York Region Economic Development’s monthly e-newsletter shares highlights and news from the business community, small business supports, events, economic data, and more.
IN THIS ISSUE
IMPORTANT COVID-19 BUSINESS NEWS
- York Region Now in Step One of Ontario’s Roadmap to Reopen
- Canada Recovery Hiring Program & Extension of Other Business Supports
- York Region Public Health COVID-19 Workplace Webinars
- Ontario Tourism and Travel Small Business Support Grant Applications Open
- COVID-19 Business Resources & Funding Programs Overview
BUSINESS COMMUNITY & INVESTMENT NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
- The Top Quotes from York Region’s Tech Masterclass at Collision 2021
- First Canadian UN Leadership Training Centre to Open in York Region
- Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund Open For Applications
- York Region Food & Beverage Accelerator Entrepreneur Feature: It’s Souper
- Looking for a Place to Grow as a Young Professional?
- Supply Chain Resilience Report: Key Insights & Recommendations
- ventureLAB Announces New Partners in the Hardware Catalyst Initiative
SMALL BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
- Business Bounce Back Program Launched
- Accelerate Newmarket Officially Launches
- Small Business Success Story: Goblets and Goblins
- The Top 5 Innovation Announcements in May
- Northern York Region Professional Services Access Program
YORK REGION ECONOMIC DATA & BUSINESS EVENTS
- Unemployment Rates of York Region, Toronto CMA, and Ontario
- View a Selection of Upcoming Business Events
IMPORTANT COVID-19 BUSINESS NEWS
York Region Now in Step One of Ontario’s Roadmap to Reopen
Based on the provincewide vaccination rate and continuing improvements in key public health and health system indicators, the Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, moved the province into Step One of its Roadmap to Reopen on Friday, June 11, 2021.
READ PRESS RELEASE | VIEW FULL ROADMAP TO REOPEN PLAN
Government of Canada Announces Details of the New Canada Recovery Hiring Program and Extension of Business Support Programs
Details have been announced for the Canada Recovery Hiring Program. The program would help affected businesses hire the workers they need to recover and grow and would provide a subsidy of up to 50 per cent of eligible salary or wages. It would be available to employers who have experienced revenue declines so they can hire more workers, increase workers’ hours, or increase wages. READ MORE
York Region Public Health COVID-19 Workplace Webinar Series
Join Dr. Leon Genesove, York Region Public Health Physician, for a series of four, short webinars discussing COVID-19 tips to make workplaces safer. These webinars are for local business owners and operators. After each session, there will be a 15-minute question and answer period. The series of webinars will take place from 12:00-12:30 p.m. on the dates below and discuss the following topics:
- June 22, 2021 – Employer Tips to Increase COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake of Employees
- July 6, 2021 – What Businesses Need to Know About the Provincial 3-Step Reopening Plan
- July 20, 2021 – How to Prevent COVID-19 Infection in the Workplace
- August 3, 2021 – COVID-19 testing and reporting requirements in the workplace
Ontario Tourism and Travel Small Business Support Grant Open For Applications
Applications are now open for the Ontario Tourism and Travel Small Business Support Grant. This grant provides one-time payments of $10,000 to $20,000 to eligible small businesses in the tourism and travel sector and does not need to be repaid.
To be eligible for this grant, your business:
- did not receive the Ontario Small Business Support Grant
- operates a tourism or travel business in Ontario that:
- opened before 2021, and
- was still in operation on April 30, 2021.
- had 99 or fewer employees on April 30, 2021.
- has experienced a revenue decline of at least 20% if you began operating or acquired the business before July 2, 2019
READ MORE
COVID-19 Business Resources & Funding Programs Overview
To help you make sense of all the available funding programs and resources, we continue to update our COVID-19 Business Resource page. This page contains information on supports announced by the federal, provincial, and municipal governments, as well as, events, and other pertinent information to impacted businesses.
BUSINESS COMMUNITY & INVESTMENT NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
The Top Quotes from York Region’s Tech Masterclass at Collision 2021
York Region’s masterclass session took centre stage on the first day and ended up being one of the most viewed sessions promoting a city, region, or country during the entire conference. All our guests were incredible, but there were some truly memorable quotes, which we’ve pulled out for you. READ MORE
First Canadian UN Leadership Training Centre (UNITAR CIFAL) Will Open at York University’s Markham Campus
York Region was selected as the new home of this global initiative. York’s Markham Centre Campus will be the proud home of CIFAL York when it is open and operational. This new partnership with UNITAR recognizes York’s leadership in advancing fundamental and applied research, innovation, and ability to work across traditional boundaries in pioneering new approaches that will help meet society’s most urgent demands. READ MORE
Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund Open For Applications
The Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund is a partnership between the Government of Canada, Black-led business organizations, and several financial institutions that provide loans of up to $250,000 to Black business owners and entrepreneurs. Applications from Black business owners and entrepreneurs are now being accepted through the Federation of African Canadian Economics (FACE). Eligible businesses may include startups and existing for-profit small businesses in Canada. READ MORE
York Region Food & Beverage Accelerator Entrepreneur, Lola Adeyemi, Featured in Canadian Grocer Magazine
A growing number of grocers including Fiesta Farms, Foodland, Whole Foods Market and McEwan are stocking her It’s Souper products. And this year, she was able to get listed with Sobeys after her mentor connected her with the Vendor Engagement Program, which aims to bring Canadian-made innovations to its customers. Lola is also a current participant in the York Region Food and Beverage Accelerator, delivered through York University’s YSpace. READ MORE
Want more agriculture and agri-food news? Subscribe to York Region’s Agri-Food E-Newsletter.
Looking for a Place to Grow as a Young Professional?
Are you looking for new opportunities and a place to set roots where you can build a career with some of Canada’s, and the world’s, biggest names in tech or develop your startup with an extensive support system? What about building your career alongside enjoying food from around the world, exciting nature escapes, and riding some of the world’s craziest and most heart-pounding amusement rides? All of this is possible in Toronto area’s York Region. READ MORE
Supply Chain Resilience Report: Learn Key Insights & Recommendations
The Regional Municipality of York has joined with the City of Markham, City of Richmond Hill and the City of Vaughan to partner with Supply Chain Canada to study the resilience of the manufacturing sector supply chain in York Region due to the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. READ THE FULL REPORT NOW
ventureLAB Announces New Partners in the Hardware Catalyst Initiative
The new partners signal the growing importance of Canada’s hardware and semiconductor industry, as demand for chips and sensors continues to surge, causing global shortages and production disruptions. READ MORE
SMALL BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
East Gwillimbury, Georgina, and Innovation York Launch Business Bounce Back Program for Local Hospitality and Tourism Businesses
In partnership with the Town of Georgina, and the Town of East Gwillimbury, Innovation York has launched the Business Bounce Back program. This new three-month program is designed to support businesses and individuals who are primarily, but not exclusively, within the hospitality and tourism sector who require the entrepreneurial and digital skills needed to pivot their existing business or create a new venture. READ MORE
Accelerate Newmarket Officially Launches
Treefrog Inc., Schulich School of Business – York University and the Newmarket Chamber of Commerce have come together to develop Accelerate Newmarket – a brand new accelerator for Ontario-based entrepreneurs. If you’re a startup founder that’s looking to scale, this FREE program (valued at $50,000) will provide valuable business and education tools. READ MORE
Small Business Success Story: Goblets and Goblins
The York Small Business Enterprise Centre supports hundreds of entrepreneurs and small business owners each year. Goblets and Goblins is a board game cafe based in Newmarket, offering customers a warm atmosphere to enjoy food, drink and play a variety of board games. Watch and learn how the York Small Business Enterprise Centre helped support and grow their business, and how they adjusted to meet the demands of COVID-19 using e-commerce. WATCH VIDEO
Want more small business news? Subscribe to York Small Business Enterprise Centre E-Newsletter.
The Top 5 Announcements Driving York Region’s Innovation Ecosystem Ahead
In May, York Region’s innovation ecosystem thrived with big announcements on exciting new projects and programs to support startups, the development of new technology, and new programs to help businesses expand! Here are the top 5 in our latest #YRtech blog! READ MORE
Northern York Region Professional Services Access Program
Does your small business need expert advice, but you’re concerned about the cost? The Northern York Region Professional Services Access Program provides eligible businesses with access to free professional advice, including legal, financial, marketing and more. This will help you make informed business and financial decisions and navigate the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE
YORK REGION ECONOMIC DATA & BUSINESS EVENTS
Unemployment Rates (%) | January 2019 – April 2021*
*Statistics Canada, Labour Force Characteristics, 3-month moving average, unadjusted for seasonality, May 2021
CMA – Census Metropolitan Area
A Selection of Upcoming Business Events:
06/22 | HardTech Conference – Day 1 | ventureLAB
06/23 | HardTech Conference – Day 2 | ventureLAB
06/20 | Launch & Grow Your New Food Venture | VBEC
Subscribe to our other monthly e-newsletters on these topics:
YORK REGION BUSINESS UPDATE / AGRI-FOOD / SMALL BUSINESS
York Link | York Region Economic Development
The York Link team are here to help and are committed to supporting local businesses. We are still providing business advisory and consultation services, information on business resources, support for startups, and more in a virtual capacity at this time.