Ontario: COVID-19 relief measures for your business

We know that this is a difficult time, full of uncertainty. The information you need to run your business changes rapidly, and it can be hard to keep track and make sense of it all.  

In order to relieve some of the pressure on small businesses such as yours, we are gathering all the information you need about government services and supports in Ontario and putting it in this one location. We will continue working with governments to ensure additional relief measures become available for your business as the situation evolves.

Please check back regularly. We will update this page as more information becomes available. 

COVID-19 Response Framework and Lockdowns

Ontario is using a colour-coded restrictions framework to govern how businesses can operate across the province. To know where you business falls, you must know which public health unit you belong to.

To find your public health unit, click here.

To determine which restrictions apply to your business, check out the provincial framework.

If you are unsure if your business should be open, please call the Stop the Spread Business Information Line at 1-888-444-3659.

Have questions about restrictions? Check out our Ontario FAQ and business operational plan template to help get you organized!

MANDATORY FACE-COVERINGS

Face-coverings are currently mandatory for employees and customers in the publicly-accessible areas of all businesses in Ontario.

Some municipalities and health units have their own by-laws and orders that have additional restrictions, including signage , workplace policy, and hand-sanitizer requirements. Businesses are required to comply with requirements from all levels of government.

Check out our face-coverings FAQ for more information. 

Support for businesses

DIRECT SUPPORT

Businesses that were under "Modified Stage 2" (Toronto, Ottawa Peel Region, York Region) as well as those in the RED-CONTROL or LOCKDOWN zones are eligible for energy bill and property tax rebates.

Applications are now open here.

PPE GRANTS

Some Ontario businesses qualify for an up to $1,000 provincial grant to cover PPE costs like masks, hand-sanitizer or plex-glass shields.

Qualifying businesses must:

• Have 2 to 9 employees
• Be in the retail, accommodation and food services, repair and maintenance, or personal and laundry services sector

When applying, you will need to submit receipts for any PPE items purchased since March 17, 2020.

Apply here.

RENT

Ontario has included commercial eviction protection in its 2020 budget bill. When passed, the protection will extend to any business that was eligible for the CECRA program.

The protection will be made retroactive to October 31, and has no set end date. This means that these businesses will have been protected since May under the various provincial measures.

DIGITAL MARKETING AND E-COMMERCE

The Ontario government, in partnership with the federal government, invested $57-million into the Digital Main Street platform to support three new programs to help small businesses with their online presence.

• shopHERE powered by Google will connect businesses with skilled and trained students to build and launch online stores.
   
• The Digital Main Street Grant will provide $2,500 grants to eligible businesses to help with digital marketing and adopting new technologies.
   
• Future-Proofing Main Street will connect business owners with teams of students and digital marketing professionals to help create new online business models, e-commerce platforms and maximize digital tools and content.

More information on the program and how to apply can be found here.

In its 2020 Budget, the Ontario government announced the following measures to support small businesses:

• The Employer Health Tax (EHT) threshold increase to $1-million is now permanent.
• Business Education Property Tax (BET) rates will be reduced for most businesses in 2020 
• Mid-sized energy users will see the Global Adjustment portion of their energy bills reduced by 14-16%.
• Employer Health Tax (EHT) exemption threshold increased to $1-million for the next year

As of November 1, businesses have been allowed to choose between regular time-of-use pricing or a tiered rate system. 

To learn more on how to switch electricity pricing systems, click here.

Support for employees

If you need to lay off employees temporarily, there is no requirement to give or pay notice since the employee is not being terminated.

In Ontario, employers have the option to temporarily lay off employees for up to 13 weeks. After 13 weeks, the lay off becomes permanent and severance pay rules will apply.

Ontario has extended job-protection for employees unable to work because:

• The employee is under medical investigation, supervision or treatment for COVID-19.
• The employee is acting in accordance with an order under the Health Protection and Promotion Act.
• The employee is in isolation or quarantine.
• The employee is acting in accordance with public health information or direction.
• The employer directs the employee not to work.
• The employee needs to provide care to a person for a reason related to COVID-19 such as a school or day-care closure.

The protections are retroactive to January 25, 2020.

Ontario employers are also restricted from asking for doctor’s notes for COVID-19 related leaves, including quarantine, self-isolation or childcare responsibilities due to COVID-19 related school and daycare closures.

Workers’ Compensation

The WSIB has frozen 2021 rates at 2020 levels.

Stay tuned to the WSIB website for the latest updates.

How you can help the province

The Government of Ontario announced a new website to help businesses work with the province to meet the challenges of COVID-19. Any business that could produce - or reconfigure to produce - essential equipment, from ventilators and masks to swabs and eye-protection, is encouraged to visit the Ontario Together webpage.

FAQ on COVID-19

We’re dedicated to supporting your business through this difficult time by compiling answers to the most common COVID-19 questions and keeping you up to date on the latest relief measures from the Federal government. Visit our Small Business Help Center to learn more.