Small Business Funding Opportunities 
Ontario's Main Street Relief Grant: PPE Support

The Government of Ontario is helping small business with the unexpected costs of Personal Protective Equipment. To be eligible, your business must have two to nine employees and be in one of the following sectors:
  • Retail
  • Accommodation and Food Services
  • Repair and Maintenance  
  • Personal and Laundry Services
Eligible small businesses will get one time grants of up to $1000. Learn more and apply online at www.ontario.ca/page/businesses-get-help-covid-19-costs
Digital Transformation Grant:

Application Deadline is November 30th. Businesses must be located within a BIA.

Through Digital Main Street, the Digital Transformation Grant program provides funding for training, advisory support, and contributions to main street small business looking to increase their capacity through digital transformation. Funding can be used to support investments in the following areas:
  • Digital Marketing (i.e. the hiring of a consultant to execute digital marketing initiatives)
  • Website (i.e. redesign or development)
  • Software (i.e. graphic design, social media management, etc.)
  • Digital Training (i.e. training courses)
  • Hardware (as deemed necessary by Digital Main Street)
Eligible small businesses will get grants of up to $2,500. Learn more and apply online at www.digitalmainstreet.ca/marketing-new-economy/
Upcoming Webinars
Resiliency Rock Stars HR during Covid-19, Part 2

Hosted by Neil Cosby (Director of Business Development - HR Primed) and Aviva Abraham (CPMG/Benefits Consultant). We will focus on legislative requirements and appropriate benefits and supports. This will have a recap of first session, presentation and then we will have a panel discussion for questions. 

Register online at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/resiliency-rock-stars-hr-during-covid-19-part-2-tickets-127908073491


Managing Your Business Online: Rapid Agile Deployment

Dealing with the current situation has put organizations, and their leadership, under major stress. Many have effectively shut down, with hopes of re-opening with the “all clear”. Others are continuing to operate, but under conditions unlike any seen within our lifetimes.

Things will change. Over time, we will return to normal – but likely, in some ways, a “new normal”. We can only speculate as to what this will look like, and in what ways it will be different from life and business as knew it at the turn of the year. The ONLY thing we know for certain is that we need to plan and organize ourselves to meet that future.

Businesses that are best positioned and prepared for the recovery will far outpace those that simply focus on “getting by” with the situation facing them today. As has been said by many, “out of crisis comes opportunity”. This crisis is no exception.

Register online at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/managing-your-business-during-covid-19-by-focus-management-tickets-127908853825

New Resources, Services and Announcements 
Niagara Region Recovery Support Service

In partnership with Niagara Economic Development, the Niagara Falls and St. Catharines Small Business Enterprise Centres have grown our teams to include Business Resiliency Coordinators that have been dispatched to provide free consultation to existing businesses on how to build more resilient businesses during Covid-19. To learn more about the Niagara Region Recovery Support Service, visit www.niagaracanada.com/covid-19-2/recovery-support/

Here at the Niagara Falls Small Business Enterprise Centre, we're excited to welcome Kurtis Casucci to our team.
Kurtis is Niagara born and raised, with a deep passion for working with small to medium-size businesses on their digital sales and marketing strategies. As our Business Resiliency Coordinator, Kurtis' goal is to help local enterprises who have been affected by the changing economic landscape by looking for new ways of approaching their online presence.
Small Business Covid-19 Recovery Network

Ontario is providing $2,040,000 to support Ontario's 47 Small Business Enterprise Centres (SBEC) led by the Business Advisory Centre Durham to create a new Small Business Covid-19 Recovery Network. This network will enhance the capacity of all SBECs across the province to expand their services, supporting businesses across the province.

The project will also build one central portal where businesses can access digital tools and training, connect with mentors and industry experts, and get information on government programs to help them navigate COVID-19 and beyond. Learn more about the Ontario Small Business Enterprise Centre network at www.ontariobusinesscentre.ca

Ontario Launches Workplace Education and Enforcement Campaigns 

The Ontario government is launching a series of education and enforcement campaigns to ensure businesses across the province are taking the necessary steps to keep employees, consumers and the public safe. These campaigns will support the current efforts of police, municipal by-law officers, and public health inspectors to educate businesses and enforce the COVID-19 health and safety requirements. Officers will be asking employers to produce their workplace safety plans.

During each visit, officers provide business owners with guidance on how to operate safely during the pandemic and comply with public health requirements under the Reopening Ontario Act. These campaigns are developed in consultation with local health units and support Ontario's 
COVID-19 Response Framework and enforcement under the Reopening Ontario Act. The length of the safety campaigns can range from a few days to several weeks, depending on local circumstances.


To learn more about how to develop a Covid-19 Workplace Safety Plan, visit www.ontario.ca/page/develop-your-covid-19-workplace-safety-plan 

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