Our team is rounding the corner of week 4 of remote work, and settling into our new normal.

We’re working hard to serve our community and have adjusted our operations to support businesses through these challenging times. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, we recognize that the KNBA have become a trusted source of information for our tech-park leaders to stay up-to-date with material information to protect your employees and businesses through these unprecedented times. KNBA will continue to share weekly email newsletters with our community summarizing material information such as government updates, news within the community and KNBA support programs, to keep our business community informed.

For real-time updates and daily newsletters pertaining to all relevant information on COVID-19, please subscribe to Councillor Jenna Sudds’ mailing list.

Our team will continue to post updates to the dedicated landing page on the KNBA website in real time. Please visit this website on a day to day basis for access to comprehensive information on COVID-19 recommendations as it relates to our businesses.

The Kanata North Business Association and Board have also been hard at work to revector the association’s 2020 work plans and have craft dedicated programs to support the business community through this challenging time. Over the coming days the business association will share further information with regards to our newly established rapid response program.

This program has been developed by the KNBA board in order to support our business community with tools and resources to remain resilient through these challenging times and ensure continued momentum in Canada’s largest technology park beyond COVID-19. Stay tuned for further announcements coming over the next few days.

Government Updates

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, additional support measures for business owners have been announced this week from our municipal, provincial and federal governments. These measures are intended to support people and businesses through tax and other deferrals to improve their cash flow, protect their jobs and meet immediate business and household budgets.

Our local leaders, MP Karen McCrimmon, MPP Merrilee Fullerton, Councillor Sudds as well as Senior Business Advisor from the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Marcelo Grinfeld all continue to proactively reach out to KNBA to provide links to important resources to support business continuity for you and your team through this extremely challenging time. Our team have summarized these updates below.

A few material changes and highlights over the past week are noted below:

Federal

• The Canadian Response Emergency Benefit (CERB) is available for those who have lost employment due to COVID-19. Those who are eligible will receive a taxable benefit of $2,000 a month for up to 4 months. Those who have already applied for E.I. since March 15, 2020 do not need to reapply. They will be transferred to the CERB.
• You can apply over the phone with an automated phone service: (1-800-959-2019 or 1-800-959-2041), or online HERE. To help manage the influx of applications, the following schedule has been created so you can determine the best time to apply,
• The Government of Canada welcomes the cooperation of all companies who have offered to re-tool, repurpose, and innovate to fight COVID‑19. Our partnerships with Canadian industry in particular will help us produce needed supplies and equipment domestically, provide Canadians with the fastest possible access to safe and effective health products, strengthen our health care system, and better protect the health and safety of all Canadians.
• The Federal Government is working on plans for how they will support people who are working 10 hours or less through the CERB. They will also announce ways they are helping those who are still working but making less that they would from the benefit.
  The government has launched a COVID-19 app. This app can be downloaded on the Apple store or the Google Play store. The app is equipped with the latest information from the Federal Government and valuable resources from Health Canada.
• Last week the Federal Government announced they are investing $2 billion to purchase protective personal equipment, including things like more masks and face shields, gowns, ventilators, test kits, swabs, and hand sanitizer.
• Since the outbreak, many businesses have put their hand up and asked us what they can do to help. As a result, the Federal Government launched Canada’s Plan to Mobilize Industry to Fight COVID-19 to ensure that we can quickly produce, here in Canada, the things we need to prevent the spread of the virus.
• Since its launch, more than 2,900 Canadian companies have offered their expertise and capacity to meet the country’s need for personal protective equipment and critical health supplies.

Provincial

• The Province issued a new directive and reduced the amount of businesses classified as essential. This new order will be effective as of April 4th, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. All businesses necessary to produce vital food and healthcare supplies are being excluded from the reduction. Only critical construction projects will continue. New starts in residential projects will stop, while residential construction that is near completion will continue. Business owners with questions concerning their essential business status are encouraged to call the Stop the Spread hotline at 1-888-444-3659. The hotline is available from 8:30 a.m. To 9:00 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8:30 a.m. To 5:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. You can find the new list HERE.
• The Ontario government has launched a new one-time $50 million Ontario Together Fund to help businesses provide innovative solutions or adjust their operations to produce essential medical supplies and equipment, including gowns, coveralls, masks, face shields, testing equipment and ventilators. This new fund will support the development of proposals submitted by businesses and individuals through the Ontario Together web portal.
• If your business or organization can provide medical products such as ventilators, swabs, masks and eye protection, click HERE.
• If your business or organization can help communities withstand the pandemic and you have a solution for remote learning for elementary and secondary students while schools are closed, click HERE.
• If your business, research institution or organization has ideas, other products or services that could help Ontarians, click HERE.

Municipal

• The Ottawa Public Health website remains the best source for the most up-to-date information.
• To help protect the public from the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Ottawa announced that they will extend the closure of city facilities, services and large group gatherings to June 30th.
• All essential services will continue through this time. Reopening facilities and reestablishing services will be done in a thoughtful, phased approach. It is anticipated that it may take many months to return the city to full service.
• Applications are open for the 2020 Property Tax Hardship Program if you or your business is suffering from the financial impact of COVID-19. Eligible applicants will have their 2020 Interim and Final Property Tax Bill due dates automatically extended to October 30, 2020. You can apply HERE.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve the Government of Canada and Province of Ontario have made a commitment to support our country’s researchers and innovators as they do critical work to protect the health and safety of all Canadians, and people around the world, during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The province has provided an extremely comprehensive guide for all federal and provincial relief programs announced to date, which can be downloaded HERE. Thank you to Marcelo Grinfield from the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade for providing these invaluable resources and continued support.

Kanata North Innovators Spotlight

We are proud to share a weekly roundup of companies in the Kanata North community going above and beyond to support COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts. Here are a few stories that received from members of the community this week:

• In the midst of the current pandemic, cleaning and sanitation measures have become increasingly vital to hospitals and healthcare facilities. SnowM’s ” Marker” technology enables the hospitals and healthcare facilities to gain complete visibility of the operations of the cleaning crew, ensuring the overall health of the facility. Learn more HERE.
• Pleora Technologies are innovating solutions for the COVID-19 pandemic by helping companies build thermal imagers for fever detection & medical x-ray devices to assist with diagnosis. Learn more HERE.
• The Festival Promotions team have developed a grid-style stickering system, which allows business owners to map out areas and create a visual guide to physical distancing.
• Ruckify has joined United Way East Ontario’s community relief efforts. You can provide an immediate lifeline to critical services for the most vulnerable, just by lending your unused technological devices through Ruckify.

Kanata North COVID-19 Innovation Champions

We’re thrilled to see so many Kanata North companies stepping up to the plate to support COVID-19 efforts.

If you’re an innovator in Kanata North currently working on solutions to support the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to hear from you! We’d love to share some good news about the good work you are doing to support the community through this challenging time. Please contact alycia@kanatanorthba.ca

Opportunities to support the local community

• Support the Kanata Food Cupboard: You can support by donating food at local grocery stores or the warehouse at 340 Legget Drive (door 46), providing monetary donations, or volunteer.
• Support the health care workers at the Queensway Carleton Hospital and the new Care Clinic in Bells Corners. Donations can be made to the following:
  Food donations
  PPE donations
  Monetary donations

#ShopLocal
Through our #ShopLocal campaign, Kanata North employees and residents can purchase Tech Park Dollars to be used at their favourite local establishments.

100% of each purchase will go back into the pockets of the local small businesses you are purchasing from in the Kanata North community.

How it works

• Customer selects and purchases Tech Park Dollars from the vendor of their choice
• When order has been processed, a confirmation of purchase will be sent to customer
• Customer will then receive a second email with their Tech Park Dollars. Each certificate will be uniquely coded to the business(es) they have purchased from.

When social distancing measures have been lifted and our small businesses open up shop again, print and head down to the businesses you have purchased Tech Park Dollars from to redeem your goods & services. The Tech Park Dollars have no cash value and are non-transferable between businesses.

Each business will keep track of your balance, but be sure to write down your balance as well.

Join our Tech Park Dollars Program

For businesses that do not have a gift card/online payment system. Tech Park Dollars will be sold as gift cards in price increments and will be tracked by our internal team with all monies being returned to retailers once processed. Sign up HERE.

Link up your Gift Card Payment System

For businesses that have their own online shops, gift card and/or online payment system. We will gladly feature your company logo with a hyperlink to your online shop or gift card page on your company’s external website. Register HERE.

Your new WFH staple

We’ve released a line of #CovidKindness t-shirts, with 100% of proceeds going directly back into the community to support small business owners in Canada’s Largest Tech Park. We want to unite the tech and small business community through a common goal: to kick COVID to the curb.

You’ve now found the staple T-shirt of your work from home wardrobe. Buy yours HERE.

Virtual Kitchen Party Series

Although we can’t be with our tech-park pals in person right now, we’re excited to announce our first virtual event of the season. Join the Kanata North Business Association and Ruckify this Thursday, April 9 for our first ever Virtual Kitchen Party!

We invite you all to to hop on Zoom with us from 4-5 PM as we enjoy the traditional fun of happy hour from the comfort and safety of our own homes.

This public event is for entrepreneurs, professionals, and small business owners looking for a low-key way to wrap up their busy week. Grab a bevvy and some home-made appetizers, and join the party!

Our Special Guest this week will be Mr. Mark Taylor, Vice President United Way East Ontario.

A big thanks to our friends at events.com for their support on this event! Register HERE.

Finally, I again want to stress that as the COVID-19 situation unfolds, please be mindful of its impact on your mental health. It’s normal for situations like this to affect you and it’s completely OK to ask for help. If you need support, Distress Centre Ottawa is available 24/7 at 613-238-3311 or dcottawa.on.ca.

Sincerely,

Jamie Petten
President & Executive Director
Kanata North Business Association