To support businesses dealing with COVID-19, the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce has created a series of virtual events that will be posted on this page. Please check back often as we will continue to add the videos on this page.
The Vaughan Chamber hosted a workshop on Aug 25th focusing on PPE – where to source it & keeping your workplace safe. View the workshop to learn how to best adjust your work atmosphere with health and safety in mind for staff, clients, vendors and customers.
On July 21st, the VCC hosted a discussion focused on the impact of COVID-19 on the Fashion Industry. Featuring: Carrie Kirkman – President of Kirkman Consultant, Mary Turner – President of Town Shoes Limited, and Alison Coville – Canadian Retail Leader – Former President of Hudson’s Bay.
On July 14th, the VCC hosted a workshop around safely reopening retail operations to protect employees and attract customers.
The workshop featured advice and insight by Sebastian Prins, from the Retail Council of Canada, and Gunjan Syal from Emerald Technology Group. We were also be joined by speakers from Economic and Cultural Development at the City of Vaughan to talk about digital transformation.
Our speakers shared practical advice on the implementation of measures to ensure a safe workplace as well as understanding and adapting to new consumer behaviour as a result of COVID. The focus is on ensuring retailers are prepared as we move forward with reopening our economy.
The Vaughan Chamber was pleased to have Fiona Murray, Vice-President, Public and Government Affairs at @CNRailway join us on June 26th for a candid discussion on how to navigate the Canadian supply chain. Watch the full conversation here:
On June 22nd. the Vaughan Chamber was pleased to have VP & Deputy Chief Economist at TD, Derek Burelton join us for a conversation on how serious the economic impacts of COVID-19 are.
To watch the full video, please register here: https://bit.ly/30vFdev
The Vaughan Chamber hosted a special workshop on how to safely reopen your workplace by protecting yourself, your employees, and your customers on June 12, 2020. The workshop was led by Dr. Genesove from York Region Public Health, Bill Chen with Workplace Safety and Prevention Services, and Stuart Rudner from Rudner Law.
Our experts shared practical advice on the implementation of certain measures to ensure your business is prepared as we reopen our economy.
The Vaughan Chamber of Commerce hosted a virtual discussion on May 27th between Scotiabank Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist Brett House and MP Francesco Sorbara. Our speakers provided excellent insight into the long-term projections about the Canadian economic recovery from COVID-19. The topics covered ranged from details about Government programs for businesses to projections for equity markets and the future of international trade. We would like to thank our speakers for answering our member’s questions.
The Vaughan Chamber of Commerce hosted a Virtual Town Hall with all three levels of Government on May 26th, 2020 to connect policy makers with Vaughan’s business community. The discussion focused on business continuity and charting a roadmap to recovery. The Vaughan Chamber will also continue to connect with experts from all fields to guarantee businesses have access to the resources they require.
- Re-Opening Ontario’s Economy
- Health and Safety Guidelines for Businesses
- Business Continuity
- Managing a potential second wave
- Canada Emergency Business Account ($40k Loan)
- Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy
- Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistant
- Regional Relief and Recovery Fund
- Marketing & Advertising Strategies
- Social Media Presence and Tips
- Pivoting your strategies to accommodate changing landscape
On Wednesday, May 13th, 2020 we were pleased to have Arik Kalininsky, CEO of dalikoo.com, Tali Hasanov, Managing Director of WSI Digital Path Marketing and Joe Pampena, Principal & Business Coach at C4C Coaching-4-Change with us this morning to discuss leveraging the power of the internet to build relationships during the pandemic.
The discussion focused on a number of areas including:
- Leadership During COVID19
- Collaboration & Teamwork
- Communications
- 7 Tips to Pivot your Marketing
We were pleased to have MPP Minister Michael Tibollo and Mary Marano, Life & Family Counselling, Psychotherapist, and owner of Life & Family Counselling with us Friday, May 1st, 2020 to discuss mental health during COVID-19.
This important discussion focused on a number of areas including:
- Government resources for mental health
- Ways to reduce anxiety and stress during social distancing
- Mental health tips for employers and employees while working from home
Watch the full video here:
On April 30th, 2020 the Vaughan Chamber was pleased to have MP Francesco Sorbara and BDO Partner Lugigi Ciceretto join Vaughan businesses for an in-depth overview of CEWS and the recently announced Commercial Rental Assistance Program. Watch the full video here:
On Friday, April 24th, 2020, the Vaughan Chamber hosted a discussion on Employment Law with Miller Thomson LLP Partner, Inna Koldorf. The discussion focussed on:
- Government Support Programs for Employees
- Bringing Employees back to work
- Infectious Disease Emergency leave
The Vaughan Chamber of Commerce hosted its third Virtual Town Hall with all three levels of Government on April 22nd, 2020. We thank MP Hon. Peter Kent MPP Gila Martow, and Hon. Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua for answering questions submitted by our membership. The Vaughan Chamber will continue to work with all levels of Government to ensure that our members receive relevant information about programs to assist businesses during the COVID-19 crisis.
We highly encourage our members and the Vaughan business community to watch the video. Key areas discussed include:
- Support for students through emergency funds
- Rent relief measures *Continuity of municipal services
- Canada Emergency Business Account ($40k Loan)
- Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy
- Ontario’s economic recovery
- Business continuity and adaptability
- Canada summer jobs program
The Vaughan Chamber of Commerce hosted its second Virtual Town Hall on April 15th, 2020 with all three levels of Government and further enhanced the engagement with Vaughan’s business community. The Chamber will focus its efforts on ensuring Vaughan’s SMEs and the broader business community are aware of the relief measures that have been made available due to the impact of COVID-19. We will also continue to advocate for additional support to address shortfalls facing businesses.
We highly encourage our members and the Vaughan business community to watch the video. Key areas discussed include:
- Rental Concerns
- Canadian Economic Recovery
- Business and community compliance during COVID-19
- The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy and SME support
- Ontario Together Campaign-Repurposing to combat COVID-19
- Support for parents and children’s education
- Support for seniors and their families
- Digital Government and continuing services
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2T08JF1n74&t=3s
On April 8th, 2020, the Vaughan Chamber just hosted its first Virtual Town Hall with all three levels of Government. Featuring MP Francesco Sorbara, Minister Michael Tibollo and Hon. Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua. This Town Hall builds upon the outreach to Vaughan’s business community. The Chamber’s focus has been to both understand the impacts stemming from #COVID19 and to ensure businesses are aware of support being offered by all levels of Government. We highly encourage our members and the broader business community to watch the video. Key areas discussed include:
- 75% wage subsidy
- BDC Funding on the $40,000 loan
- Canada Emergency Response Benefit
- Supporting Seasonal Businesses
- Addressing Rental Concerns
On April 3rd, 2020, the Vaughan Chamber hosted a webinar discussing Financial Advice for Navigating COVID-19 featuring Frank Fazzari, Managing Partners, Fazzari + Partners LLP. Frank discussed important topics including:
- What businesses are doing
- Steps to preserving cash
- Where to obtain information
- Tax filing deadlines
- Government Programs (Employee Subsidies, CERB, Property Tax Deferrals, etc.)
