Dear Honourable Rod Phillips, Chair of Ontario Jobs and Recovery Committee Government of Ontario for Ministry of Finance:
On behalf of the members of the Economic Developers Council of Ontario. Ontario Business Improvement Area Association and the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, we would like to commend the Province for the creation of the Ontario Jobs and Recovery Committee.
While the work of the Recovery Committee is referred to in many press releases, the mandate is thus far unclear. Our members have been contacting our collective organizations with questions, some of which are: what are the terms of reference of the Recovery Committee; how and when will this Committee engage the Stakeholders in soliciting advice to support jobs and economic recovery post-COVID-19; and we are aware of the structure of the Advisory Panels created by the MHSTCI and would ask for clarity around how other Ministries will be approaching the solicitation of advice?
EDCO, OBIAA and TIAO, and our collective members, stand together in the fight to recover from the COVID-19 crisis, but each organization will have defined roles moving forward. We (EDCO, OBIAA and TIAO) feel it is crucial to have an integrated approach. Our organizations are each engaged with partners from across the globe and can bring a wealth of knowledge to the committee. While we have been vigilant in communicating with the Province, our Municipalities and the Government of Canada, for the most part we have growing and unanswered concerns for our collective economies. All three organizations are pivotal in building and celebrating our communities that are the cultural fabric of our heritage and backbone of Ontario’s economy. …communities that are being lost as each day passes.
Many of our members are small businesses that support local artisans and musicians who drive tourism to our rural communities. Currently their urgent need is paying their rent. While we feel the OCECRA made strides, we are increasingly seeing, hearing and reading that landlords may not apply for this program. Evictions are happening now and only those whose landlords apply for the OCECRA are protected. We are proposing three amendments to the program: Put rent relief in the hands of the tenants. To accomplish this, we recommend that mandating all landlords to enrol in CECRA if their tenants qualify; freeze rent evictions by passing legislation for a moratorium on commercial evictions for a minimum of six months (to be applied to tenants who were in good standing as of March 15); and that the 70 per cent threshold be reviewed and, if necessary, reduced (e.g. a 70 per cent threshold if your rent is above $5,000 and 50 per cent below $5,000).
Organizations, such as ours, have growing concerns in the cost to our collective members. We have credibility with our members and in our industries and can provide two-way access to our members which can provide viable solutions for your recovery team.
We stand united in offering our assistance in the rebuilding of the communities and the economies of our Province and urge you to work closely with us. We are key partners in recovery.
Yours sincerely,
Heather Lalonde, Economic Developers Council of Ontario; Kay Matthews, Ontario BIA Association; and Beth Potter, Tourism Industry Association of Ontario
