Ontario announces Province wide shutdown starting Saturday, December 26, 2020‎

On Monday, December 21, 2020, the Government of Ontario announced it is ‎imposing a Province wide ‎Shutdown (the “Shutdown”). The Shutdown will go into effect as of Saturday, December 26, 2020, at ‎‎12:01 ‎a.m.  The impact of the measures imposed will be ‎evaluated for a period of 14 days in Northern ‎Ontario and 28 days in Southern Ontario ‎to determine whether to lift or extend the restrictions.  ‎

The measures announced by the government include, but are not limited to:‎

• Restricting indoor organized public events and social gatherings, except with ‎members of the ‎same household (the people you live with). Individuals who live ‎alone may consider having ‎exclusive close contact with one other household.‎
• Prohibiting in-person shopping in most retail settings - curbside pickup and delivery ‎can ‎continue. Discount and big box retailers selling groceries will be limited to 25 ‎per cent capacity ‎for in-store shopping. Supermarkets, grocery stores and similar ‎stores that primarily sell food, ‎as well as pharmacies, will continue to operate at ‎‎50 per cent capacity for in-store shopping.‎
• Restricting indoor access to shopping malls - patrons may only go to a designated ‎indoor ‎pickup area (by appointment only), essential retail stores that are permitted ‎to be open (e.g. ‎pharmacy, grocery store), or, subject to physical distancing and ‎face covering requirements, to ‎the food court for takeout purchases. Shopping ‎malls may also establish outdoor designated ‎pickup areas.‎
• Prohibiting indoor and outdoor dining. Restaurants, bars and other food or drink ‎establishments ‎will be permitted to operate by take out, drive-through, and ‎delivery only.‎
• Most fitness facilities must close, including ski hills, however other outdoor recreation activities ‎will be allowed to remain open, including parks and recreation areas, playgrounds, ice rinks as ‎well as trails servicing snowmobiles, cross country, and ice skating, all with physical distancing ‎measures in place. 

The full list of businesses that may remain open during this period and the restrictions, if any, placed on ‎those businesses can be found here.‎

In addition to the restrictions, ‎the government is encouraging people to stay at home as much as ‎possible and employers in all industries are being encouraged to make every effort to allow employees ‎to work from home.‎

The current COVID-19 Response Framework will be paused when the ‎Shutdown comes into effect. ‎

The new Ontario Small Business Support Grant

The Government of Ontario also announced the new Ontario Small Business Support ‎Grant, which will provide a minimum of $10,000 and up to $20,000 to eligible small ‎business owners. Small businesses required to close or restrict services under the Shutdown ‎will be able to apply for this one-time grant. Each small business will be able to use the ‎support in whatever way makes the most sense for their individual business.

Eligible small businesses include those that:‎

• Are required to close or significantly restrict services subject to the ‎Shutdown effective 12:01 a.m. on December 26, 2020;‎
• Have less than 100 employees at the enterprise level; and
• Have experienced a minimum of 20 per cent revenue decline in April 2020 compared ‎to April 2019.‎

Essential businesses that are allowed to remain open will not be eligible for this grant. ‎More information about the Ontario Small Business Support Grant is available here. ‎Further details, including how to apply, will be announced in January 2021.‎

Businesses that are impacted by the Shutdown will also be eligible for the ‎property tax and energy cost rebates. In November, the government launched a program ‎to provide rebates to offset fixed costs such as property tax and energy bills for ‎businesses that are required to shut down or significantly restrict services due to ‎provincial public health measures. These Ontario Small Business Support Grant rebates ‎will continue to be available for businesses impacted by the Shutdown and ‎earlier restrictions.

Businesses can apply for the rebates here.‎

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