supporting a number of initiatives to support small businesses who have been impacted by the challenges set out by COVID-19. As we've entered a digital era due to the limitations caused by the virus, the Government released the Digital Main Street grant to help small businesses adapt to the online platform. For interested businesses visit here: https://digitalmainstreet.ca/ontario.

The Ontario Government is also providing a Main Street Recovery grant that will alleviate costs for small-businesses to purchase personal protective equipments (PPE). To learn more, visit: https://www.ontario.ca/page/businesses-get-help-covid-19-costs.

Starting November 16th, businesses in Red-Control or Grey-Lockdown regions can also apply for rebates to help with fixed costs, such as property tax and energy bills. The Ontario Government has allocated $600 million to fund these rebates. Find out if your business is eligible.

For businesses who are struggling to meet their rent, legislation is currently before the legislature that will stop and/or reverse evictions of commercial tenants eligible for federal or provincial rent assistance. This initiative is in conjunction with the new Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy, which offers rent assistance paid directly to eligible tenants. 

The Ontario government is helping local restaurants by introducing new legislation that would protect them from high delivery fees. The Supporting Local Restaurants Act, 2020, would cap fees charged by food delivery companies in areas where indoor dining is prohibited to help more small and independent restaurants stay in business.

To learn more about COVID-19 support for small businesses provided by the Ontario Government click here. 

 

Earlier this month, the Ontario Government gave homeowners the opportunity to choose between how they use their electricity - Pay-Per-Use or the Tier System. This provides homeowners the flexibility to choose what works best for them, putting more money in their pockets on a monthly basis. For more information on how to change your billing plan in Toronto, please visit https://www.torontohydro.com/for-home/customer-choice
 

 

Families could receive up to:

• $6,000 per child under the age of seven
• $3,750 per child between the ages of seven and 16
• $8,250 per child with a severe disability

The Ontario Child Care Tax Credit is calculated as a percentage of your Child Care Expense Deduction. The Child Care Expense Deduction provides provincial and federal income tax relief toward eligible child care expenses.

The Ontario Government continues to support Ontario students to ensure our students are prepared and ready to lead tomorrow's Ontario. This past year the Ontario Government made available $1.3 billion in the education sector to keep students, teachers, and staff safe in schools.

For post-secondary students, the Ontario Government has froze tuition fees for the 2020-21 school year following a historic 10% reduction in tuition. 

The Ontario Government is also investing $17 million to increase awareness of careers in the skilled traders through the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program. This works to provide high-school students opportunities to learn about the trades and also work/train the field upon graduation.

For apprentices, the Ontario Government launched the tool grant to support apprentices purchase tools in their specific field. Learn more here: https://www.eoss.tcu.gov.on.ca/AOL/grants/tools_grant/start

Above are just a few of the many other supports available for those facing challenges from COVID-19.

We want all Ontarians to stay safe and healthy during these difficult times and our government continues to work alongside our federal and municipal counterparts to make sure we're able to do just that. The Federal and Municipal Governments also have supports available to. To learn more about these visit: 

Federal Government Supports Click Here 
City of Toronto Supports Click Here

My constituency office continues to be open by appointment only. If you are in need of any assistance,  you can contact my office at (416) 781-2395 or email robin.martin@pc.ola.org.

 

Stay safe, stay healthy, 

Robin Martin, MPP
Eglinton-Lawrence