Archived - Assistance Available for COVID-19 Expenses Faced by Businesses

Ontario COVID-19 Small Business Relief Grant: Application Period Over

The application period for the Ontario Small Business Relief Grant concluded on March 11, 2022.

Eligible small businesses affected by the modified Step Two of Roadmap to Reopen received a grant of $10,000 through the Ontario COVID-19 Small Business Relief Grant.

Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program: Application Period Closed

Applications for the Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program for the period of December 2021 to February 2022 closed on March 14, 2022. New applications are not being accepted anymore.

The Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program aimed to assist businesses heavily impacted by provincial public health measures due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Qualified businesses received rebate payments for a portion of their property tax and energy costs incurred during these measures. Applications submitted before the March 14th deadline are currently being reviewed. If additional information is needed to process your application, you will be contacted directly.

Enhancing Cash Flow for Ontario Businesses

We are implementing measures to enhance cash flow for Ontario businesses by granting a six-month period with no interest or penalties for most provincially administered taxes. This initiative will:

• Support businesses during capacity restrictions
• Provide long-term planning flexibility for Ontario businesses

The six-month period began on January 1, 2022, and will end on July 1, 2022.

This measure will provide approximately .5 billion in relief for about 80,000 Ontario businesses. Businesses will have the option to postpone their payments for the following provincially administered taxes:

• Employer Health Tax
• Beer, Wine & Spirits Taxes
• Tobacco Tax
• Insurance Premium Tax
• Fuel Tax
• International Fuel Tax Agreement
• Gas Tax
• Retail Sales Tax on Insurance Contracts & Benefit Plans
• Mining Tax
• Race Tracks Tax

Property Tax and Energy Cost Rebates (October 2020 – July 2021): Program Now Closed

Applications for property tax and energy cost rebates for the period of October 2020 to July 2021 ended on July 30, 2021.

The property tax and energy cost rebates program provided support to businesses that were required to close or significantly limit services due to provincial public health measures. Eligible businesses were able to apply for rebates, which were given in the form of grants, to assist with their fixed costs.

Ontario Small Business Support Grant: Application Period Ended

Applications for the Ontario Small Business Support Grant concluded on April 7, 2021.

This grant provided assistance to small businesses that were obligated to close or substantially limit their services under the Provincewide Shutdown, effective December 26, 2020.

Starting at $10,000 for all eligible businesses, the grant offered funding of up to $20,000 to help offset the anticipated decrease in revenue due to the Provincewide Shutdown.

On March 24, the government announced a second round of support through this grant. Small businesses determined to be eligible automatically received a second payment equal to the amount of the first payment they received. No additional application was required.

With this second round of support, eligible businesses received a minimum of $20,000 and a maximum of $40,000 through the two Ontario Small Business Support Grant payments. To qualify, businesses had to demonstrate a revenue decline of at least 20% by comparing their monthly revenues in April 2019 and April 2020. This time frame was chosen as it reflects the impact of the public health measures in spring 2020, offering insight into the potential effect of the latest measures on small businesses.

Ontario Tourism and Travel Small Business Support Grant: Application Period Closed

Applications for the Ontario Tourism and Travel Small Business Support Grant closed on July 9, 2021. Applications submitted before the deadline are currently under review.

The Ontario Tourism and Travel Small Business Support Grant provided one-time payments ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 to eligible small businesses in the tourism and travel sector.

Organizations that submitted their applications prior to the specified cutoff date have the opportunity to verify the progress of their application by accessing the designated online platform. This platform can be accessed by clicking on the following link: [here].