Business licence renewals coming due

​City continues to support local businesses throughout the pandemic

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Vaughan implemented a 90-day grace period for local businesses to renew their Vaughan business licence. On Monday, Aug. 31, this period will end and licences need to be renewed. Reminder notices will be sent to owners and licensees. 

• virtual business consultations. The City pivoted to an entirely digital service within 24 hours of the declaration of the state of emergency. Since the start of the pandemic, more than 2,000 consultations and business inquiries have been resolved to support businesses.
• vaughanbusiness.ca. Since its launch in May, the new website has garnered more than 24,000 page views and features a dedicated COVID-19 information page.
•  #ShopVaughanLocal. Launched in April, the campaign encourages residents to support the local economy by shopping online from local businesses, dining at or ordering take-out or delivery from local restaurants, buying gift cards for use at a later date and more.
• four sector-specific eNewsletters to keep businesses up to date. Sent twice a week to more than 10,000 subscribers, they include information on accessing financial support, workshops, government announcements, and city resources. Businesses can subscribe here.
• the Digital Boost program. Launched in May as a direct response to the need for small businesses to adopt digital technology, this program is teaching more than 200 small business owners how to diversify revenue streams, use digital marketing tools, manage inventory online and run e-commerce. Due to popular demand, the City will run a second Digital Boost cohort in the fall.
• Vaughan Chamber of Commerce webinars: the Vaughan Business Resource Series. Released in partnership with the City, topics relate to business challenges due to the pandemic. These webinars, in addition to others supported by the City, have contributed to helping more than 2,500 businesses find the information they need to access programs and pivot their business.  

• the Vaughan Business Action Plan, which includes a series of measures to support companies, consumers and all citizens.
• the development of a fulsome post-COVID-19 economic recovery plan for Vaughan.
• the Open for Business online directory, which lists essential services and businesses that remain open. Vaughan businesses can apply through this online form to be included in the initiative led by By-law and Compliance, Licensing and Permit Services.

The City’s Economic and Cultural Development team is monitoring the impact of the pandemic and has many resources available on its website: vaughanbusiness.ca. The team is available to offer advisory consultations for businesses via tele- or video-conference, as well as hosting informative webinars.