Our staff at the Chamber, all working from home, are focussed on two things: providing answers and lobbying all levels of government for meaningful support for both employers and employees.

Government Announcements
The biggest announcement this week, so far, was the Ontario Government’s closure of all non-essential businesses. Here is the link to the list of what is essential vs non-essential.  This is a list of 74 categories of business that could remain open at this time.

One sentence from the government website we know is causing some confusion is: “This does not preclude the provision of work and services by entities not on this list either online, by telephone or by mail/delivery.”

Here is what we heard from MPP Dave Smith's office:
"If your business is not listed as an essential business and you have a bricks and mortar location, that location must be closed by 11:59pm on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.  If your business is able to operate online, by telephone, or by mail/delivery you may continue to operate."

Our dedicated website is being updated daily and is considered the go-to source for quality, filtered information. If you need information about any announcement from any level of government; links to the proper government agencies; or available support locally, provincially and federally, you’ll find it here:

www.peterboroughchamber.ca/covid-19-pandemic-preparedness.html

One of the big areas of confusion is around employment.  Also on our website you will find links to:

1. Employment Insurance
2. The Temporary Wage Subsidy
3. The new Canada Emergency Response Benefit  This will provide a taxable benefit of $2,000 a month for up to 4 months in certain cases.  This benefit replaces the previously announced Emergency Care and Emergency Support Benefits.

And here are two existing Employment Insurance programs that may also prove to be useful:

1. Supplementary Unemployment Benefit Program - This program allows employers to submit a plan to top up their employees on EI.
2. Work-Share Program - This program could also be helpful, as it could help certain businesses keep running by offering a job-share program.

Lobbying
We continue to meet by conference call almost daily with all three levels of government.  We are listening to you and learning what works and what doesn’t. For example, the announced 10% wage subsidy compares to as much as 80% in other Countries.  The question from business is: Is it better to lay people off and swamp the employment insurance system, or to provide a wage subsidy that allows employers to keep people employed? This is a key policy position of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and we anticipate some movement on this issue.

This lobbying/advocacy work is the core work of the Chamber in good times, let alone now. Thus it is important that our membership remain strong.

Not only do we appreciate the support of our existing members, but to the businesses that have reached out and joined our Chamber in the past week, thank you. As the situation evolves we are confident that we can continue to provide “Influence, Profile, Knowledge” to our members.

Information is key
A consortium of local organizations involved in economic development have already provided our elected leaders with an important temperature check about what is really happening in the business community. A second survey has just been released today, and will also provide important information for all three levels of government as they design a strategy to support the business community.

Indeed, this is an unprecedented situation. The Covid-19 Virus has been more than well documented, and the story is not finished.
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But perhaps we should look at a few other unprecedented things that are going on. Acknowledging first the fact that there are indeed precedents. Viral outbreaks in many forms have fundamentally changed society in the past.

Multiple examples of unimaginable sacrifice can also, and should also, be brought to mind. The Greatest Generation is a term used to describe those who grew up during the Great Depression and fought in World War II, and those whose labour helped win it, as one example.

But most people are experiencing this level of upheaval for the first time. One of the most difficult aspects of this current situation is how it has gotten worse every day, and if you look back to all of the post-SARS inquiries and reports, perhaps not all of the
lessons were truly learned. But here we are.

There are many things that we should acknowledge:

• The fear and uncertainty of so many employees 
• The stoic reaction of so many businesses, simply shutting down, knowing the ramifications to their staff and livelihood are far from certain. 
• The generosity in the face of it; restaurants dropping off food so that it doesn’t go to waste.
• Businesses pivoting on a dime, in order to ensure some level of online income
• Front line workers, many of whom worked through the SARS epidemic, pushing past their fear and passing on lessons learned to their younger workmates who didn’t. 
• People utilizing social media to make connections and help each other with everything from food to child care.

The unprecedented measures announced by the Federal Government will not solve everything, but they will go a long way to mitigating the impacts, the full extent of which are not yet clear.

Lastly, I have seen some deeply disturbing comments about people, businesses, elected
leaders, public officials, and more about how they are handling this outbreak. Public shaming for any and all reasons is all too common. While it might be wise to simply dismiss the people making these comments as common trolls, it’s also important to make it unacceptable. Everyone is doing their best, and not everyone is shutting down, nor should they.

The Premier did a great job of \listing the sectors that would be closing and those that wouldn’t. It’s important for everyone to realize that an economy is based on jobs. Not every country has gotten it right. Not every elected leader has said the right things. But the focus should be on getting through this. Together.  Be nice.

This week at the Future Ready: Business Summit 2020, hosted by the Peterborough Chamber and Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development, there was a session called “What Happens If…”.  While this session focussed on business partnerships, succession planning and managing stress, it could have easily included
the need for business to be prepared for emergencies, such as a COVID-19 pandemic.  In fact, there was discussion amongst the event team on a health protocol. The protocol was developed and then communicated to attendees, along with signage at the event.  That protocol is now on our website and all event pages as the safety and well-being of our members and community are of the utmost importance.

Some of the suggestions in the protocol include:

• Evaluating your own health; if you are not well
• Frequent handwashing for at least 20 seconds with soap and after using facial tissue
• Cough or sneeze into your sleeve or elbow
• Avoid touching your face and clean hands before touching your eyes, nose or mouth
• Maintain distance from those who are sick
• Greet people with a wave instead of a handshake

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) has pulled together a five-page guide for businesses that will help them ask the questions that will ensure they are prepared.  The guide is designed to assist business planning and continuity efforts. It includes links to some of the most relevant and credible information, best practice tools and resources.
The guide begins with the following overview:

"In addition to the work of the health care industry when a pandemic hits, businesses play a critical role in protecting the health and safety of employees, and limiting the negative impact on the economy and communities. They also need to have business continuity plans that will minimize the impact on the business itself and facilitate a speedy resumption of activities if the business has been forced to scale back or close during the pandemic. Preparedness, not panic, is the best way to mitigate the risks posed by a COVID-19 pandemic to the Canadian economy and our citizens.

Should COVID-19 escalate in Canada, some of the things businesses need to plan for include:

• Staff absences due to a number of reasons (personal illness, ill family members, looking after children if schools close, feeling of safety being at home etc.). In some cases employees may themselves elect to stay home; in other circumstances the government may authorize or require them to do so.
• Disruption to essential services like information, telecommunications, financial services, energy supply, and logistics;
• Disruption to supply of necessary materials or contractors; 
  
• A major increase or decrease in demand for products and services;
• Cancellation or disruption of travel and cross-border movement of people and goods;
• Cancellation of public meetings or gatherings like sports events, concerts or religious services;
• Impact on the trade status of Canada, or of our trading partners; and
• Increased public fear that causes citizens to avoid public places, including front line retail and tourist–related, restaurants and leisure businesses."

The guide breaks planning down into five sections:

• Develop/update business continuity and crisis plans.
• Plan for the potential impact of the pandemic on your business.
• Plan for the potential impact of the pandemic on your people.
• Take advantage of existing tools, templates and best practices.
• Use credible and reliable sources of information to monitor and assess the situation and refine your plans accordingly.

Each of the first three sections has a series of questions that a business or organization should be asking themselves, such as:

• What is the process for decision-making during times of crisis?
• What are the critical services, positions and skills required to keep your business running?
• What is the risk of the pandemic to your employees, partners, suppliers and customers?
• If you were forced to close your doors for two weeks or more, do you have access to a line of credit that will cover ongoing expenses until you can reopen and your cash flow resumes?
• What are the infection control practices in your workplace?
• Are there guidelines and practices you can modify or put in place to curtail direct contact with the public if necessary?

The final two sections offer links to resources such as:

• Templates and plan examples
• Checklists
• Websites for Health Canada and the World Health
• Organization
• Information

Locally, Peterborough Public Health also has extensive information and frequently asked questions on their website: peterboroughpublichealth.ca

A link to the Canadian Chamber guide for business can be found on our website:
peterboroughchamber.ca

The saying goes that if you don’t have a destination, any road will take you there. For Peterborough and the Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED), their new strategic plan, launched this week, provides the road map to their newly minted destination; “To be the most sustainable and innovative community and economy in Ontario”.

Called Future Ready, the plan captures four objectives:

1. Promote Peterborough & the Kawarthas as a Destination of Choice for Visitors, Business, Entrepreneurs, Investors and Students
2. Leverage the Region’s Mix of Rural and Urban Assets and Business Build A Job-Ready, Highly Skilled and Innovative
3. Workforce of the Future Support All Phases of
4. Entrepreneurship, While Also Supporting Existing Businesses
   
   

When it comes to the economy, the only constant is change, and there are a number of factors that are bound to test even the best-laid plans. Globalization is being challenged at every turn, climate change is changing everything, regulation increasingly affects what we can build and where we can build it, and, coupled with demographics, affects where we work and live. Population growth will bring significant change to the area, with a projected 41% increase in the number of residents by 2041.

Much will depend on our ability to adapt to these many forces, but we have proven that we can adapt to change. No longer do we have 6,000 lunch pail workers at GE, or 1,500 driving down Highway 115 to GM. And yet, manufacturing is still one of our strongest pillars of the local economy, along with agriculture and tourism. Increasingly important are the cleantech, aerospace, the water and wastewater sector, the trades and technology centre at Fleming, a burgeoning entrepreneurial community and more. We call it TeamPtbo, and collaboration between all of these elements will be critical in helping PKED deliver on its strategy.

The Future Ready plan also has the United Nations report “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” in mind, particularly:

• Quality Education
• Decent Work and Economic Growth
• Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
• Sustainable Cities and Communities
• Partnerships for the Goals

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If you want to dig deeper into the plan, you’ll find 18 specific “Actions” to support the four main objectives. These include everything from creating a crisp, clear value proposition for the region; delivering a multi-year, multi-media marketing strategy and an earned media strategy; to developing customized strategies for growth in each targeted sector; championing investments in regional infrastructure; building on business attraction and retention programs; increasing connection between business leaders and college and
university students, to make staying in Peterborough an attractive option; to supporting our strong entrepreneurial culture, including working with under-represented groups such as First Nations, new Canadians, women and youth.

From the Chamber perspective, we have enjoyed a close working relationship with PKED, including the Future Ready Business Summit that we are partnering on next week (March 11). We look forward to continuing that partnership to help strengthen the business community in Peterborough.