Keeping employees and customers safe
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City partners with York
Region Public Health and Vaughan Chamber of Commerce to host webinar
The City of Vaughan
continues to support businesses as they navigate new challenges of keeping
employees and customers safe as they reopen. To help answer questions and
provide resources to businesses, the City, in partnership with York Region
Public Health and the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce, is hosting a webinar on
Friday, June 12, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Taking part to provide
guidance to the business community is Dr. Leon Genesove from York Region Public
Health, Bill Hong Chen from Workplace Safety and Prevention Services, and
Stuart Rudner from Rudner Law. Discussions will include how to safely operate
businesses in Vaughan for owners, staff and consumers. The webinar is free of
charge, and those interested in taking part should pre-register.
To help remind
residents to shop safely, York Region is providing businesses with tips on how to protect customers
and employees when working and shopping. Visit york.ca for the Region’s toolkit for reopening during
COVID-19.
This is part of the latest
response from the City of Vaughan as it remains committed to providing information
and relief to the business community and maintaining the competitiveness of the
local economy during the global COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
#ShopVaughanLocal
On April
9, Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua launched the #ShopVaughanLocal campaign. Residents
looking to do their part to support the local economy can do so by shopping
remotely with local Vaughan businesses and restaurants and share their support
by using the hashtag #ShopVaughanLocal on social media.
Citizens
are encouraged to do any of the following:
- Order takeout or delivery from a local restaurant
- Buy gift cards for use at a later date
- Order from local businesses online
- Share your local love using #ShopVaughanLocal on social media
- Access government supports for businesses at vaughanbusiness.ca
Digital Boost Vaughan
Small Business Resiliency Program
The Digital
Boost Vaughan Small Business Resiliency Program provides free training and mentorship
to help local businesses adapt to the changing environment caused by the COVID-19
pandemic.
Programming will cover
topics such as: digital marketing strategies; launching or improving an
e-commerce store; developing new product lines or services; developing new
revenue models, such as curbside pickup or drop-shipping; and developing
financial resiliency. Registration for the first cohort of Digital Boost has now
closed, however the program will run again in the fall. For more information, check out vaughanbusiness.ca/DigitalBoost,
and contact
ecd@vaughan.ca for more information regarding future program cohorts.
Open for Business
The Open
for Business online directory lists local businesses
that are open during the current state of emergency.
The
voluntary listing includes both essential services and businesses that are open
or providing modified operations by phone, online, takeout or delivery in
compliance with provincial and municipal regulations. Vaughan businesses
interested in being included in the list must apply and can do so through this online form.
Vaughan
Business Action Plan
On March
17, the City launched the Vaughan Business Action
Plan –
which includes a series of measures to support businesses, consumers and all
citizens. The City’s Economic and Cultural Development department is available
to support local businesses and entrepreneurs online or by phone to help access
resources from the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario. Learn
more at vaughanbusiness.ca.
Business
licence renewals
A grace period of 90
days has also been established for business licence renewals, which defers
renewal of existing business licences up to 90 days past the expiry date. New
businesses are still required to be licensed. Applications may be submitted by
email to bylaw@vaughan.ca, along with scanned copies of required documentation.
Payments can be made by cheque and mailed to Vaughan City Hall at 2141 Major
Mackenzie Dr., Vaughan, ON, L6A 1T1.
To receive the City’s
latest COVID-19 updates as they happen, sign up for the City Update eNewsletter
at vaughan.ca/CityUpdate and follow the City’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram channels.
Those who feel unwell,
and believe they have symptoms related to COVID-19, should contact York Region
Public Health or Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000.
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