Business Recovery Portal

• Town of Wasaga Beach Business Directory
• Explore Simcoe County From Home
• Wasaga Beach Chamber of Commerce Digital Marketplace
• South Georgian Bay Tourism

Spend your money where it matters the most. By supporting your local businesses you support your community.

Your dollars stay in the community and help local jobs, development, community culture and create more walkable and livable neighbourhoods. The pandemic has hit us all deeply and the effects continue to rattle our business community. 

Think Local and Support Local. Here's how:

• Support your favourite restaurant, toy stores, flower shop, bookstore or clothing boutique.
• Purchase from local online stores. You would be surprised who has artisan sites online. 
• Check out our Support Local Coupon Book for some great deals and ideas.
• Purchase gift cards from your favourite hair or nail salon, spa, babysitter or hardware store. It doesn't have to be much, but a $10 gift card purchased from many people in the community can go a long way. Offer gift cards to your family, friends and staff. 
• Share on your social media news of your most beloved menu or gift item with your friends and family, being sure to tag the retailer or restaurant. Give the gift of awareness generously. 
• Call and check-in on your favourite store or local service provider and ask them how you can best support them at this time. They may have expanded their offerings or are able to work with you to find new products they do not normally offer. Also, it is a nice thing to let business owners know that they matter. 
• Continue to hire your regular cleaner, landscaper or dog sitting service.
• Attend a virtual class. Many of your local gyms, tutors, yoga instructors, coaches, financial planners, music instructors as many of them have modified programs and have moved services online.   
• If you can afford to, give a tip to your service workers.
• If programs are cancelled, consider making a donation to organizations and charities who do good work in your community. As well, consider lending a helping hand and offer some of your time. 
• If you are a business owner, reach out to your competitors and open discussions on how to support one another - and to support your local industry.
• If you learn of a unique promotion or program idea elsewhere, share your discovery with your favourite businesses and challenge them to start it locally.
• Challenge yourself to discover new brands and products from new businesses in your community. 
• Ask your local business about loyalty programs as a means of getting you back on a more regular basis. Win-win!
• Follow up with that local review you were meaning to get around to from that amazing service you received that one time.
• The pandemic does not need to be boring. We are all adjusting to the new world. Challenge you and your partner or friend to create a new date night or hang out. How can you make a socially-distanced occasion interesting while at the same time supporting your local businesses?
• Sign up for newsletters to your favourite stores and be in the know when new deals and products are rolled out. 

If you have other great ideas on how to support our local business community that you think we should add to this list, let us know.

Economic Impact Reports

• 05/2020 - Economic Impact Report
• 02/2021 - Economic Impact Report

Employment Ontario

Employment Ontario helps job seekers, workers and employers with advice, grants and other services around public and private sector employment. Local Employment Ontario Centres include Career Solutions in Wasaga Beach and Tracks Employment and Resource Services in Collingwood. They can assist with creating a resume to helping you put a job search plan into action. 

Magnet

Co-founded by Ryerson University and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Magnet is a non-profit digital social innovation platform with a mission to accelerate inclusive economic growth in Canada. Magnet currently supports an interconnected network of 1.1 million job seekers and students, 97 post-secondary institutions, 516,000 employer accounts, over 100 chambers and industry associations, and 450 community organizations across Canada.

Simcoe Muskoka Workforce Development Board

The Simcoe Muskoka Workforce Development Board is a community directed, non-profit corporation that acts as a neutral broker, sourcing, conducting and distributing labour market research as well as engaging and facilitating community stakeholders in workforce development activities. 

Work In Simcoe County Job Portal

The Made In Simcoe Job Portal is an interactive tool featuring job opportunities, local resources, career exploration tools and local success stories. Tap into the local labour market and advertise your employment opportunities. 

This website aggregates job listings from over 20 websites including popular sites like Indeed and Workopolis that represent multiple sectors and communities within the County of Simcoe. This alleviates local employers from having to enter their job postings on multiple sites, as well as job seekers having to search a variety of platforms to search for local opportunities.

Business Development Centre

The Business Development Centre is here to support and advise businesses during COVID-19. They will answer questions, help make sense of new information coming down from the provincial and federal governments and provide advice on how to manage through these challenging times. 

Centre for Business and Economic Development

The Centre for Business and Economic Development offers free targeted coaching and advice by telephone or video conferencing as well as information for businesses seeking financing.

Small Business Enterprise Centre

The Small Business Enterprise Centre offers free consultations by phone as well as informational webinars and digital advice. They also look after the Digital Main Street program locally. 

• Digital Service Squad Menu

Town of Wasaga Beach Economic Development 

The Town of Wasaga Beach Economic Development office offers free consultations on business supports including navigating municipal business licensing and approvals, partnership resources, financial resources, as well as recommendations on economic recovery for businesses and entrepreneurs. 

Wasaga Beach Chamber of Commerce

The Wasaga Beach Chamber of Commerce offers free consultations by phone as well as informational webinars and business-related networking events. 

For More Information on Managing Financial Hardship

The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada has put together a guide to assist those who are worried about the impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic on your finances. Click here​​​​​

Please contact your elected officials directly with any questions you may have on federal and provincial programs.

See What the Experts Are Saying..

• Canadian Chamber of Commerce
• Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis
• Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses
• CIBC Economics
• BMO Economics
• RBC Economics
• TD Economics

Sourcing Business Expansion Opportunities: Help Address COVID-19 Need

Accelerated Ocean Solutions Program

The program will invest up to $35 million in short-term ocean projects to help continue to build resiliency in ocean sectors during this challenging time. The Accelerated Ocean Solutions Program is focused on three project themes:

• Remote operations;
• Environment technologies; and
• Digital or automated technologies.

The application process is now open and begins with expressions of interest which will close on May 22. Read more

One Million Mask Challenge

The Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association (APMA) is seeking to bring industry together to collect 1 million masks for frontline workers. These masks will be available for direct distribution to public institutions and organizations operating on the frontlines: hospitals, clinics, shelters (homeless, women’s, youth). Read more

Canadian COVID Genomics Network

Genome Canada has launched the Canadian COVID Genomics Network (CanCOGeN), an initiative that will generate accessible and usable genomics data to inform public health decisions in the time of a pandemic. Led by Genome Canada, in partnership with the six regional Genome Centres, the National Microbiology Lab and provincial public health labs, genome sequencing centres through CGEn, hospitals, academia and industry, CanCOGeN will coordinate and scale up existing COVID-19 genome sequencing activities into a national effort and interface with international sequencing networks in the UK and in the US in order to improve patient outcomes and accelerate public impact. Read more

Coronavirus Global Response

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined other global leaders to launch the Coronavirus Global Response. This online pledging event aims to initially raise more than $8 billion (USD) to help researchers and innovators develop solutions to test, treat, and protect people, and to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. The funds collected will be channeled into three principal strands: diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines. Funds may also be used to strengthen health systems. To date, the Government of Canada has announced investments of over $850 million (CAD) that support this fundraising target. Read more

COVID-19 Canadian Tech Group Slack Channel

The Council of Canadian Innovators has started a Slack channel for the tech community across Canada.  It now has over 1700 members and is an excellent resource to share knowledge, key learnings, and to create collaborative opportunities between companies (small, large) to get through the COVID19 crisis. Read more

CDL Recovery Program

Creative Destructive Lab (CDL) Recovery is a new program designed to rapidly transform technological innovations into useful products and services in the areas of public health (e.g., diagnostic tests, vaccines, remote treatments, telemedicine) and economic recovery (e.g. virtual work, retraining, remote operation, automation, food supply) in response to the global crisis. Applications for the program open today. All types of innovative teams may apply – startups, corporations, informal collaborations, sole inventors, social impact ventures, and not-for-profit initiatives. Read more

Calling All Suppliers

The Government of Canada is asking suppliers about their ability to provide products and services in support of Canada’s response to COVID-19. Read more

Clinical Health Trials

Companies and researchers with drugs, medical devices, or natural health products that may be effective in treating or diagnosing COVID-19 are encouraged to contact Health Canada to facilitate clinical trials. Health Canada can authorize clinical trials quickly in urgent situations. Read more

Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security

The Department of National Defence (DND) is issuing the first of a series of calls for innovations aimed at addressing some of the key challenges Canada is facing. With an initial commitment of $15M, the first three challenges focus on:

• Viable and effective processes and methods for safely and rapidly decontaminating enclosed work environments (e.g., buildings and modes of transportation) containing sensitive equipment;
• Innovative material and designs to aid in decontamination of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), operational clothing and equipment for personnel responding to events involving biological hazards; and
• Data gathering solutions to support the early detection and community-based monitoring of outbreaks of contagious diseases.

In addition to the call for innovation, these panels are engaging Canadian small- and medium-sized enterprises to refine their near-to-market products to meet a COVID-19 related need. Promising solutions in the areas of PPE, sanitization, diagnostics and testing, therapeutics, and disease-tracking technology may receive funding to further their solutions of interest. This effort is a collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada, and Health Canada and sees an additional investment of up to $10M. Read more

Innovative Solutions Canada COVID-19 Challenge Program

Dedicated funding to help combat current and future outbreaks of the COVID-19 and other similar threats. The program will help support the Government of Canada's fight against COVID-19 by funding research and development and testing prototypes in real-life settings that can help protect Canadians.

Two new challenges have been posted to include: COVID-19 Challenge: An intelligent digital clearing house; and COVID-19 Challenge: Magnetic reagents for detection of COVID-19 and other RNA based molecular diagnostic kits. Innovative Solutions Canada will launch calls for proposals over the next few weeks to address challenges, to fund development of solutions, and to buy successful products and services needed to address COVID-19. Read more

Mitacs COVID-19 Research and Development Opportunities

Mitacs has introduced new programming and enhanced existing programs and funding amounts to encourage and support COVID-19 related research initiatives. Read more

Ontario Centres of Excellence COVID-19 Collaboration Program

OCE is identifying the innovative technologies, SMEs and experts from across the province to help fill the current product and service gaps related to COVID-19. If you have a piece of the puzzle – whether it is an asset, a technology or a product – and are looking for collaborators to assist your efforts, please contact OCE. Read more

Ontario COVID-19 Rapid Research Fund

If you are a researcher from one of Ontario's publicly-assisted colleges or universities, research hospitals or research institutes, you can apply for funding to conduct research to fight COVID-19 and support the province's response effort. The Ontario COVID-19 Rapid Research Fund provides research institutions with funding to contribute to global efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no maximum funding amount that can be requested per grant. All funding requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Read more

Ontario Together

The Province of Ontario is providing $50 million to support submissions from businesses that can supply critical medical products, virtual mental health services, supply chain resilience monitoring, and financial planning and advisory services for small businesses. The Ontario Together Fund will help companies retool, build capacity or adopt the technological changes needed to produce supplies and equipment for hospitals, long-term care homes and other critical public services.

Over 14,000 submissions have been received through the Ontario Together Portal. More than 7,500 emergency supply submissions have generated nearly $90 million in purchases of critical equipment and supplies. The Province has also added a Workplace PPE Supplier Directory that will assist workplaces to find personal protective equipment (PPE) to help protect against COVID-19. Read more

Plan to Mobilize Industry to Fight COVID-19

The Plan to Mobilize Industry to fight COVID-19 directly supports businesses to rapidly scale up production or re-tool their manufacturing lines to develop products made in Canada that will help in the fight against COVID-19. Firms which answer yes to the following, should contact ic.middim.ic@canada.ca:

• You manufacture in Canada and/or have ready access to necessary inputs through your supply chain.
• You have equipment or facilities that can be rapidly re-tooled to meet medical needs, including for personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, masks and surgical gowns; sanitizers; wipes; ventilators; and other medical equipment and supplies.
• You have skilled workers who are able to respond and who could be available for work in the current circumstances.

Read more

SPARK Ontario - volunteer Opportunities During COVID-19

The Government of Ontario is partnering with SPARK Ontario to help seniors and the most vulnerable stay connected and healthy as they self isolate during the COVID-19 outbreak. SPARK Ontario is the province's first bilingual volunteer hub designed to direct volunteers to where they are needed most. Read more

Strategic Innovation Fund

Further to the Government's announcement on April 23, 2020 of $600 million funding support, the Strategic Innovation Fund will support projects to advance Canada's medical countermeasures in the fight against COVID-19. This includes support for COVID-19 related vaccine and therapy clinical trials led by the private sector, and Canadian bio-manufacturing opportunities. Read more

Surplus Food Rescue Program

The Surplus Food Rescue Program is a $50 million initiative which will help to support Canada’s food system, food processors, and food producers, and distributors to help ensure food availability for all Canadians. Funding will be used to help manage and redirect existing surpluses to organizations addressing food insecurity and ensure that these surplus products are not wasted. Read more

Sourcing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

COVID-19 PPE Help

Developed by the University of Toronto. Discover a network of PPE distributors of PPE. Read more

Essential Services Contingency Reserve

Developed by the Government of Canada. Access the contingency reserve, view eligibility requirements and application form. Read more

Rapid Response Platform Canada

Find your match and get connected with PPE requests and offerings. Read more

The Supply Hub

Developed by the Government of Canada. Explore resources and information to sell and buy PPE. Read more

Workplace PPE Supplier Directory

Developed by the Province of Ontario. Explore companies that sell PPE and other supplies. Read more

CyberSecure Certification to Help Businesses from Cyber Attacks

CyberSecure Canada is officially launching a web portal to help organizations obtain cyber certification. Canada’s cyber security certification program helps small and medium-sized organizations assess, plan and implement cyber security practices to guard against cyber attacks, protecting their business, their clients and their partners.

Support announced on October 2, 2020.

Simcoe County Virtual Learning Resource Page

Click here to explore the Simcoe County Virtual Learning Resource Page

Infection Prevention and Control at Work: Basic Awareness Training

Developed by the Public Services Health and Safety Association in consultation with infection control consultants and epidemiologists, this free, 30-minute eLearning program will equip workers with knowledge in how infections spread and what action can be taken to protect themselves and others from infectious hazards in the workplace.

Added February 19, 2021

Webinars on How to Open Safely

The Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development, in partnership with organizations across Ontario, provides general overview information sessions on the Employment Standards Act (ESA).

These information sessions are delivered by subject matter experts from the ministry and cover topics such as hours of work, public holidays, leaves of absence and more..

Added February 19, 2021

WSIB Health and Safety Excellence Program

Keeping your team safe and healthy at work is good for business. WSIB's Health and Safety Excellence Program provides a clear roadmap for you to improve safety in your workplace, whether you are just getting started or want to improve systems and processes you already have in place.

The program connects businesses of all sizes with WSIB-approved providers to help you develop a program that is suitable for your business.

Added February 19, 2021