by admin | May 4, 2020 | Chamber News
May 4, 2020 – Burlington’s business support organizations, known as Team Burlington, are pleased to announce the launch of the Burlington Economic Recovery Network.
Comprised of Burlington Economic Development, the Burlington Chamber of Commerce, Burlington Downtown Business Association, Aldershot Village BIA, and Tourism Burlington, Team Burlington has been working closely over the last several weeks to support the business community in dealing with the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.
The Burlington Economic Recovery Network will bring together key stakeholders and business leaders from across Burlington to develop a recovery strategy that will prepare our economy for recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. The impacts of the global pandemic are already being felt locally and there is a strong need to align economic stakeholders and business support groups to position Burlington for short and long-term economic recovery.
In a joint statement made by the leadership of the Team Burlington organizations, “We’re being proactive. The Burlington Economic Recovery Network is a natural extension of the work Team Burlington is currently doing to support businesses in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. The creation of the network is about preparing businesses to come out strong on the other side and help our local economy recover. Meaningful advocacy, as well as business support and programming, will be key outcomes.”
The impacts of COVID-19 are already being felt in our community and will continue to be felt long after the state of emergency has ended. It is anticipated that in Burlington alone, just under 2,000 businesses and 29,000 jobs may be directly affected. The network will work together to advocate for business support at all levels of government, including targeted relief measures and stimulus funding for the hardest hit sectors, which include agriculture, retail, tourism, healthcare and hospitality. The network will also focus on cutting “red tape” to help all sectors rebound and get back to business.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward is looking forward to how the Economic Recovery Network will help businesses through recovery. “Our local businesses have not been immune to the negative economic effects of the COVID-19 emergency. I’m very happy with the work Team Burlington has done so far and the support and guidance they have been offering to owners and staff. I support the launch of the Economic Recovery Network as it will work to address, wherever possible, any gaps in existing supports, such as directing guidance to help manufacturers retool; clarity on direct contacts for supports at federally- and provincially-announced programs; and any constraints on our municipality to support. The Economic Recovery Network will be focused on seeing our businesses through COVID-19 and ensuring they can get back on their feet after this crisis and that’s the light at the end of this tunnel that we need.”
More information on the Burlington Economic Recovery Network will be posted on the Team Burlington COVID-19 one-stop-shop resource site, hosted on burlingtonchamber.com.
-30-
Media Contact
Claire Green
Manager, Marketing and Attraction
Burlington Economic Development
Claire.green@burlington.ca
by admin | Apr 27, 2020 | Chamber News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Team Burlington launches STAY HOME to Get Back to Business campaign to encourage people to support local business by staying home.
April 27, 2020 — On March 23, the Ontario Government mandated all non-essential businesses to close. Since then, every business across all industries have felt the effects, with the hardest hit industries being agriculture, retail, tourism, healthcare and hospitality. Team Burlington’s STAY HOME campaign will encourage people to practice physical distancing, and ultimately help businesses open their doors sooner.
It isn’t just the hardest hit industries that are feeling the impacts of the global pandemic. Businesses of all sizes and across all industries are experiencing unprecedented challenges, including significant and unforeseen revenue loss, the need to lay off staff, supply chain disruptions, and uncertainty about the future of their business and when they will be able to reopen. Simultaneously, businesses are also facing tremendous pressure to digitize and shift existing business models to include online and contactless pick-up and delivery options.
Team Burlington recognizes these challenges and plans to leverage their audience and networks to help get Burlington businesses open as soon as possible. The STAY HOME (to Get Back to Business) campaign reinforces the message that is consistent with public health officials — the sooner people STAY HOME, the sooner the business community can open their doors and get back to business.
“Businesses of all sizes are being impacted by COVID-19″ said Brian Dean, Executive Director of Burlington Downtown Business Association, one of Burlington’s two Business Improvement Areas (the other being Aldershot Village BIA). “We hope this campaign will help Burlington residents understand that their actions and choices during this time have direct consequences on our business community. We are getting asked a lot about how people can support their local businesses. One of the things you can do is stay home and practice physical distancing as much as possible.”
Craig Kowalchuk, Owner of Emma’s Back Porch and the Water Street Cooker and President of the Burlington Restaurant Association echoed Brian’s sentiment. “Temporarily laying off staff and closing down the restaurant has been one of the most difficult things I’ve had to do in my twenty-eight years of operations.” He went on, “You can help us get back to business by staying home, reduce your trips to the store and minimize contact with others. We can’t wait to welcome you back, for our twenty-ninth summer, but we can’t do that until everyone stays home.”
The STAY HOME campaign will be launched across social media, as well as through window decals displayed in the windows of downtown businesses. A video campaign featuring local business owners from across Burlington will also help spread the message.
For more information, visit the Team Burlington COVID-19 one-stop-shop resource site at BurlingtonChamber.com
About Team Burlington
Burlington’s business organizations which include Burlington Chamber of Commerce, Burlington Downtown Business Association, Burlington Economic Development, Aldershot Village BIA and Tourism Burlington have taken a coordinated approach in engaging and supporting Burlington’s business community. Their collaborative mission during this difficult time is to keep the business community informed and ensure relevant and timely information is distributed as soon as it becomes available.
Team Burlington has launched a one-stop-shop resource for businesses to turn to for information, resources and tools, and can be found online here. Other initiatives have included setting up a business support line, organizing multiple virtual support forums, and advocating for businesses for support and effective relief measures at all levels of government. Learn more about Team Burlington here.
Media Contact:
Samantha Statham
Manager of Marketing & Events
Burlington Downtown Business Association / BDBA
samantha@burlingtondowntown.ca
by admin | Apr 1, 2020 | Chamber News
(April 1, 2020, Burlington) The need has never been greater as our local economy continues to be dramatically weighed down by the daily impacts of COVID-19. Some small businesses have made the decision to close completely, others are working in reduced capacity. In times of unprecedented hardship our small businesses and independents often experience the brunt of this crisis. Your assistance is needed.
Small businesses are an essential part of our community. They are risk-takers by nature; many are family owned and many are residents of the community where their business is located. They are the entrepreneurs that hire our children, sponsor our teams, donate for our events – they are our neighbours.
Team Burlington, which is a collective of the combined talents of The Burlington Chamber of Commerce, Burlington Economic Development, Burlington Downtown Business Association, Aldershot Village BIA and Tourism Burlington, encourages residents to support small businesses online from the safety of their home. They have made seven suggestions:
- Shop small businesses online: even though their doors may be closed, many businesses are still offering on-line sales and incentives with no-contact shipping/delivery
- Order takeout or delivery: show your support to restaurants/eateries that are still offering takeaway options by ordering at home
- Purchase a gift card for future use: you may have to wait to use it but it provides cash to the business now when they need it most
- Submit a positive review online for your favourite business
- Connect online by following a few more local businesses and commenting on their posts
- Attend an online fitness workout: many fitness providers are offering classes from home virtually
- Support a local not-for-profit/charity: to the extent that you are able, please donate directly to local not-for-profits and charities to ensure that critical support continues to be available to those most vulnerable in our community
Brian Dean, Executive Director of the Burlington Downtown Business Association emphasizes “Shopping locally during this challenging time for Burlington business is more than a good idea, it is a necessity to help keep these small businesses flourishing”.
The days, weeks and months ahead are uncertain. These are your neighbours. This is your community. Small businesses need your support, now, more than ever. We’re all in this together.
Media Contacts
Samantha Statham
Marketing & Events Manager, Burlington Downtown Business Association
samantha@burlingtondowntown.ca 905.407.4057
Kelly Harris
Marketing Specialist, Tourism Burlington
Kelly.harris@burlington.ca 416.726.8359
by admin | Mar 31, 2020 | Chamber News
(March, 30, Burlington) – The Burlington Chamber of Commerce, Burlington Economic Development, Burlington Downtown Business Association, Aldershot Village BIA, and Tourism Burlington have joined forces to offer support and help Burlington’s Business community navigate the economic impacts of COVID-19.
While the Team Burlington name is not new, COVID-19 has renewed the group’s collaborative mission to keep the business community informed and ensure relevant and timely information is distributed as soon as it becomes available. “Right now, it’s about pooling resources for the collective benefit of the business community,” explained Anita Cassidy, Executive Director of Burlington Economic Development. “That means daily scrum meetings, sharing information, engaging subject matter experts and government officials, and asking the tough questions to ensure we know what businesses need now, and what they’ll need in the future to come out strong on the other side.”
The first thing Team Burlington did to support businesses during COVID-19 was to launch a one-stop-shop resource for businesses to turn to for information, resources and tools. With so much information rolling out every day, the website, which is hosted on burlingtonchamber.com, aims to provide the latest government updates, toolkits, support programs, economic relief information and resources all in place.
Carla Nell, President and CEO of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce also spoke to the power of working together.
“Our membership already trusts that we’ll take a strong stance to advocate for their interests. Through this team approach, we’ll be able to do even more and extend our reach further to ensure all businesses of all sizes and industries feel supported and heard during these difficult times, and to position them for recovery in the longer term.”
Team Burlington is planning a series of COVID-19 virtual business support forums to give business leaders the opportunity to ask questions and hear from subject matter experts and key government officials at the local and regional levels, as well as Provincial and Federal. One will also be dedicated to small business support. The first forum, dedicated to local and regional support, will take place on April 2 at 10 am. More details and registration information are available at burlingtonchamber.com.
The global COVID-19 pandemic is putting substantial pressure on the Burlington business community. Mandatory closures, necessary social distancing measures, layoffs and supply chain disruptions are putting immense pressure on businesses of all sizes. However, it is Team Burlington’s hope that through communication, advocacy, and the right relief measures, Burlington’s business community will remain steadfast in its short-term and long-term recovery from the impacts of COVID-19.
Media Contacts
Lindsay Stevenson
Strategic Communications Coordinator, Burlington Chamber of Commerce
lindsay@burlingtonchamber.com
289-208-2844
Claire Green
Manager, Marketing & Attraction, Burlington Economic Development
Claire.Green@burlington.ca
907-407-8840
by admin | Mar 21, 2020 | Chamber News
(Toronto, March 21, 2020) – Rocco Rossi, President & CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce released the following statement in reaction to the Government of Ontario’s launch of a new procurement portal, Ontario Together, that will help businesses and their employees work with the province to meet the challenges of COVID-19.
“All businesses across the province and country must shift their focus to the singular cause of slowing the pace of the transmission of the virus. The Government of Ontario’s new procurement portal is critical as it will remove barriers and speed up the process for the government to procure required goods and services and share creative solutions.
“Several of our members have already stepped up and offered to help support on-going public health efforts.
“I echo the Premier in stating extraordinary times call for extraordinary efforts. It is critical that we work collectively to identify the province’s supply challenges and solicit ideas and advice from Ontario’s business and manufacturing communities on how we can work together with government to meet the need.
“Public health and safety are priorities for us all. We applaud the Government of Ontario’s on-going leadership throughout the COVID-19 crisis.”
– 30 –
About the Ontario Chamber of Commerce
For more than a century, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has been the non-partisan, indispensable partner of Ontario business. The OCC’s mission is to support economic growth in Ontario by defending business priorities at Queen’s Park on behalf of its network’s diverse 60,000 members.
For more information, please contact:
Michelle Eaton, Vice President, Public Affairs, Ontario Chamber of Commerce at michelleeaton@occ.ca or 647-261-4594
HOW YOUR BUSINESS OR ORGANIZATION CAN HELP FIGHT CORONAVIRUS
The Government of Ontario is welcoming help from businesses and organizations who can supply emergency products and innovative solutions to support our response to COVID-19.
Click here to learn more.
