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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAO 04-20Cfy ot DICKERING Report to Executive Committee Report Number: CAO 04-20 Date: August 10, 2020 From: Fiaz Jadoon Director, Economic Development & Strategic Projects Subject: Economic Status of Local Businesses in Pickering During COVID-19 - File: D-1520-001 Recommendation: 1. That report CAO 04-20 regarding the economic status of local businesses in Pickering during COVID-19 be received for information. Executive Summary: The Economic Development & Strategic Projects team are committed to supporting the existing business community and actively responding to the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. To support and advocate for Pickering's business community, the City is actively involved in the Durham Economic Task Force (DETF). DETF was created in response to the crisis and consists of Durham Region staff, local area municipal staff, chambers of commerce, local boards of trades, the Business Advisory Centre of Durham (BACD), and Business Improvement Associations (BIAs) across the Region. Feedback received from the business recovery surveys developed by DETF will be leveraged to help inform our economic recovery plan for Pickering. As an initiative to support the region's vibrant downtown -area businesses, the Region of Durham, in collaboration with local BIAs launched a new online platform, Downtowns of Durham. Pickering's Nautical Village will be included in phase 2 of the project. The City of Pickering has over 3,000 diverse businesses, of which 70 percent are categorized as a small business and over 52 are registered home-based businesses. These businesses have faced catastrophic impacts from COVID-19 and require significant support to recover. To assist these businesses, the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario partnered to develop and fund 3 new grants through the Digital Main Street Program. COVID-19 has also exacerbated existing economic disparities by disproportionately impacting Black -owned businesses in Pickering. To ensure systematic racism is addressed in our community, staff will be collaborating with the Durham Region Association of Black Professionals & Entrepreneurs (DRABPE). This partnership is intended to strengthen local and community partnerships and raise the profile of Black -owned business networks in Pickering. CAO 04-20 August 10, 2020 Subject: Economic Status of Local Businesses in Pickering Page 2 Financial Implications: Not applicable. Discussion: Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has had major impacts on local economies across the country. Many businesses have been forced to shut down and thousands of individuals have been laid off. To respond to the evolving challenges of the pandemic, the Region of Durham formed the Durham Economic Task Force (DETF) to provide support and guidance to the local business community. Since its formation, the DETF has been in constant communication, collaborating to provide updates to the business community on newly announced Federal, Provincial and Municipal programs, and to advocate on behalf of the business community who are experiencing impacts due to the crisis. The objectives of DETF include the following: • advocate for the urgent needs of Durham's business community to the Federal and Provincial Governments; • provide resources and information about financial support available from all levels of government; • guide small businesses through the process of accessing emergency financial assistance and programs; • develop and implement support programming for businesses that are impacted by COVID-19; and • promote small businesses that are operating and offering safe, no -contact delivery and pick-up options. DETF has structured activities in three phases. The first phase were activities to "react" to the crisis, the second phase was to `respond', and the third phase is to look towards supporting `recovery'. DETF Phase 1 Activities: COVID-19 business survey #1: March 12 — 18, 2020 The initial survey launched by the DETF found that a third of respondents did not have business continuity plans in place, or the ability to create such a plan. Over 75 percent of survey responses were small businesses with less than 20 employees. Approximately 90 percent of the respondents indicated that they were concerned about financial implications due to decrease in business revenues. Advocacy to Federal and Provincial Government Feedback from the first survey was shared with Durham MPs and MPPs and was used to craft the DETF's initial advocacy strategy, which followed with letters to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Doug Ford. Central webpage DETF launched a central webpage for COVID-19 information for businesses to act as a single point of information for the business community. The webpage, investdurham.ca/CovidResponse CAO 04-20 August 10, 2020 Subject: Economic Status of Local Businesses in Pickering Page 3 is updated multiple times daily by Regional staff and shared by City staff to Pickering's business community. DETF Phase 2 Activities: COVID-19 business survey #2: March 22 — 26, 2020 On March 22, DETF launched a second survey which received over 870 responses, with 109 noting Pickering as the primary location of their business. The survey responses highlighted Retail and Health & Wellness as the sectors hardest hit by COVID-19, with 21 percent indicating they would take between 6-12 months for their business to fully recover from this pandemic. Business intake portal for individual support DETF developed an online intake form and a 1-800 number for businesses looking for live, one- on-one assistance. Through this portal, businesses are connected to a Regional staff member who can assist them in meeting their immediate needs. Information is then shared with the local municipal DETF member to provide continued support. To date, our team has received over 10 business inquiries through the portal intake form. Webinars and sector roundtables with business community Using data from the first two surveys, the DETF identified opportunities to provide specialized management training sessions on topics including cybersecurity and transitioning to e-commerce platforms. In addition, DETF delivered a series of sector -specific roundtables to offer the business community a chance to provide feedback on programs required for business recovery. DETF also developed a webinar calendar for the business community, compiling online training sessions from all available sources across Canada. This calendar provides an easy -to -search listing of useful training sessions across a variety of topics. Continued advocacy to Federal and Provincial Government Through letters and calls with MPs, MPPs, and Provincial Ministers, the DETF advocated for the urgent needs of the business community, calling on all levels of governments to implement programs and policy changes that are needed. DETF Phase 3 Activities: Business recovery survey #3: May 5 — 19, 2020 As planning commenced for economic recovery, a third survey was launched to solicit feedback from the business community regarding priorities for recovery programming. Based on survey results, businesses highlighted concerns regarding a possible second wave of COVID, financial implications, and increased cost of compliance as the major barriers to recover from this pandemic. Local personal protective equipment (PPE) supplier listing The PPE Marketplace was launched on the Invest Durham COVID business portal on May 5, 2020 and rapidly became a popular page on the portal. The listing provides the opportunity for local PPE suppliers to be featured, and for local organizations to easily procure PPE. The supplier CAO 04-20 August 10, 2020 Subject: Economic Status of Local Businesses in Pickering Page 4 listing continues to be maintained by Regional staff with input directly from businesses through the intake portal and through collaboration with DETF members. Downtowns of Durham project The Downtowns of Durham Project is a joint initiative of the Durham Region BIAs and Durham's Economic Development and Tourism Division. The project was initially intended to promote the Region's downtown -area businesses and increase tourism through the "Rediscover Downtown Durham from Home" marketing campaign. The initiative offers residents and visitors a chance to explore the Region's many "main street" shops, restaurants, and services virtually by providing a platform that highlights businesses that are operational, offer delivery, curbside pick-up, or online shopping. As the City of Pickering does not have an active BIA, we were not included in the original launch of the project. However, City staff worked closely with Regional staff to find alternative ways to include the Nautical Village as part of phase 2 of the Downtown of Durham website. The Nautical Village offers a glimpse into Pickering's array of small, vibrant and diversified businesses. This resource will help revitalize our small businesses, encouraging residents and tourists to rediscover the Nautical Village. Durham Region staff intend to evolve the website to become an investment attraction tool over the long run, highlighting the region as a place to work, shop, live and learn. Planning for economic recovery The DETF is currently working on an economic recovery and strategy plan, engaging with post- secondary institutions, the innovation community, and the local business community. In addition to activities and support through DETF, the Economic Development & Strategic Projects team implemented the following initiatives in response to the impact to the business community resulting from the pandemic crisis: • On April 16, Economic Development staff organized our first Virtual Business Town Hall Webinar with over 150 businesses in attendance. The webinar provided information on Pickering's response during COVID-19, Federal and Provincial support as well as navigating financial assistance for businesses. Speakers included MP Jennifer O'Connell, Premier Doug Ford, MPP Peter Bethlenfalvy, Deputy Mayor Kevin Ashe, and Nicole Gibson, Executive Director of Ajax -Pickering Board of Trade. The recorded webinar is available on the City's social media platforms. • To support small business, a `Support Local' social media campaign was launched in April, profiling small businesses that are open and have adapted during these difficult times to serve our community. This campaign is ongoing, with over 20 small businesses profiled to date. • Actively engaging with the business community via social media, email and telephone regarding new COVID-19 response support programs. • In June, staff developed a COVID-19 Business Recovery Podcast Series, featuring topics of interest to businesses during the pandemic, which included financial planning, labour laws, health and safety, etc. On June 11, 2020, the Federal Government, in partnership with the Provincial Government announced more assistance for small businesses to reach more customers through the Digital Main Street Program, delivered by the Ontario Business Improvement Area Association (OBIAA). CAO 04-20 August 10, 2020 Subject: Economic Status of Local Businesses in Pickering Page 5 Through the $57 -million contribution to the Digital Main Street Program, Pickering businesses will be able to take advantage of 3 new grants to support their digital transformation. These new grants are all beneficial to Pickering small businesses as many have shifted their focus to e- commerce in an effort to keep sales up since closing their shops in early March. Further, Economic Development staff is working collaboratively with the Durham Region Association of Black Professionals & Entrepreneurs (DRABPE) to raise the profile of Black -owned business networks in Pickering. This Fall, our team will be partnering with DRABPE to organize their first virtual business expo. The event will offer resources needed to connect, start, grow and thrive in today's "new normal". It will provide business owners with a variety of educational experiences and networking opportunities to take their businesses and careers to the next level. The event will include the Region's emerging and established Black business owners and professionals. Prepared By Aneesa Haniff Senior Economic Development Officer Approved/Endorsed By: if 1 Fiaz Jadoon, Director, Economic Development & Strategic Projects Taaha Javed Economic Development & Strategic Projects Associate FJ:ah Recommended for the consideration of Pickering City Council Marisa Carpino, M.A. Interim Chief Administrative Officer