Week of June 22nd 2020

  Hi everyone! Just a reminder that you can now access these updates online.  Thanks to everyone who replies to my weekly updates with feedback and questions, it really makes my day to hear from you!  On to this week’s news:  

Canada Day Celebrations in Orangeville

  Great job to everyone who has decked out their windows in red and white and to those of you handing out flags to customers. It’s these little touches that really help to lift people’s spirits and show our pride for the community!  What a great opportunity to showcase some of your Canadian product lines in your windows too!   Don’t forget to send us a picture of your displays so that we can post to Facebook & Instagram!  Or, tag us in a post and we will share! It will be a different kind of Canada Day this year, that’s for sure, but the Town of Orangeville is encouraging everyone to “Paint the Town Red”. Town Hall, the Orangeville Public Library, and the Broadway medians will be illuminated with red flood lights.  Canadian Flags will line Broadway as well. The Town is also encouraging everyone to tune in to “Red Illumination”, a televised Canadian Heritage show, including fireworks.  View the news release here.   Canadian Heritage has released a celebration kit, featuring 45 ideas for Canada Day activities.   Feel free to share with family, friends, and customers!  

Are you Open?

In the ever-changing landscape of COVID-19, many customers are still wondering, who is open and when?    Can I walk right in or is it by appointment only? Are you still offering take-out and curbside pick-up?  Clearly stating this information on your social media pages and on your Google Business Page listing is so important!   It is also vitally important that you update your hours on the following platforms:   -Your Google Business Page -Your Website -Facebook -Instagram -Answering Machine -In-store signage   The OBIA updates the “Open for Business” list daily, but we know that some of you have been so busy with the task of re-opening that you haven’t had time to let us know that you are in fact open again!  If you have not done so already, please take a moment to view the list and make sure that your business is listed.  Please write back to this email to advise us if you would like to be added.  Thank you!   And don’t forget to add your business to the Town of Orangeville’s Business Resiliency Map.   Fill out the form on the right-hand side of the screen. Feel free to contact me if you need assistance!  

CEBA Update

  Last week I told you about some changes to the Canada Emergency Business Account eligibility requirements. Thanks to some information from one of our members, I have learned that sole proprietor’s looking to apply for CEBA may not be able to just yet.  The government is experiencing a delay with implementing the program.  I would still recommend at this time to contact your financial institution directly to apply.  They will advise you of next steps to take and contact you as soon as the program gets moving.  You can read more about the program here.   Another option that may be available to you is the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund. This fund seeks to provide support to southern Ontario small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are unable to access other federal COVID-19 relief measures.  Go here to apply.  

Re-Opening inDufferin Program

Earlier this week I sent you some information about the Re-Opening inDufferin program.  The benefits of registering include: access to free webinars, a free toolkit of re-opening resources, a decal for your window indicating to the public that you’ve received this specialized training, and a safety pledge that you can display in your place of business to communicate your safety commitment to staff and customers.  Not to mention peace of mind knowing that you’re taking all the necessary precautions! Once you’ve completed the program, inDufferin will also feature your business on their social media account.   Please see attached poster for more information.  Click here to register. [pdf-embedder url="https://downtownorangeville.ca/wp-content/uploads/Ready-to-Re-Open-Information-Poster.pdf" title="Ready to Re-Open Information Poster"]    

Product Photography Promotion

  True Nature Media is offering a product photography promotion for OBIA members. This is a great opportunity for our members thinking of selling or already selling on Shop Downtown Orangeville as they will provide you with 25 high quality product photos that you can use to sell online, for digital marketing, your website, and print advertising.  True Nature Media is local and does beautiful work! Please see the attached poster for more information.  

Good News Story

  Each week I hope to send you a positive update from one of our members.  If you have something uplifting to share, please get in touch!   Do you remember the Emerging Artists program we told you about back in March (some of you may remember me coming around with posters on a very snowy day!)?  This innovative program, run by the Ontario Musicians Cooperative and championed by our MP Kyle Seeback, the Town of Orangeville and our very own OBIA Task Force, aims to create youth employment in Orangeville by hiring emerging artists to work full time as street performers in Downtown Orangeville.   The young artists receive full training and secure employment for the summer, and their performances will attract both residents and tourists alike to come to Downtown Orangeville to shop, dine, enjoy, and hopefully stay longer!   Auditions were held in March (just before everything shut down) and we are happy to announce that Dufferin County has been approved for funding to hire up to 20 musicians!   That’s almost $90,000 to create youth employment in the region!  You won’t see any of the musicians on the street just yet due to COVID-19, but the training has moved online, and programming (including live streaming of performances) is set to begin soon!   We are hoping for live street performances beginning in August, but we will need to wait for approval from the Health Board.   A huge thank you to everyone who was involved in making this happen - it is wonderful to think that one day soon we will be strolling Downtown to beautiful music and pausing to take in some live performances.  This is something that we may have taken for granted in the past, but never again!     Have a fantastic weekend everyone, and Happy Canada Day!