Is it Time to Incorporate Your Business?
At some point in time, every business owner considers whether or not his or her business should be incorporated. The structure of a business is fluid and may change with time. Often small businesses initially take the form of a sole proprietorship or partnership but, as they evolve, a corporate structure is adopted to grow […]
Update on Temporary Ban on Evictions of Commercial Tenants
Below is an update to my previous blog, Temporary Ban on Evictions of Commercial Tenants Extended, posted on October 20, 2020. The temporary ban on commercial evictions, which was originally introduced in June 2020, has been further extended. In December 2020, the Protect, Support and Recover from COVID-19 Act (Budget Measures), 2020 (the “Act”) received […]
Temporary Ban on Evictions of Commercial Tenants Extended
An updated version of this blog was posted on March 2, 2021. On October 1, 2020, the Helping Tenants and Small Businesses Act, 2020 (the “Act”) came into force. The Act amends the Commercial Tenancies Act to prohibit landlords from taking certain actions against their commercial tenants if the landlord is or would be eligible […]
Ontario Government Introduces the COVID-19 Energy Assistance Program for Small Business
The Government of Ontario is making funding available to support small business and registered charitable organization customers who are having difficulty paying their energy bills due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the COVID-19 Energy Assistance Program for Small Business (CEAP-SB), eligible small businesses and registered charities will receive a one-time, on-bill credit to help them […]
Upcoming Changes to Ontario’s Franchise Legislation
The Ontario government recently confirmed that the long-awaited amendments to the Arthur Wishart Act (Franchise Disclosure), 2000, and the General Regulation, O. Reg. 581/00, made under the Act will be coming into force on September 1, 2020. Franchisors are welcoming these changes, which provide clarity to certain provisions of the legislation. In general, these amendments: […]
Ontario Announces Stage 3 Reopening – Nearly All Businesses May Reopen
Premier Doug Ford announced this week that 24 regions in the Province of Ontario, including the Ottawa Public Health unit region, may enter Stage 3 of the provincial reopening framework this Friday, July 17, 2020. On Friday, beginning at 12:01 a.m., nearly all businesses and public spaces in the affected regions will be able to […]
Government Announces New Programs to Help Small Businesses Go Digital
On June 11, 2020, the federal and Ontario governments unveiled a $57-million investment in the Digital Main Street platform that will assist up to 22,900 Ontario businesses to create and improve their online presence. The news release can be found here. The following three programs will be offered to businesses through the Digital Main Street […]
Ontario Government Proposes Temporary Ban on Evictions of Commercial Tenants (Updated June 19, 2020)
On June 8, 2020, the Ontario government announced its intention to introduce changes to the Commercial Tenancies Act in order to protect commercial tenants from being locked out or having their assets seized by their landlords as a result of the impact of COVID-19. The news release can be found here. If passed, the proposed […]
Small Business Relief Fund Launched by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (updated on June 2, 2020)
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Canadian Business Resilience Network, in collaboration with Salesforce, recently launched the Small Business Relief Fund, which will provide grants of $10,000 each to 62 small Canadian businesses in order to assist their recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and support their resilience. Businesses can use the grant funds to pay salaries, […]
