COVID-19: Help for businesses in Ontario

• Applications now open: Ontario Small Business Support Grant

  Applications are now open for the new Ontario Small Business Support Grant, which helps small businesses that are required to close or significantly restrict services under the new Provincewide Shutdown effective December 26, 2020.

  With this new one-time grant, small businesses will be able to recover some of their expected lost revenue, starting at $10,000 and up to a maximum of $20,000.

• Rebates for PPE, property taxes and energy bills

  Businesses that are, or were, required to shut down or significantly restrict services due to provincial public health measures can apply for rebates to help with fixed costs, such as PPE, property tax and energy bills. Find out if your business is eligible.

• Affordable electricity bills

  As of 12:00 a.m. on January 1, 2021, customers who pay time-of-use or tiered electricity rates, including households, farms and small businesses, will be charged the off-peak rate of 8.5 cents/kWh, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

  This temporary emergency rate relief will be in effect for 28 days to support households and businesses impacted by COVID-19covid 19 public health restrictions. Customers will automatically see this lower rate applied to their bills.

• COVID-19covid 19 Energy Assistance Program for Small Business (CEAP-SB)

  We are providing $8 million to support small businesses and charitable organizations who are struggling to pay their energy bills as a result of COVID-19covid 19.

  Starting in January 2021, available credit amounts will increase and more businesses will be eligible to access funding. Customers may be eligible for up to $1500 in support towards their electricity and natural gas bills.

  Contact your electricity and/or natural gas utility to apply.

• Pausing commercial evictions

  We are temporarily stopping or reversing evictions of commercial tenants and protecting them from being locked out or having their assets seized during COVID-19covid 19. This applies to businesses that were eligible for the previous Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) for small businesses program or who have been approved for the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS).

  Learn more about temporary eviction rules.

• Pension contribution deferral and extension

  Deferring contributions

  If you're an employer who sponsers certain defined benefit pension plans, you can defer pension contributions due between October 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. You must file an application (called an "election") and pay deferred contributions, with interest and following a set schedule, by March 31, 2022.

  For contributions to be eligible for deferral, plans must:

  • be single-employer, private-sector defined benefit pension plans
  • not already benefit from existing special relief measures

  You can only defer contributions if they are up to date with any existing contribution requirements.

  To ensure you use the funds made available by deferring contributions to maintain your business operations, you will be restricted from:

  • paying out dividends or buying back shares
  • increasing previously established debt repayments
  • increasing executive compensation or paying executive bonuses
  • making loans or advances to shareholders or executives or entities related to them
  • engaging in business that provides advantageous terms to a related party, such as a parent company

  These restrictions will no longer apply after you've made all deferred contributions.

  Catch-up contribution extension

  As in any year, you may be required to make a catch-up contribution after a valuation report is filed for your pension plan, depending on how much was contributed to the plan before the report was filed.

  You have 120 days (instead of the usual 60 days) to pay any catch-up contributions on valuation reports filed on or before April 1, 2020. You do not need to submit an election (application) to get the extension.

  Find out more information on pension contribution deferrals, restrictions and how to apply.

• Employer Health Tax relief

  We permanently increased the Employer Health Tax (EHT) exemption from $490,000 to $1 million.

  Along with doubling the exemption, we doubled the instalment threshold from $600,000 to $1.2 million starting with the 2021 tax year.

  What this means for you

  As an employer, this means relief of up to $9,945 per year.

  The annual tax return form is not changing. Only the amount that you enter for the exemption claimed will change. Eligibility for the tax exemption and tax rates remain the same.

  Starting in 2021, all employers will begin remitting monthly instalments when their annual payroll exceeds $1.2 million.

  If your business no longer needs to make instalment payments or file an EHT return as a result of the increased exemption amount or instalment threshold, you do not need to notify the Ministry of Finance.

  Learn more about the EHT changes for 2021.

• Regional Opportunities Investment Tax Credit

  If your corporation is building, renovating or acquiring an eligible commercial or industrial building in a designated region in Ontario, you may be eligible to claim a tax credit of up to $45,000 in a year.

  The tax credit will be available to claim on your corporate income tax return.

  Learn more about the tax credit and if your project qualifies.

• Your responsibilities and employee protections

  Learn about employers' responsibilities, and get information about job protections available to employees including:

  • leaves of absence
  • taking vacation time
  • temporary layoffs
  • filing a claim

• Show your commitment to safety

  Consider making the POST Promise – a self-declaration that your business is working to help prevent the spread of COVID-19covid 19. Once completed, you’ll get tools to help educate employees on workplace safety. You can also display the POST Promise logo, which is a nationally recognized symbol of a business’s commitment to doing their part.

• Find PPE suppliers

  Access the Workplace PPE Supplier Directory to find personal protective equipment for your business.

• Sector-specific guidance and posters

  Get sector-specific guidelines and posters to help protect workers, customers and the general public.

  We have also developed guidance for transit agencies and passengers to help stop the spread of COVID-19covid 19.

• Develop your COVID-19covid 19 workplace safety plan

  Learn how you can create a plan to help protect your workers and others from COVID-19covid 19.

• Other helpful resources

  • Learn how to organize a private COVID-19covid 19 testing campaign at your workplace for asymptomatic individuals who are ineligible for testing under the COVID-19covid 19 Provincial Testing Guidance.
  • From the Government of Canada:
  • managing your business during COVID-19covid 19
  • support for businesses
  • Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses: COVID-19covid 19 Small Business Help Centre
  • Ontario Chamber of Commerce: Pandemic Preparedness Toolkit for COVID-19covid 19 (PDF)
  • Retail Council of Canada: Road to Retail Recovery Playbook

The Canadian government has made available supports for business during COVID-19covid 19.

If you or your employees are feeling anxious, experiencing other mental health or addiction challenges or you can’t access your regular in-person counselling support, there are services you can access online or by phone, including self-led support, peer support and internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy.

If you are currently receiving mental health and addictions services and supports, please contact your current service provider, including community-based mental health and addictions agencies. Many of these providers are modifying their services to move towards virtual care, meeting clients by phone or secure video-conferencing.

• Supply products and solve problems

  If your small business or organization has products, services or solutions that can help support our response to COVID-19covid 19, please tell us through our Ontario Together initiative.

• Help stop the spread by promoting the COVID Alert app

  Download the COVID Alert app and get free marketing materials for your website, print promotions, social media and more.