CONNECT 2020 - Summer Edition

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THE VOICE OF BUSINESS IN MISSISSAUGA

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VOLUME 15 ISSUE 3 SUMMER 2020 COURTESY: LEGENDS ROW MISSISSAUGA

the loss of

a legend WE SAY GOODBYE TO

IGNAT “IGGY” KANEFF 1926 - 2020 PAGE 7

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@mbotontario

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CONTENTS ARTICLES

VOLUME 15 ISSUE 3 | SUMMER 2020

9

Mississauga Battles COVID-19 — Restart Your Business Safely >

10

Feeling Uncertain During Times of Uncertainty

17

What to do when the Bank Comes Knocking

20

Not So Risky Business

22

No Unicorns Need Apply

24

Helping Your Business: Cerca Applications

27

Protecting Remote Desktops at Home

28

Business as Usual in Unusual Times

34 Identifying “The Gap” > 36

Working from Home: The Long Game

< the loss of a legend WE SAY GOOD BYE TO IGNAT (IGGY) KANEFF PAGE 7

IN THIS

ISSUE

5

Chair’s Message

12

The Political Round Up

7

President’s Message

31

Events at a Glance

8

Upcoming Events

37

MBOT Referal Program

8

Affinity Savings & Discounts

38

New Members

FROM OUR CHAIR

2020

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

THE VOICE OF BUSINESS IN MISSISSAUGA Established in 1961, Mississauga Board of Trade proudly serves as a the Chamber of Commerce for the sixth largest city in Canada – the third largest city in Ontario. Mississauga Board of Trade represents all businesses in Mississauga. MBOT’s large, diverse and active membership has made us one of the most vibrant business associations in Canada. As the “Voice of Business” we advocate on policy issues that impact local business at all levels of government, and are influential in helping to shape policy decisions. MBOT also offers a wide variety of valuable business services and professional development programs, networking events and marketing opportunities, to help business grow, prosper, and get connected.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: • • • • • • • •

Susanne Balpataky, Speigel Nichols Fox LLP | Chair Ken Tencer, Syderworks | Vice-Chair Lucie Shaw, Nurse Next Door | Vice-Chair Jim Molyneux, MNP | Immediate Past Chair Mary Ann Wenzler-Wiebe, BDC | Treasurer Steve Rhone, Weston Forest Products Ellen McGregor, Fielding Environmental David Wojcik, MBOT-President & CEO (Ex-officio)

DIRECTORS: • • • • • • • • • • •

France Dube, AstraZeneca Steve D’Agostino, Avega Parveen Dhupar, BTI Brand Innovations Inc. Sameer Sharma, Crown Hotels Adam Nowak, Gallagher Insurance Eileen Waechter, Greater Toronto Airport Authority Linda Kern, Kern Group Amy Delisle, Keyser Mason Ball, LLP Janet Wardle, MHI Canada Anne Liisa Longmore, Sheridan College Andrew Stelmacovich, University of Toronto Mississauga

PUBLISHER: David Wojcik President & CEO ceo@mbot.com EDITOR: Kelsey Lusk Communications Editor klusk@mbot.com DESIGN & LAYOUT: Katika Integrated Communications Inc. www.katika.com ADVERTISING INQUIRES: advertising@mbot.com PRINTING: Katika Integrated Communications Inc. www.katika.com

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES:

Solange Barcena at sbarcena@mbot.com

EDITORIAL INQUIRIES:

Kelsey Lusk klusk@mbot.com

DISTRIBUTION: Katika Integrated Communications Inc. www.katika.com PHOTO CREDIT: John Goldstein, Andrea Marchant

ADVERTISERS INDEX Credit Valley Conservation Exit Planning Group Gold Media Insuranceland KMB Law Mr. Rooter Plumbing 4

701-77 City Centre Drive Mississauga, ON L5B 1M5

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JD Factors Pacific Paving TD Wealth Scale Up Institute - RAP Toronto Region Board of Trade

37 39 11 23 2

T: (905) 273 6151 E: info@mbot.com W: www.mbot.com

mbotontario © 2020. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or copied in part or as a whole, without the prior written permission of the Mississauga Board of Trade (MBOT). Advertising content and the comments, views and opinions expressed CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3 herein are those of contributors and do not necessarily constitute endorsement by MBOT. Publication Agreement Number 40012444.

FROM OUR CHAIR

COMING OUT OF

Lockdown

– Where Do We Go from Here?

We have now been living in the midst of a pandemic for over 4 months and in that time, every facet of our lives has changed. While COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on certain sectors of the economy and led to the demise of many businesses, the pandemic may also bring some positive changes to our economy.

Although times remain challenging, there are more opportunities for innovation and differentiation than ever before and as restrictions are slowly eased, businesses must turn their focus to competing in a significantly changed marketplace. Many businesses face lessened demand, new customer expectations, and challenges arising from COVID-related health and safety requirements. There is no doubt that recovery will take time. There is some encouraging news: according to Statistics Canada, after shedding over one million jobs in a three-month period, Ontario added approximately 378,000 jobs in June and its unemployment rate is down to 12.2 per cent from 13.6 per cent the previous month.

As the return to work begins, many of the temporary measures taken by businesses to survive the immediate crisis will need to be implemented on a more sustainable basis. The COVID-19 crisis has forced businesses to rethink how they operate and has acted as a catalyst for creating more efficient and customer-attuned enterprises. By way of example, online shopping has proven to be one of the pandemic’s biggest success stories. Online sales

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

more than doubled in April and now account for close to 10 per cent of everything sold in Canada — the biggest percentage to date. The crisis spurred many businesses to expand their online presence and enabled them to withstand the crisis.

As the economy slowly reopens, we need to build on those methods that have given businesses the resilience to withstand the test imposed by the pandemic.

Although digital transformation has been ongoing for some time, it is clear that COVID-19 has significantly accelerated that transformation. As well, the pandemic appears to have eliminated much of the lingering resistance to working remotely. The priority now is building on these gains. In the longer term, businesses need to consider how to accelerate digital and workforce transformation while meeting the changing expectations of customers, employees and society as a whole.

While it is natural to yearn for a return to normal, events to date have shown that the pandemic has caused a fundamental reset in the way many businesses operate. Arguably, those who would simply return to the way things were will likely struggle to survive in the post-COVID-19 environment. By contrast, those businesses that are innovative, nimble and digitally focused are the ones best positioned to thrive in the post-COVID-19 reality. 

SUSANNE BALPATAKY 2020 MBOT Chair Speigel Nichols Fox LLP

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FROM OUR PRESIDENT

THE LOSS OF A LEGEND – We Say Good Bye to Ignat (Iggy) Kaneff

DAVID WOJCIK

President & CEO Mississauga Board of Trade

If there was ever a self-made man, Iggy Kaneff was the poster child. He was a tough negotiator with a penchant for philanthropy. Everything Iggy did, he did with zeal. If a project was worth doing, Iggy climbed on board and ran to the front of the train to drive. And, if he couldn’t drive, he used his influence and resources to keep the train on the track and moving forward.

When he talked about his first days in Canada, he would reminisce of the many insults and put downs he was forced to endure, while he built his empire from scratch. Shortly after arriving in Canada in 1951, Iggy secured work with Gordon Shipp, the founder of Shipp Corporation. Iggy built homes alongside another legend of Mississauga, Harold Shipp. In the winter, when Shipp did not have enough work for him, Gordon Shipp, Harold’s father, referred Iggy to a friend who was looking for people to work during the winter months. Iggy recalled how he walked from Dixie and the QEW to Rexdale to earn a living.

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

Iggy would do this, without complaining until the boss realized how long Iggy’s commute was and arranged for him to ride to and from work with a fellow employee. Iggy would recall his first accommodation in Mississauga, in the garage, of a house he would eventually buy. This rough beginning would be the cornerstone that set Iggy on the course to build quality houses, apartment and commercial buildings along with paving the way to the construction of his own golf course. I was fortunate to have many conversations with Iggy. He appeared at times, crusty on the outside, but he had a heart full of compassion and reason. He was a literal history book of Mississauga with a mind like a steel trap and a passionate way of telling a story.

Next to family, golf was his passion.

It bordered on obsession. Who would have thought that an errant golf ball on Old Carriage Road, crashing through the window of a house Iggy was building, would lead to the creation of a spectacular golf course. When the “golf ball incident” happened, he told friends, how this little dimpled ball invaded his project and now added the cost of replacing a window to the house. These same friends would convince Iggy that golf was a sport he should embrace, which he did. After being declined for membership at a private golf club because of his heritage, Iggy set his sights on building his own course. Open to the public for all to enjoy, regardless of ethnicity. It began in 1987 when he purchased the farmland, which would become Lionhead and on May 15, 1991,

Lionhead was unleashed on the world.

A truly magnificent golf facility with all the trimmings of the best courses in Canada, if not the world.

He had the same passion for philanthropy. If Iggy Kaneff believed the cause was worthy, his full backing would be thrust behind the project.

He hosted hundreds of charity golf tournaments at Lionhead and backed hundreds of events to raise money for a host of recipients including our own University of Toronto Mississauga. He was always visible in the community and supported countless events by attending and providing sponsorship.

In the category of giving, Iggy punched way above his weight.

Now, we are left with a memory of the man, who is Iggy. I will miss his piercing stare and his cheeky smile. I will miss poking fun at his political views, which he was always ready to defend with vigor. I will miss his guidance and wisdom and I will miss the firm handshake that I had grown to look forward to.

I regret not being able to do my final interview with Iggy after the release of his biography, “Becoming A Somebody”.

We were set for an early April date once he returned from his Florida vacation home but then COVID-19 forced a rescheduled date which never was to be.

But I am fortunate to cherish many fond memories and take comfort in saying, Iggy Kaneff, the Legend, was and will forever be remembered as my friend. 

7

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TELECOM

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

MEMBER TALKS

Mississauga Battles COVID-19 –

RESTART YOUR BUSINESS

SAFELY

As the City of Mississauga reopens during phase two, business owners ponder what they need to do and where to get Personal Protective Equipment.

First, all companies should follow the advice of the Province of Ontario and their local municipalities, and second, take appropriate steps to protect their employees and customers.

The Provincial website for Official Ontario Workplace PPE suppliers (https://covid-19.ontario.ca/workplaceppe-supplier-directory), lists sources for Masks, Face Shields, Gloves, Hand Sanitizers, and more. Due to the global pandemic, supplies are limited, and prices fluctuate due to increasing costs of raw materials.

A fair price for N95 medical face masks is approximately $9.00. Health Canadaapproved consumer grade KN95s cost about $5.00. Most businesses and consumers require only 3-ply masks with a filter in the middle layer. These range from 75 cents to $1.30 each, available in boxes of 50 or 100 pieces.

With suppliers estimating product shortages to continue for several months, I recommend purchasing a month’s supply of the appropriate

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

masks, gloves, hand sanitizers, and any other PPE you deem advisable for restarting your business. Waiting times for the arrival of incoming product can be thirty days, by ship.

Unless you absolutely need N95, medical-grade masks, it’s advisable to order the consumer-grade products, leaving the N95s available for frontline, essential workers.

“...supliers estimating product shortages to continue for several months, I recommend purchasing a month’s supply...”

While there is currently a seven-day average waiting period for trucks to access the Shanghai Airport to load cargo planes bound for world markets, a local Mississauga business has two Boeing 767s returning weekly with PPE for our federal and provincial governments, hospitals, and nursing homes.

Buy your PPE from approved suppliers, and review the SGS reports or Health Canada certifications, to confirm you are receiving safe, approved, effective products.

DARREN DOBSON

Journalist and National Account Manager Protect Canada

As an MBOT member, I’m available to answer any questions your business may have. You can reach me via email at darren.dobson@protectcanada.ca. 

9

Feeling Uncertain During Times of Uncertainty The Market Cycle of Emotions

It’s ok to feel uneasy Some Canadians may be experiencing feelings of uncertainty regarding their investments amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting market volatility.

We understand. Between evolving news coverage, new working and living conditions and a turbulent economy to boot, it’s perfectly normal to feel unsettled right now.

I’m staying the course...so what can I do?

Focus on what you can control.

Here are some considerations to help: Put physical distance between you and the markets

 Put a daily limit on your investment news consumption.

Your investments are likely not the ones you are seeing in the news

 Be an informed consumer of social media. Check the Our brains are hard wired to feel anxious or nervous when we feel physical, emotional and financial stress. We’re also naturally hard wired for action. But not all action is good action. When it comes to your investments during COVID-19, it may be wise to

Stay the Course It may feel like you should take action, but depending on your personal circumstances, it may not be the right course of action for you right now.

source. Stick with the facts.

 Consider the frequency you check your investments.

Put mental distance between you and the markets

 Reconnect with your vision and values.  Revisit your goals and your plan – has anything changed?

Remember: your advisor designed an investment strategy that took into account rises and falls in the market

 Portfolios are designed to weather the storm over the long term in accordance with your risk tolerance

Have a conversation with your advisor

 If you haven’t already, speak with your advisor to help put your mind at ease. We are here to navigate these uncertain times together, and we’re ready to help.

The information contained herein has been provided by TD Wealth and is for information purposes only. The information has been drawn from sources believed to be reliable. The information does not provide financial, legal, tax or investment advice. Particular investment, tax, or trading strategies should be evaluated relative to each individual’s objectives and risk tolerance. TD Wealth represents the products and services offered by TD Waterhouse Canada Inc., TD Waterhouse Private Investment Counsel Inc., TD Wealth Private Banking (offered by The TorontoDominion Bank) and TD Wealth Private Trust (offered by The Canada Trust Company). ®The TD logo and other trademarks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank or its subsidiaries.

Helping you achieve the financial future of your dreams With a TD Wealth Financial Planner, you’ll receive a personalized financial plan designed to help you reach your goals.

Faarah Ibrahim BA (Hons), MA Financial Planner TD Wealth Financial Planning 25 Watline Avenue, suite 203 Mississauga 905-501-7669 faarah.ibrahim@td.com https://financialplanners.td.com/faarah.ibrahim/

Ryan Burns B.Comm. (Hons), CFP Senior Financial Planner TD Wealth Financial Planning 25 Watline, suite 203 Mississauga 905-890-6595 ryan.burns@td.com https://financialplanners.td.com/ryan.burns/

Contact us today to get started.

TD Wealth Financial Planning is a division of TD Waterhouse Canada Inc., a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank.

TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. – Member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund. ® The TD logo and other trade-marks are the property of M06284 (0317) The Toronto-Dominion Bank.

The

THE POLITICAL ROUND UP

political

ROUND UP

Local & Regional THE MISSISSAUGA BOARD OF TRADE IS THE VOICE OF BUSINESS AT THE CITY OF MISSISSAUGA AND REGION OF PEEL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT.

COVID19 PANDEMIC All Governments have been focused on the effects of the COVID19 pandemic on the economy and general way of life. Local governments like the City of Mississauga and Region of Peel have enacted a number of initiatives to assist business during this unprecedented time.

The Mississauga Board of Trade was constantly engaged in this issue including advocating for business support programs and business reopenings as soon as possible.

Property tax and utility payment deferrals, special rules to allow restaurant patios to expand and 12

waiving of fees for permits have all been approved. The Region of Peel Public Health Department has been the lead on determining the re-opening of business during the pandemic.

Mississauga City Council passed a bylaw in July 2020 to make the wearing of masks mandatory in all indoor spaces including businesses.

Peel Region provides excellent resources for businesses as they reopen to ensure they do so in a healthy and safe way. Visit https://www. peelregion.ca/coronavirus/ for more information.

The City of Mississauga Economic Development Office has also played CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

THE POLITICAL ROUND UP

a very important role in providing support to business during the COVID19 pandemic. The Mississauga Board of Trade is a strong partner with the city to help businesses as they deal with the effects of this situation.

There are lots of good resources at: https://web.mississauga.ca/city-ofmississauga-news/covid-19-recovery/ guidance-for-businesses/.

TOURISM MISSISSAUGA The City of Mississauga has established Tourism Mississauga and appointed a Board of Directors to oversee tourism activities in the city. The Mississauga Board of Trade is part of the corporation to ensure the voice of business at large is included in its work.

The Corporation is funded through the Municipal Accommodation Tax which is a 4% charge on overnight hotel and motel stays and is remitted to the City of Mississauga. In a typical year, this could yield as much as $10 million of which 50% of that money must be allocated to Tourism Mississauga.

Work is very much ongoing to make Mississauga a strong tourism destination for sports, cultural, artistic and business activities.

More can be found at www.visitmississauga.ca.

MISSISSAUGA CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION PLAN The City of Mississauga has adopted a Climate Change Action Plan to help minimize and prepare Mississauga for the impacts of a changing global climate. The Plan sets out specific goals the City wishes to achieve.

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

“Work is very much ongoing to make Mississauga a strong tourism destination for sports, cultural, artistic and business activities.”

The first goal is Mitigation to reduce corporate and community GHG emissions 80% by 2050, as compared to 1990 levels, with a long-term goal of becoming a net zero community and position the City competitively in the emerging low carbon economy. As this is a ten-year plan, an interim GHG reduction milestone of 40% by 2030 has also been set.

of cannabis stores throughout Ontario, should re-consider its decision.

The second goal is Adaptation to increase resilience and the capacity of the corporation and community to withstand and respond to future climate events by taking action on the highest climate-related risks.

OFFICIAL PLANS

MBOT is actively involved as a stakeholder in this to ensure the voice of business is included in the plan’s development. MBOT is a nonvoting participating member of the City of Mississauga Environmental Action Committee.

The City of Mississauga is now looking at programs and services that could be offered to businesses to help them achieve GHG reductions and energy conservation. It will also partner with groups like Partners for Project Green which has access to funds for similar programs.

CANNABIS RETAIL STORES The City of Mississauga decided at its December 12, 2018 Council meeting, that it will opt out and not allow privately-operated cannabis retail stores in Mississauga.

MBOT believes that this was a shortsighted decision and that Council, now armed with the success of the roll-out

Recent events and the rise of illegal dispensaries in Mississauga have led some politicians to ask that the City of Mississauga re-consider its decision to opt out. MBOT will continue its advocacy role to get Mississauga City Council to change its decision in 2020.

Both the City of Mississauga and Region of Peel are reviewing their official plans in 2020 which is a statutory requirement under the Planning Act. While most of Mississauga is developed, the Official Plan still sets out important terms for redevelopment and intensification as well as land use definitions. MBOT will be involved in these reviews to ensure that valuable employment lands are protected, and that residential encroachment does not threaten existing business uses.

NOISE BY-LAW REVIEW The City of Mississauga is reviewing its two noise by-laws in an effort to modernize them and have them better reflect community concerns. MBOT is involved in this review to ensure that business operations are not unfairly affected by any proposed changes.

While many businesses are adapting to environmental sensitivities some operations do create noise issues. The potential changes will cover aspects such as the complaint response process, residential and construction noise exemptions, permitted periods for amplified sound and noise thresholds.

13

THE POLITICAL ROUND UP

2021 CITY OF MISSISSAUGA BUDGET The City of Mississauga presented a preliminary 2021 budget to City Council in late June 2020 along with an update on the financial impact of COVID19 on the City’s 2020 budget. The City has established seven financial recovery principles to provide guidance in making financial decisions throughout the pandemic recovery. These include: •

Public Health is the first priority

•

Preserve the long-term strength of the property tax base

•

Comply with legislation

•

Allow other levels of government time to fulfill their mandates

•

Use reserves appropriately to manage financial challenges

•

Deviation from the financial plan should not be permanent

•

Assess approved and future budgets and business plans to reconfirm priorities, including service levels

Staff will continue to refine the budget and look for ways to trim the proposed increases. Early numbers show the equivalent of a 9.2 per cent budget increase to the City’s 2021 Operating

Budget due primarily to a 5.7 per cent increase from the COVID-19 impacts on revenue and costs and a 2 per cent infrastructure levy to help the City maintain existing roads, bridges and buildings and plan for their upkeep in the future. Foregoing the 2 per cent infrastructure levy would result in a loss of $90 million in revenue over ten years, slowing the City’s ability to renew and build new infrastructure.

This would be the equivalent of a residential property tax increase of 3.24 per cent while businesses would see a 1.98 per cent increase on their bills for the city portion of the tax bill.

provincial government MBOT WORKS VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR PARTNERS AT THE ONTARIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (OCC) ON ISSUES WITH THE ONTARIO GOVERNMENT. OUR COMMITTEES WORK HARD LOOKING AT RESOLUTIONS, POLICY DOCUMENTS, GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS ON CONSULTATIONS TO ENSURE THE VOICE OF MISSISSAUGA BUSINESSES IS ADVANCED ON PROVINCIAL ISSUES. MEMBERS OF MBOT ARE AUTOMATIC MEMBERS OF THE ONTARIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE OCC, PLEASE VISIT WWW.OCC.CA.

BUSINESS RE-OPENINGS DURING COVID19 On June 24, 2020 the Government of Ontario allowed businesses in Peel Region to move to Stage 2 of reopenings after more than three months of mandatory business closures due to the health pandemic. Most retail, personal service stores and outdoor patios at restaurants and bars were permitted to open.

The Ministry of Labour, Skills Development & Training has developed guidelines for return to work and help on how to develop a workplace safety

14

plan for business. It can be accessed at https://www.ontario.ca/page/developyour-covid-19-workplace-safety-plan.

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce has developed a business support package as well. It can be accessed at https://occ.ca/covid19/.

COMMERCIAL TENANT EVICTION MORATORIUM The Government of Ontario enacted legislation that prohibits commercial tenancy evictions in light of COVID19 from May 1 – August 31, 2020 if the

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

THE POLITICAL ROUND UP

ELECTRICITY RATES

landlord and tenant qualify for the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program.

Landlords and tenants are encouraged to participate in the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) for small businesses. The pause on evictions does not apply to those participating in CECRA for small businesses, as the program requires landlords to enter into a rent reduction agreement with their impacted small business tenants and commits them to a moratorium on evictions for three months.

“...developed guidelines for return to work and help on how to develop a workplace safety plan for business..”

The Ontario Government announced that companies that participate in the Industrial Conservation Initiative (ICI) will not be required to reduce their electricity usage during peak hours, as their proportion of Global Adjustment charges for these companies will be frozen. The Ontario government is helping large industrial and commercial companies return to full levels of operation without the fear of electricity costs spiking by providing more stable electricity pricing for two years.

federal government MBOT MEMBERS ARE ALSO MEMBERS OF THE CANADIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (CCC) WHICH IS THE NATIONAL VOICE OF BUSINESS TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. MBOT STAFF AND COMMITTEES EXAMINE ISSUES AND RESOLUTIONS OF THE CCC AND PROVIDE MISSISSAUGA’S INPUT. MORE INFORMATION ON THE CCC IS AT WWW.CHAMBER.CA.

COVID19 The Government of Canada has developed significant support programs for businesses and workers during the COVID19 pandemic. Some of the programs include: •

Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy

•

Canada Emergency Response Benefit

•

Canada Emergency Business Account

•

Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program

All of these support programs provide direct financial assistance to businesses and/or workers to help offset the financial situation caused by COVID19.

More information on all of the programs is available at https://www.canada. ca/en/department-finance/economicresponse-plan.html.

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

CANADA-UNITED STATES-MEXICO (CUSMA) TRADE AGREEMENT On July 1, 2020, the new CUSMA trade agreement became in effect. Signed on the margins of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018, CUSMA outcomes preserve key elements of the long-lasting trading relationship and incorporate new and updated provisions that seek to address 21st-century trade issues and promote opportunities for the nearly half a billion people who call North America home.

CANADIAN BUSINESS RESILIENCE NETWORK The Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) along with several other national

15

THE POLITICAL ROUND UP

“The POST Promise is a self-declaration that a business is working to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

business associations established the CBRN to help Canadian businesses through the COVID19 pandemic.

In partnership with the Government of Canada, it created a coordinated, business-led, inclusive campaign in both official languages, with the overarching goals of mitigating the impact of the pandemic on our economy, our communities and our citizens, and positioning business to help drive Canada’s economic recovery.

The overarching goal of the campaign is to mitigate impacts on business and the economy and build resilience against future shocks. To achieve this goal, CBRN helps businesses to: Prepare – By providing insights, best practices and tools to help businesses be ready to sustain operations through the crisis, and a potential second wave, and to plan for a strong and speedy recovery.

Persevere – By advocating for timely and effective economic policy and stimulus, providing information and insights to inform decision-making and highlighting services to support operational health.

Prosper – By introducing new policy recommendations, program ideas and recovery initiatives that can be implemented while remaining vigilant about COVID-19.

16

For full details on the program, visit https://www.canadianbusiness resiliencenetwork.ca/.

CBRN SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF FUND SUPPORTS TWO MBOT MEMBERS The Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Salesforce announced on June 29, 2020 that 62 businesses received a $10,000 grant from the CBRN Small Business Relief Fund.

More than 1100 small businesses across Canada applied to the relief fund. The recipients best demonstrated their financial strain, how the business will use the grant to change or innovate, how the change or innovation will sustain the business’s recovery and allow it to prosper, and how the grant will support the role each business plays in their community.

The fund was managed by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and made possible through the generosity of Salesforce. The funding was designed to help small businesses across the country stay afloat and support their recovery efforts, paying salaries, retrofitting their workplaces and acquiring technology to adapt their business model.

MBOT is proud to announce that members AGS Rehab Solutions and Sensyst – The Business Interiors Group were recipients of the grant.

PEOPLE OUTSIDE SAFELY TOGETHER (POST) The Government of Canada has created the POST program in association with Canadian business. The POST Promise is a self-declaration that a business is working to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Once completed, a business is provided with the necessary communication and implementation tools to educate employees on the five key steps to workplace safety, which were created to be consistent with what has been recommended by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

To participate in the program go to https://www.postpromise.com/. 

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

EDITORIAL

WHAT TO DO WHEN

THE BANK COMES

KNOCKING

THE ADVANTAGES AND RISKS OF ENTERING INTO A FORBEARANCE AGREEMENT WITH YOUR LENDER.

COVID-19 is creating financing difficulties for all businesses.

It is now harder to pay lenders and suppliers. What can you do about these financial difficulties? Is bankruptcy the only option or is there something less disruptive than a formal restructuring that can help?

A forbearance agreement with lenders can give your business the time it needs to recover from the crisis, move forward and avoid insolvency. But is a forbearance agreement always the right plan for your business? And what effect will the terms in a forbearance agreement have on your ability to continue operating?

WHAT IS A FORBEARANCE

AGREEMENT?

A forbearance agreement is an agreement by a lender not to enforce the strict terms of a loan agreement.

Usually, forbearance agreements arise because a borrower has defaulted either by failing to make loan payments or because of some other non-monetary breach. The lender is in a position to enforce by suing for judgment, commencing power of sale proceedings or moving to appoint a receiver.

Instead of taking these steps, the lender agrees to give the borrower additional time to find alternate financing to pay off the loan or to cure the default in some other way.

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Recently, in light of the COVID-19 shutdowns and the related economic impacts forbearance agreements are coming up in a different context. Some lenders, anticipating that borrowers will not be able to make loan payments, are reducing the payments to allow borrowers to ride the crisis out in the hope that business will return to a level that will allow full payments at some point in the future.

WHAT ARE THE COMMON TERMS IN A FORBEARANCE

AGREEMENT?

For the borrower, the most important terms will deal with when payments have to be made and in what amount.

If the loan is in default then the entire amount will be due and owing. The lender will want the loan paid off but the borrower will need additional time to find other financing.

In these circumstances, the forbearance agreement will usually provide that, for a set period of time, the borrower can continue making the regular monthly payments even though there is a default and the entire amount is due. The forbearance agreement will specify when the entire amount is due and in the meantime, the borrower will try to find an alternate lender or an alternate source of funds to pay off the loan.

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EDITORIAL

FORBEARANCE AGREEMENTS DURING COVID-19 In the current COVID-19 environment the goal of the forbearance agreement is a bit different. The goal is not to end the relationship between lender and borrower. Instead, the goal is to allow the borrower to work through a short but particularly difficult period with the hope that at the end of the emergency the borrower’s business will return to something close to normal and the borrower will return to making regular loan payments.

In this case, rather than continue with the regular loan payments, the forbearance will reduce or eliminate the loan payments for the duration of the forbearance period. The payments may be reduced to interest only, the interest rate may be reduced, or the payments will be changed in some other way but the result will be to reduce the amount that the borrower has to pay at a time when the borrower is unable to pay.

Now that the borrower has what it wants, the question remains:

WHAT WILL THE LENDER ASK FOR IN

A FORBEARANCE AGREEMENT?

The lender will ask for terms to cover its expenses of entering into the forbearance agreement, reduce its exposure to risk and make enforcing easier if it becomes necessary.

The lender will incur legal fees to negotiate the forbearance and its own internal fees for the additional administration of the forbearance terms.

As part of the agreement, the borrower is usually required to pay a forbearance fee and the lender’s legal fees. The legal fees will be the actual amount that the

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lender pays to its lawyer to negotiate the forbearance agreement. The forbearance fee is not directly linked to any specific expense the lender can show. It may look like a windfall to the lender however bear in mind that the lender has to spend additional time negotiating the forbearance agreement and administering it. The forbearance fee covers these additional expenses.

A lender, especially a secured lender, will want to make sure that the borrower protects its priority. Certain debts, such as unremitted H.S.T. or source deductions or unpaid property taxes will rank ahead of a secured creditor. The lender will want to make sure that these payments are made.

The lender will want to see proof that property taxes, source deductions and H.S.T. have been fully paid on the date that the forbearance is entered into and that these payments are made regularly during the forbearance period.

The lender will also want to avoid lending any more money. This means revolving loans, such as lines of credit, are usually capped during the forbearance period. Even if there is room to borrow more the borrower will agree that the limit will be reduced to the current outstanding amount. This may also mean that any payments deposited into the borrower’s account will be used to pay down the loan and cannot be withdrawn again.

Similar to ensuring that the lender does not lend more, the lender will want to make sure that ongoing revenues are not being rerouted to other lenders.

Lenders will regularly ask the borrower to get similar forbearance relief from its other lenders. This avoids the risk to one lender that its forbearance terms are being used to pay down another lender but it is also useful for a borrower to use to negotiate forbearance terms with other lenders who may otherwise be reluctant.

Finally, the lender will want more detailed information about the borrower’s ongoing business. Usually, a borrower will have to provide annual financial statements to its lender so that the lender has a general sense of the borrower’s business. With a forbearance agreement in place, whether because of a breach or because of a COVID-19-type crisis the lender will want more current information about the borrower’s business. At the very least a borrower can expect to have to provide monthly statements but biweekly or even weekly reporting is not unheard of. This gives the lender a much more current sense of the state of the business and whether quick action to enforce is needed.

Now that the lender has reduced its exposure, we come to another question:

WHAT CAN THE LENDER ASK FOR TO MAKE ENFORCEMENT OF

THE FORBEARANCE AGREEMENT EASIER? The first term that a lender will ask for to assist in enforcement is an acknowledgment of the outstanding amount and that the loan documents (the loan agreement and any related guarantees or security documents) are valid and enforceable. The lender will want the borrower to confirm exactly how much is owing to avoid any dispute about the amount down the road. The lender will also want the borrower and any guarantor to confirm that the borrower or guarantor will not dispute the loan agreement and, often more importantly, the security agreement and guarantees that go with the loan agreement.

In addition to acknowledgments of the amount owing, the borrower will often ask for additional security for loans.

This may take the form of guarantees

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EDITORIAL

from the principals of the business or related companies, mortgages against the homes of principals or security against the assets of related companies.

The most useful term for a lender to assist in enforcing is a consent to judgment and a consent to the appointment of a receiver. Under normal circumstances, a lender has to go to court and prove its case to get a judgment or an order appointing a receiver. With a consent in hand, this process is much quicker. It still requires going to court but the lender no longer has to prove its case since it can rely on the consents.

ARE THERE ANY RISKS TO A BORROWER IN ENTERING INTO

A FORBEARANCE AGREEMENT?

At first blush, a forbearance agreement seems like an obvious choice for a borrower. Lower payments and more time – what’s not to love? But there are risks in entering into a forbearance agreement, ranging from higher overall costs to additional time spent on reporting to losing the right to dispute enforcement.

In the current COVID-19 environment forbearance agreements are being used to reduce monthly payments.

Payments may be reduced to interestonly or waived altogether during the crisis. However, the payments are not forgiven.

The skipped monthly payments are either capitalized, increasing the amount that has to be paid back, or future monthly payments are increased to make up the difference. This means higher payments in the long run and potentially higher monthly payments in the near future. While reducing payments now may be useful, it is

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important to consider whether the business can bear increased payments at a future date.

The additional reporting requirements that come with a forbearance agreement will take time and often cost additional money. Either the borrower’s management will have to prepare the reports, taking them away from running the business, or the borrower will have to pay accountants or other external professionals to prepare the reports. The additional reporting will tax the business at a time when it is already strained because of its financial situation.

There are also risks associated with capping the borrower’s facilities and using any deposits into the borrower’s accounts to pay down the facilities. If this happens, where will the borrower get funding to run its operations during the forbearance period? It is important to negotiate a forbearance agreement that allows the borrower to keep operating. If the borrower does not have the required funds to operate then it will fail to the detriment of both its owners and the lender.

Granting additional guarantees means exposing the owners of the business personally or other related businesses.

One of the greatest advantages of a corporation is separating the corporation’s liabilities from the assets of the owners or other related corporations. Guarantees take away this protection.

Acknowledging the amount that is owing and the validity of the loan documents and to an even greater degree consenting to judgment or the appointment of a receiver takes away the borrower’s ability to dispute any enforcement.

For example, in the current COVID-19 environment courts may be reluctant to appoint a receiver to allow a lender to seize assets, especially if there is no direct risk to the lender of assets

being dissipated and the borrower can show that it has a chance of finding alternate financing if given enough time. By consenting to the appointment of a receiver the borrower loses any such rights.

A guarantor may also lose potential defences by signing a forbearance agreement. A guarantor may be able to avoid liability by arguing that the terms of a loan changed after the guarantee was signed. By signing the forbearance agreement, which includes an acknowledgement that the guarantee is valid and an acknowledgement of the amount that is owing, the guarantor loses the right to argue that any changes to the terms of the loan from when the guarantee was originally signed invalidate the guarantee.

HOW DO YOU MITIGATE THESE

FORBEARANCE AGREEMENT RISKS? You should not blindly sign a forbearance agreement. Don’t be lulled by lower payments and more time. It is important to understand your business and to know how the new forbearance terms fit with your operations. It is also important to know what is possible.

You won’t get more time without giving something to your lender.

Understanding what the lender wants and why is key to understanding what the options are.

At KMB Law we act for both lenders and borrowers. We listen to understand your business needs and we know what lenders want. We can help negotiate a forbearance agreement that will work for both you and your lender. If your company is facing financial difficulty and you are considering entering into a forbearance agreement, contact: Wojtek Jaskiewicz at wjaskiewicz@kmblaw.com or visit our website at www.kmblaw.com. 

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MEMBER TALKS

N

T SO

Risky Business This article is part of Credit Valley Conservation’s Greening Corporate Grounds Take Sustainability Outside series. We’re challenging businesses to think outside the box when it comes to corporate social and environmental sustainability.

Business risk related to climate change is a hot topic. The earth has given up quietly nudging us to change the way we work, resorting to more extreme measures to convince us that business as usual just isn’t working.

DEBORAH KENLEY

Senior Coordinator, Greening Corporate Grounds Credit Valley Conservation

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More frequent rainstorms are challenging our aging infrastructure. Consequently, insurance costs are on the rise and investors, insurers and governments are asking business to demonstrate they have climate resilience plans in place.

Long-term resilience planning needs to address operational and physical climate risk factors. While operational sustainability has become commonplace, landscape sustainability is less commonly discussed but increasingly important. Here’s four simple steps to help you start planning for property resilience.

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MEMBER TALKS

STEP 1:

UNDERSTAND THE RISK

Future-proof your business

Grey infrastructure is the traditional humanengineered way of managing stormwater. For example, our parking lots and walkways are sloped toward catch basins, and downspouts on many buildings connect directly to the storm sewer system. Intense rainfall can overwhelm this infrastructure, increasing the risk of severe flooding and catastrophic property damage.

Invest in nature with Greening Corporate Grounds

STEP 2:

IDENTIFY YOUR RISK Property location, and the ratio of green space to hard surface area, can also play a role in determining climate-related risk related to extreme weather and flooding. The best way to calculate your risk is through a property assessment. Once you’ve identified high, medium and low-risk areas, you can begin exploring opportunities for your property.

STEP 3:

DISCOVER OPPORTUNITIES Green infrastructure uses nature to help manage stormwater where it falls. It’s a sustainable way to reduce climate risk on your property.

There are many types of green infrastructure projects. Common examples include tree planting, permeable paving and vegetated ditches or swales.

STEP 4:

GET ADVICE AND CREATE A PLAN CVC’s Greening Corporate Grounds offers resources and advice to businesses. We help you reduce climate risk with green infrastructure projects. Together, we can determine which project is best suited to your property. Your project could also qualify your property for a stormwater charge reduction through the City of Mississauga’s Stormwater Credit Program.

Join a community of business leaders taking the lead in environmental sustainability by changing the way you landscape your property.

• Transform sustainability goals into action • Reduce conventional landscaping costs • Prepare your property for climate change Become a member of Greening Corporate Grounds to receive up to $5,000 worth of sustainable landscaping design services.

Discover a better way of doing business.

Visit cvc.ca/gcg or contact us for a free site assessment: gcg@cvc.ca or 905-670-1615 ext 439.

Contact us to arrange a free site assessment today. Visit cvc.ca/gcg or connect with us directly at gcg@cvc.ca. 

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

21

MEMBER TALKS

NO

Unicorns

NEED APPLY

A new approach to innovation can level the playing field for emerging businesses – and leave Silicon Valley in the dust.

KEN TENCER Spyder Works Inc.

Silicon Valley has brought us many dreams that have turned sour: social media that is anything but; billion-dollar platforms fuelled by minimum-wage labour; but the Valley’s most tarnished dream may be the “unicorn” – which in venture-capital parlance refers to a precocious startup that grows to be worth a lofty $1 billion.

Around the world, millions of entrepreneurs are working seven days a week to create the next Uber, Airbnb, DoorDash or Instacart. Fuelled by big ideas and too much coffee, they follow the ultra-competitive Valley model – fail fast, then pivot – in their quest to win successive rounds of venture funding. Their ownership in their own companies may be diluted down to fractions of 1%, but all will even out when these entrepreneurs achieve their billion-dollar dream.

But of course, most will never get there.

Just a few hundred companies in the world have become unicorns, and that includes many innovative firms that got there through decades of hard work and incremental success. Silicon Valley’s winner-take-all model developed not to promote innovation, but to help the VCs spot potential unicorns as early as possible. The rest “run out of runway” or fall victim to their “burn rate,” whichever graphic metaphor you prefer.

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That’s not the only problem. Startup culture often relies on untried young people because only they have the energy to work for free (i.e., equity) at the pace the Valley demands. More experienced business leaders might be better equipped to lead innovation initiatives, but their organizations rarely have a culture that embraces uncertainty and risk.

of established businesses with the resources and customer relationships to make successful innovation an everyday core competency.

In these turbulent times, innovation deserves much better.

While money can provide you a sudden jolt, the tools of entrepreneurship can give you wings. Spotting opportunities, testing your assumptions, assessing the market size, scoping out the competition and learning to commercialize, these will transform your ideas into marketchanging products and services.

As the CEO of a consulting firm that helps businesses unlock their full potential, and the author of two books on innovation, I’ve spent years developing a better model. So, with the help of my partners, a brilliant team and a few brave clients, we’ve developed our own formula for generating innovation. We’ve taken new-product development back from the VCs, and put it in the hands

In mythology, there is a beast rarer than the unicorn. It’s the alicorn, a winged unicorn. The alicorn not only flies circles around unicorns; it’s said to possess other magical abilities, too.

Where Silicon Valley sees innovation as a continuum of risky “moonshots”, Intraprise° helps create stronger, sustainable businesses built to soar. 

“Innovation, after all, isn’t about products; it’s about meeting customers’ needs. Not just the needs they can explain clearly, but the deeper, fundamental needs that only reveal themselves when you work side-by-side.”

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 2

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MEMBER TALKS

Helping Your Business:

CECRA APPLICATIONS

WHO CAN APPLY AND WHAT IS COVERED

During the COVID-19 economic crisis, both commercial landlords and commercial tenants have suffered material impacts to their business and revenue streams. On April 16, 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced the Canadian Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (the “CECRA”) program to assist landlords and tenants in dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CECRA program is administered by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (the “CMHC”). The program assists small business tenants by lowering their rental payments by 75%.

The following is a primer on the basics of understanding whether you as a landlord or tenant are eligible for the CECRA program and what is needed to apply.

Rent Responsibility Of the 100% basket of gross rent, responsibility for payment is as follows:

OLIVER DE GUERRE KMB Law

24

1. The Tenant is responsible for covering no more than 25%.

2. The Landlord is responsible for no less than 25%.

3. The federal and provincial levels of government would share the remaining 50%.

Landlord Eligibility Requirements 1. The program applies to commercial landlords of real property located in Ontario which is occupied by an eligible small business tenant.

2. This program applies to commercial properties only. In the event that the properties are mixed-use or have a residential component, they are still eligible, but must include at least a 30% commercial component and the program will only relate to the rents paid under the commercial tenancy.

3. In the initial April 25 announcement, it was stated that the landlord would have to have a mortgage secured on the real estate which was occupied by the Tenant, however this has since changed to include unencumbered properties.

4. The landlord must have entered into a rent reduction agreement for the period of April, May, and June 2020 that will reduce the tenant’s gross rent by 75%, and this agreement must include a stay on evictions or terminations for the period of April, May, and June.

5. Landlords must have declared rental income on their tax return for tax years 2018 and/or 2019, however if the property is recently acquired or

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MEMBER TALKS

newly constructed, then landlords may still be eligible, provided that they meet the other program requirements.

6. Landlords and tenants who are not at armâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s length (e.g. a holding company and an operating business who are both owned by the same controlling mind) are eligible for the CECRA program as long as there was a valid and enforceable lease agreement in place prior to April 1, 2020 on market terms.

Tenant Eligibility Requirements 1. Both tenants and sub-tenants who meet the requirements are eligible.

2. Tenants must be paying less than $50,000/month in gross rent per location.

3. The $50,000 monthly gross rent cap applies per location and not collectively across all outlets of a franchise, but the tenant must have no more than $20 million in gross annual revenues, calculated on the companies 12 month financial period at the parent level.

4. The tenant must have temporarily ceased operations (meaning they have no revenues) or have experienced a drop of at least 70%

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in pre-COVID-19 revenues. This is determined by comparing revenues in April, May or June to the same month in 2019, or to average revenues in January and February 2020.

5. Revenues are based on ordinary activities using normal accounting methods and should exclude extraordinary items.

6. Not-for-profits and charitable organizations are also considered eligible, provided that they too meet the requirements.

Expressly Excluded Tenants 1. Tenants who are owned by individuals holding political office.

2. Tenants that promote violence, incite hatred, or discriminate.

3. Tenants that have entered their lenderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special accounts program or restructuring group prior to March 1, 2020.

Gross Rent Gross rent includes base rent, as well as regular monthly installments of operating costs, property taxes, maintenance, repairs, and utilities. As most leases are net leases, these are typically included.

Costs Expressly Excluded from Gross Rent 1. Damages and indemnity payments.

2. Payments arising due to tenant default/landlord enforcement.

3. Payments arising due to landlord exercise of self-help remedies.

4. Interest and penalties on unpaid amounts.

5. fees payable for discrete items or special services.

6. Reconciliation adjustments payments.

7. Amounts required under the lease agreement to be paid separately by the tenant to third parties.

8. Costs of non-monetary obligations (repairs and maintenance which are not covered by regular monthly installments).

9. Insurance proceeds or proceeds from other rent subsidy programs.

10. Sales taxes, including HST.

The Application Process 1. The landlord applies on behalf of all eligible tenants. Tenants have no way of compelling a landlord to apply.

2. The landlord must submit one application per property.

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MEMBER TALKS

3. The application is open for submission until August 31, 2020.

4. The application by the landlord includes: a. Tenant’s Attestation – which includes an integrity declaration whereby the tenant confirms that they are eligible. b. Landlord’s Attestation – similar to the Tenant’s attestation, confirms that the landlord is eligible and will comply with the program. c. Rent Reduction Agreement – samples are provided by the government, however custom forms may be drafted insofar as they include provisions which comply with the intention of the program. i. this includes that from the commencement of the CECRA period, until the later of (1) 3 months after the date the application is made, or (2) the date on which the tenant is no longer receiving any rent reduction or credits under the agreement, the landlord is prohibited from pursuing an eviction of the tenant for any default arising from COVID-19. ii. This agreement is conditional upon final approval of the application to CECRA. d. Landlord also must complete the Property Owner Forgivable Loan Agreement which sets out the terms and conditions of the loan.

Conclusion At KMBLaw, our commercial real estate department has been advising on hundreds of CECRA applications.

If you are a commercial landlord or tenant, we strongly advise you to look at the CECRA program and reach out to your advisors to determine if you are eligible. If you wish to discuss the CECRA program and whether or not it applies to you, please contact Oliver De Guerre at KMBLaw, 905-276-0419, odeguerre@kmblaw.com. 

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DOCUMENT CERTIFICATION SERVICES AVAILABLE AT MBOT

EXPORT DOCUMENTS

RECOGNIZED WORLDWIDE

•Certificates of Origin •Shipping •Business Visas •Government Related •And More

In Office and Online Options Available

CONTACT Ann Cozzi acozzi@mbot.com 905-271-6151 ext. 220

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

MEMBER TALKS

PROTECTING

REMOTE DESKTOPS AT HOME

Are you or your employees working from home?

Whether this is a new environment for you, or you have been doing it all along, there are some things to consider when working remotely.

You may find that you or your employees are now using personal devices to connect from home, or perhaps you’ve brought your work device home with you for the time being. Whatever the case, you should be asking yourself, what am I doing to protect this device? And what am I doing to protect my business network?

Setting up your device at home is only the first step. Once it is set up and working seamlessly, it is time to think about how you are going to protect it from external vulnerabilities.

THESE VULNERABILITIES CAN COME FROM: 1. Receiving both business and personal emails to the same device, increasing the chance of a phishing attack.

2. Clicking on social media advertisements or links that could lead to having personal information compromised.

3. Mixing business with pleasure; browsing sites that could have hidden threats during off-hours.

ROBERT BAIRD

CEO and President LOGIX Data Products Inc. www.logix.ca

4. Not having proper safety policies implemented on a new device.

5. Opening a remote connection that could be hijacked by a criminal without even realizing.

To be clear, your employees are likely not intentionally practicing risky behaviour. Usually when a security breach happens, it is because the end

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

user is uninformed of the dangers, and/or there is no dedicated team responsible for monitoring safety policies and ensuring they are being followed.

You may have had a staff member or IT professional performing consistent check ups on your computer a few months ago while everyone was working in an office environment. They would be in charge of ensuring updates are being installed correctly, consistent scans are being run to check your device’s health, performing real-time reporting against malware and other threats, and completing backups to complement your recovery point objectives. All of the things that we took for granted in the past may be overlooked in our new environments.

The good news is that no matter where your employees are, or which device they are working on, there’s an easy way to make sure your business network (and by association your data) is protected. As we always say, it’s easier to prevent a data disaster than to recover from one.

It’s important to educate your employees about new security policies, and how to spot fraudulent activities such as email phishing attacks, and remote desktop scams. However, you cannot rely on anyone to be 100% secure 100% of the time, and that’s why you must use protection. 

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MEMBER TALKS

Business as Usual In Unusual Times How Our Essential Plumbing Business Makes It Work During the Global Pandemic

By Mike and Vesna Kolakovic, Owners Mr. Rooter® Plumbing of Mississauga ON

D

uring the COVID-19 global pandemic, essential businesses like plumbing have been key to ensuring people have access to the products and services they need to survive. We provide plumbing & drain service critical to preserving health and basic societal functioning.

From getting ready in the morning to washing dishes after dinner, our communities depend on their plumbing on a regular basis. We are dedicated to supporting our customers and the important work we do across our communities.

But nothing has been business as usual.

As we move through a year where it’s more vital than ever to disinfect, sanitize, and prevent the spread of virus and disease, properly working plumbing and access to clean potable water are critical to world health.

COVID-19 (coronavirus) is an evolving issue Mr. Rooter Plumbing is monitoring closely and its impact on our community. The news regarding the COVID-19 virus continues to change hourly. The health and safety of our employees, our customers and our community is our highest priority during this time. While we cannot control the unpredictability of this virus, we can take preventive measures to limit the spread and impact of COVID-19.

FRANCHIS E OF THE YEAR 2019

● ● ● ● ● ●

technician prior to arrival.

We use floor mats to clean our shoes before entering your home We put shoe covers on to protect your floors and prevent tracking in dirt After knocking on the front door, the tech takes 3 steps back.

We provide you with an electronic invoice of the work performed We wipe down work area with disinfectant solutions at the completion of every service call We wear single-use gloves in your home or business

Additional Measure We Are Taking To Prevent The Spread Of COVID-19

● After knocking on the door, the tech takes 6 steps back.

Understanding Our Role in the Big Picture

● We all KNOW the proper coughing & sneezing etiquette and hand washing protocol

Properly working plumbing that delivers clean water and prevents disease isn’t a wish — it’s a necessity. Our mission is to keep our employees, customers, and communities safe. We can do this by being diligent and smart with every business interaction.

● We all have masks

By understanding that we have an important role to play in the health of our communities, we can empower our professionals to work with the pride and knowledge that they’re fulfilling an important job.

Hard soap solidifies as it dries out, which means that it can end up sticking to the sides of your pipes. Switching to liquid soap stops this from happening.

Strict Adherence to Existing and COVID-19 Protocol Over the past 25 years our Plumbing Professionals have already been using best practices to maintain the health and safety of themselves and our customers. ● ● 28

Professionals always park their trucks in clear view.

We let our customers know the name of the

● We use alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available. ● Plumbing Professionals are dispatched from home enforcing Physical Distancing ● We will wipe down all of our tools with disinfectant solutions at the completion of every service call ● Prior to first morning dispatch, the dispatcher calls us to see if we are healthy and able to work ● Although all of our team members are doing well, we do have a protocol in place in case someone does come down with symptoms

What You Can Do

● When calling in to book an appointment, please inform our Customer Service Representatives whether anyone in your home has been out of the country in the last 14 days OR if there is anyone in the home with flu like symptoms. Our CRS’s will do there very best to secure your call booking in advance when there is no risk in spreading the COVID-19 virus.

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MEMBER TALKS

What You Can Do cont’d..

You Do cont’d.. ● What Please beCan patient when calling in to book an appointment.

If you get a message “All Circuits are Busy” please ● Please be patient when calling in to book an appointtry again right away.

Due to COVID-19, everyone is ment. If you get a message “All Circuits are Busy” please working fromright homeaway. & forwarding the workeveryone phone lines try again Due to COVID-19, is to their cell phones.

As& a result, the cell phone towers working from home forwarding the work phone lines to their cell phones. As a&result, thedelays. cell phone towers are getting overwhelmed causing are getting overwhelmed & causing delays. ● By working together, and following the latest accurate ● By working together, andset following latest accurate information and guidance by the the Government of information andHealth guidance set by the Government of Canada and World Organization (WHO), we can Canada andto World Organization (WHO), we can all do our part slowHealth the spread of this virus. all do our part to slow the spread of this virus. ● If there are any requests you may have prior to the ● If there are any requests you may have prior to the Plumbing Professional coming out to your home, let our Plumbing Professional coming out to your home, let our CSR’s know andand they willwill dodo everything CSR’s know they everythinginintheir theirpower power to accommodate you. to accommodate you.

Pre-Screening Customers Pre-Screening CustomersBefore BeforeVisits Visits

We take no chances.

Before a techniciansteps stepsfoot footinside inside aa We take no chances.

Before a technician residence, we our do our diligence throughpre-screening pre-screening to to residence, we do duedue diligence through ensure a safe work environment. ensure a safe work environment.

We the ask the customer if anyone the homehas hastraveled traveledin in We ask customer if anyone in in the home the past 14 days or has flu-like systems.If Ifthe theanswer answerisisyes yes to to the past 14 days or has flu-like systems. either, we book out the service by 16 days.

We also communieither, we book out the service by 16 days. We also communicate our protocol to reassure the customer what we’re doing cate our protocol to reassure the customer what we’re doing on our end to keep them safe. on our end to keep them safe.

Honoring Our Technicians’ Comfort Level

Honoring Our Technicians’ Comfort Level

We employ 15 plumbers & their health & safety is of the We employ 15 plumbers health safety is of the utmost importance to & us..their As such, we& want to protect them utmost importance to us.. So, As if such, we wantisn’t to protect them to any extent possible. a technician comfortable with a particular jobSo, for if any reason, thenisn’t he can pass on it to any extent possible. a technician comfortable any worry that thereason, decision willhe negatively withwithout a particular job for any then can passimpact on it his job. without any worry that the decision will negatively impact

his job.

Continual Communication

During this pandemic, each person’s comfort level with Continual Communication

conducting business, or receiving service, is different. We’ve During this pandemic, eachare person’s comfort level with found that our customers smart and ask a lot of questions, conducting business, ortoreceiving service, is different.

We’ve so we take our time answer them.

When they grill us, it found that our customers are smart and ask a lot of questions, also gives us a sense of comfort because we feel that they so we take time answer them. When grill us,our it too are our taking thetoright precautions, whichthey helps keep also technicians gives us a safe. sense of comfort because we feel that they

too are taking the right precautions, which helps keep our We work hard to ensure transparency and communication technicians betweensafe. the two of us and our employees, and between our

business We want everyone to be comfortable We work hardand to customers. ensure transparency and communication with how we’reofoperating, and we continually between the two us and our employees, and communicate between our whatand we’re doing to mitigate and promote positivity business customers.

We wantrisk everyone to be comfortable withand howgoodwill. we’re operating, and we continually communicate what we’re doing to mitigate risk and promote positivity and goodwill.

All Digital

All Digital We offer our customers solutions that may mean less social

contact.

For customers example, we couldthat takemay payment oversocial the phone We offer our solutions mean less for the customer to lessen the opportunity to give you their contact.

For example, we could take payment over the phone credit number without to hand credit card to for thecard customer to lessen thehaving opportunity to their give you their the service professional credit card number without having to hand their credit card to the service professional As we interact with customers, we have also implemented

As we interact with we have also implemented a digital system tocustomers, avoid personal contact.

For example, we anormally digital system to avoid personal contact. but For example, we of use iPads to collect signature, now, instead normally usedevice iPads to collectthe signature, butsign now, instead of passing the around, tech can COVID19 on the passing theline device around, the tech can sign COVID19 on the signature with the customer’s permission. signature line with the customer’s permission.

We don’t accept cash and we no longer hand out hard copies

We don’t accept cash and we no longer hand out hard copies of paperwork or business cards. All of our invoices are elecof paperwork or business cards. All of our invoices are electronicallyemailed emailedtotothe the customer. tronically customer.

ConsistencyininPricing Pricing Consistency

Unlikeother otherservice servicebusiness, business, prices haven’t changed Unlike ourour prices haven’t changed duringCovid-19.

Covid-19.We Wework work a flat book that’s during offoff of of a flat raterate book that’s the the same can bebe easily compared withwith samefor foreveryone everyone––and and can easily compared competitors. like knowing we’re consistent withwith competitors.Customers Customers like knowing we’re consistent pricing usus hithit a closing raterate of about 90%,90%, pricingand andthis thishas hashelped helped a closing of about despite overall callcall volume is still down. despitethe thereality realitythat thatour our overall volume is still down.

Our toto your home to diagnose youryour Our Technicians Technicianswill willcome come your home to diagnose plumbing charge to to youyou & will always givegive you you plumbingproblem problematatnono charge & will always the exact price of the job before doing any work. Customers the exact price of the job before doing any work. Customers tell us that they love our transparency & we have found that tell us that they love our transparency & we have found that it builds trust with our customers. it builds trust with our customers.

Strategic Advertising

Strategic Advertising

We want our customers to know they can trust us, so we’ve We wantinour customers to know they can trust us, we’ve engaged strategic advertising through Facebook andsopayengagedcampaigns. in strategicWith advertising Facebook and per-click the rightthrough messaging, we can letpayour customers and prospects know thatmessaging, we’re an essential per-click campaigns.

With the right we can let service, we’re open, we’re taking thethat rightwe’re precautions to our customers andand prospects know an essential keep them healthy safe.we’re taking the right precautions to service, we’re open,&and

keep them healthy & safe.

Looking Ahead

Plumbing hasAhead fallen into the essential service category from Looking the start, keeping customers, technicians, and communities Plumbing has fallen into the essential service category from safe requires dedication and focus & we are committed to theour start, keeping customers, technicians, and communities do part.

safe requires dedication and focus & we are committed to

While business has definitely been impacted by the global do ourour part. pandemic, we are starting to see a rebound. And the level of While our has definitely been impacted by the global service hasbusiness evolved too.

pandemic, we are starting to see a rebound. And the level of

The key to success during a global pandemic is to stick to service has evolved too. protocol, communicate your rules, and be consistent. Following tipssuccess is a good start for any service business can to Thethese key to during a global pandemic is and to stick help you build a foundation forrules, continued success. protocol, communicate your and be consistent. Follow-

ing these tips is a good start for any service business and can help you build a foundation for continued success.

Call for more information

(905) 278-3900 Call for more information

(905) 278-3900

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

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FROM OUR CHAIR

THE MISSISSAUGA BOARD OF TRADE

30

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 2

EVENTS AT A GLANCE

EVENTS AT A

Glance

virtual town hall with MINISTER FEDELI, MINISTER OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, JOB CREATION AND TRADE THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2020

virtual town hall with HER WORSHIP MAYOR BONNIE CROMBIE TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2020

virtual town hall with HON. NAVDEEP BAINS, PC, MP MINISTER OF INNOVATION, SCIENCE & INDUSTRY GOVERNMENT OF CANADA SPONSOR

TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020

From the Corner office Virtual Fireside Chat with JOHN LETTIERI, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF HERO BURGER WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020 CEO & Exectutive Series featuring presentations from some of Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most influential entrepreneurs, CEOs and business success stories in a fire side interview format.

SPONSORS

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

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EVENTS AT A GLANCE

Virtual Professional Development Series PROTECTING YOUR BUSINESS AGAINST CYBER ATTACKS IN THE MIDST OF COVID-19 THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2020 SERIES SPONSOR

First Virtual Good Morning Mississauga - GMM WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2020

virtual town hall with RACHEL BENDAYAN, PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY TO THE MINISTER OF SMALL BUSINESS, EXPORT PROMOTION AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020 TITLE SPONSOR

32

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

EVENTS AT A GLANCE

MBOT Fireside Chat With AUDI RACE CAR DRIVER LINDSAY RICE THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2020

SPONSORS

MBOT Webinar PREPARING FOR STAGE TWO RECOVERY AND THE REOPENING OF BUSINESS IN MISSISSAUGA TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020

HON. MONTE MCNAUGHTON

BONNIE BROWN

DR. LAWRENCE LOH

MINISTER OF LABOUR, TRAINING AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR THE CITY OF MISSISSAUGA

INTERIM MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH AT REGION OF PEEL

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

33

MEMBER TALKS

IDENTIFYING

“THE GAP” BILL BLACK

President / Exit Planner Exit Planning Group

34

Business owners have a lot of information at their fingertips. There are calculators and assessments available for just about every aspect of your business and personal situation. As a result, many business owners think they have an accurate idea about the value of their business. They may even think they have an idea of where the business value should be at their departure from the business. And retirement needs calculators are abundant, claiming they’ll give business owners a good idea about what they’ll need if or when they step away from their businesses. It can be difficult and somewhat complex to accurately measure the value of a company today, and then what it needs to be worth when the owner is ready to leave. Owners may be surprised to find “the gap” between the current value of their company and where the company value should be when they are ready to move on is much different than what they predict.

START YOUR GAP ANALYSIS A Gap Analysis is the process that you can use to establish a few important benchmarks in your plans for the future, whether you intend to hold your business interest forever, transition ownership over time, or sell out completely in the next few years.

STEP ONE - Quantify the money you will need to reach your personal financial goals.

STEP TWO - Determine the value your business can contribute toward meeting your financial targets today.

STEP THREE – Given your expectations for the future of your assets outside the business, try to predict what your business will need to be worth in the future in order for you to reach your financial goals.

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

MEMBER TALKS

Keep in mind that self-assessment and guesswork can only get you so far. You’ll ultimately want to work through this analysis with an experienced professional.

monthly, quarterly, and annual cash flow projections.

Focus your energy on reaching short-term goals that build toward longer-term targets.

The size of the gap can help you set your priorities and timeline, highlighting your need for building business.

3. Repeat your gap analysis. Your gap analysis is the foundation for your value-building decisions: the tools and processes you will use, the support you will need, and the intensity of your efforts. You may need a course correction.

DO YOU NEED TO

CREATE A VALUE BUILDING PLAN?

Once you get an understanding of the gap between current business value and where you need to be, you can start developing action steps for the future. Building business value can be an important factor in closing that gap. Many owners know they have to increase business value and want to grow their companies. But owners don’t always know how to do so. You can start by setting the scope of the valuebuilding project.

1.

Reorient yourself from working in the business to working on the business. This means as difficult as it might be, set aside your day to day activity and focus on the bigger picture and how you’ll increase value.

2. You will need to determine how much the company needs to grow each year to reach your ultimate goals. Create

Taking these steps to understand where your company currently stands, where you need to go, and what you need to reach your goals is a great way to effectively include your business in your larger plans for the future. Building business value might be the most important action a business owner can take whether they are ready to leave their business or not.  W.R. (Bill) Black CExP™, CFP ®, CEA®, CIM® President / Exit Planner bill.black@exitplanninggroup.com www.exitplanninggroup.com The information contained in this article is general in nature and is not legal, tax or financial advice. For information regarding your particular situation, contact an attorney or a tax or financial advisor. The information is provided with the understanding that it does not render legal, accounting, tax or financial advice.

We are Members of the BEI Network of Exit Planning Professionals™

MBOT’S ANNUAL

G LF TITLE SPONSOR

CLASSIC AUGUST 17, 2020 LIONHEAD GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB

Details: www.mbot.com CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

35

MEMBER TALKS

Working from Home:

The Long Game In 1993, Management Guru Peter Drucker wrote in his book that “commuting to office work is obsolete” His vision did not quite come true back then. Then, COVID-19 hit. Suddenly, millions of workers started working from home.

ErgoCENTRIC SEATING SYSTEMS

SO, HOW’S ALL THAT GOING FOR YOU? The DART & maru/Blue research polled (https://nationalpost.com/opinion/ john-wright-on-covid-19-whatcanadians-think-about-working-fromhome) at home Canadian workers in May, 2020 and found: •

52% want better seating

•

48% want a better desk and working space

•

19% better lighting

Amidst this mass work-from-home experiment, one thing hasn’t changed – what the human body needs. As you work, you need to maintain good alignment as you move through various postures that support your muscular and skeletal systems to avoid strain and overexertion.

Public health officials have informed us that Covid-19 is going to be with us until at least the end of 2021. It is clear it will cause permanent changes in how and where we work. Enter the long game. It is time to deliberately invest in an ergonomically sound workstation that yields benefits today and for years to come.

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An ergonomically sound workstation has the following characteristics: accommodates your body shape and size, allows you to move through multiple, supportive postures while maintaining your body in good alignment and supports you and your work tools.

The components of an ergonomically sound workstation typically include a chair, work surface(s) and, accessories such as a monitor arm and/or footrest.

When searching for an ergonomic task chair, look for adjustable features to fine tune to your body dimensions so that your body is in good alignment for maximum support and comfort e.g. seat depth, seat height, lumbar support height, arm rest height and lateral position. To ensure you have the opportunity to move from one posture to another, look for a tilt feature e.g. synchro-tilt or multi-tilt that allows you to unlock the chair (both seat and back) so that you can gently tilt or rock to enhance blood flow. If you’re uncertain where to start, ergoCentric’s online chair fitting tool (https://ergocentric. com/online-ergocentric-chair-fitting/) provides recommended seating solutions based on your personal anthropometrics.

To maximize the return on your investment in an ergonomically sound chair, you need to place your computer equipment and other materials at appropriate heights and distances.

Kitchen and dining room tables as well as products labelled “computer desk”

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

MEMBER TALKS

CA$H FOR INVOICES!

Factoring with J D Factors … A quick and simple process used to improve cash flow and eliminate bad debts

J D Factors has been turning Invoices into Cash for over 25 years

What Our Factoring Programs Do For Our Clients: • Improve Cash Flow and Reduce Credit Risk • Utilize the credit strength of their customers to

help create a strong credit standing of their own

Why J D Factors?

• Cash for Invoices within 24 hours • Strong Reputable • No Up-Front Application Fees • Competitive Rates • Free Credit Checks on your Customers • Non-Recourse (Credit Guarantee) Programs • Real Time Reporting—Online Access

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suppliers and efficiently grow the business

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are typically fixed at a height that is too high for many people. A height adjustable table (https://ergocentric. com/product-category/heightadjustable-tables/) is often needed to allow you to set the work surface low enough to avoid stressing your body.

Given the need to move more, selecting a height adjustment range that covers both your seated elbow height and your standing elbow height will allow you to comfortably move between sitting and standing postures. This can go a long way to help ward off the negative health outcomes of sedentary behaviour. You may also need to add accessories such as a monitor arm to properly position your screen.

To get the most out of your ergonomically sound workstation, familiarize yourself with all the controls, make adjustments throughout the day and remember to take mental and physical breaks from work. 

CONNECT | 2020 ISSUE 3

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NEW MEMBERS LISTING

Welcome NEW MEMBERS OF MBOT

A&O Contracting Inc. Affrunti HR Alphavima Technologies Inc Aralez/Nuvo Pharmaceuticals Bayshore Home Health Blum Canada Ltd. BriteSpace Offices Bromwich+Smith Broonson International Canadian Western Bank Clover Mortgage Inc. Cornerstone Building and

Property Services Inc. CPOS Inc. Deloitte Canada Four Points by Sheraton

Toronto Mississauga HoneyTek Systems Inc. HSBC Bank IPS Metal Inc. Keen Restaurant Services Inc

Leda Restoration/ EMRG Malton BIA MIRODAN CONTRACTING National PPE Noor Financial Services NU-ERA Logistics Inc. OEIS Palma Pasta Corporation POSTMEDIA Solutions Protect Canada QUALITROL Iris Power LP Rachel Stalony Remax

Real Estate Broker RDR Packaging Inc. Seaworld Global Logistics Siva & Associates Inc. Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. Trigger Logistics Woodworkers Unite Zemlar Offices

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MISSISSAUGA BUSINESS!

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BUSINESS AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

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NOMINATE AN

2020

2020 Business Awards of Excellence

11 CATEGORIES

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BUILDING THE FUTURE RESTORING THE PAST Trusted for over 60 years, we are your proven performer within the Commercial Real Estate Market. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re proud to be your premium choice, full-service exterior contractor for large municipal, industrial/commercial, and private projects.

EX P ER IE N CE . LOYA LT Y. QUAL I T Y. DE P E N DABI L I T Y. Pacific Paving Ltd. 5845 Luke Road, Unit 204 Mississauga, ON L4W 2K5 T (905) 670-7730 F (905) 670-7631 info@pacificpaving.ca pacificpaving.ca ASPHALT PAVING | CONCRETE WORKS | WATERMAIN REPAIRS BUILDING RESTORATION SERVICES | 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICES