Good Afternoon All, Once again I'm asking for your help. April 1st is 6 days away and I know that many of you are concerned about your rent payments and relations with your property landlords. There currently is no safety net for commercial renters. Yesterday myself and some of our Board of Directors participated in a 2 hour conference call with Councillor Fletcher, members of the City's Economic and Development Division and all of the other BIAs located within Ward…

Hi Folks, I received some information from the City's BIA office .... you may already know some of what is included but I want to share just in case there is some new information that you don't have. Also, I have asked about the fact that the new BDC loan strategy will not be available to bars, restaurants and clubs. I don't know why so I'm trying to find out. Any info I get I will pass on to you.…

Good Morning All, First I would like to thank you for your generous outreach this past weekend to our area Kennedy House. They're in need and despite the situation we all find ourselves in, those of you who are able reached out to offer help. I've always believed that we have the best BIA and the best members but the generosity and kindness that you showed to others in need this weekend just reaffirms my beliefs. Thank you so very…

Good Afternoon All, First, I hope that everyone is managing as best they can during this extremely difficult time. For the past few days your Board of Directors and myself have been working with our representatives from our 3 levels of government and TABIA (Toronto Association of BIAs). The emergency efforts that the governments have announced are a start but there are things that need to be quickly addressed. It is my strong belief that we need to look after…

Good Afternoon All, I know that this has been a hellish week for everyone. The first part of the week has been dealing with closures and partial closures and major concerns about finances - paying rent, salaries, bills. Your Board Chair, Albert Stortchak, and I had a phone conversation with our MP Julie Dabrusin this morning to discuss the financial situation that our business members are facing. We feel there are 2 important paths: the first being immediate financial assistance…

Good Evening All, This is a follow-up to my earlier message - as you know things evolve and change rapidly each day. This afternoon Toronto's Medical Office of Health, Dr. Eileen de Villa, has strongly recommended that all bars, dine-in restaurants, nightclubs and theatres close effective 12:01am Tuesday, March 17/20. She is encouraging food businesses to provide takeout and delivery options. The full statement is attached to this email for your review; and below is the link to this afternoon's…