TORONTO, July 7, 2021 – Today, the Toronto Region Board of Trade, with support from the City of Toronto and other partners launched We’re Ready Toronto – a campaign to ensure Toronto’s employers and businesses are prepared to fully re-open and host their workforce, customers and other visitors in-person. The campaign will also work to generate excitement in the lead up to a safe return to workplaces, which will be possible once public health officials provide the greenlight.
Informed by nearly a year of research, analysis and inputs from hundreds of business leaders, We’re Ready Toronto includes reopening playbooks with leading practices proven to mitigate the risks of COVID-19 transmission, including managing elevator capacity, staggering workflows and improving HVAC systems and air quality. Businesses can search through these playbooks to find mitigations suited to their size and sector. As well, We’re Ready Toronto is connecting small and medium-sized businesses with free COVID-19 screening kits and other resources to minimize the risk of any future outbreak and support a strong, safe and sustainable re-opening.
Toronto Mayor John Tory joined Jan De Silva, President and CEO of the Toronto Region Board of Trade, at Nathan Phillips Square to announce the campaign and encourage all Toronto businesses to access its resources, which were compiled by the Board in collaboration with the Financial District Business Improvement Area, the Urban Land Institute Toronto, public health officials and dozens of employers, building owners and other organizations.
So far, dozens of partners are directly involved in We’re Ready Toronto and will also be engaged in broader efforts to facilitate a return of people to Toronto, including building confidence in taking transit, promoting local eateries and highlighting recreational activities.
“We have not been idle during this pandemic. While businesses have patiently waited to reopen – many of them small and Main Street, the most impacted by restrictions – we’ve been working to ensure that when we got the green light from public health to reopen, we were ready to do so. We’re Ready Toronto reflects months of planning, research and collaboration, all done by businesses in step with health and government officials. As a united business community, we have one goal – protect the vibrancy, culture and economic future of our city by safely and sustainably welcoming back the people who love to work, eat and shop here. We’re ready to see them again.”
- Jan De Silva, President and CEO, Toronto Region Board of Trade
“Torontonians have sacrificed so much during this pandemic, including small and medium-sized business owners and the people they employ. We want to make sure we are doing everything possible as a city to support them when it is safe to fully re-open. The tools and resources we’ve compiled with the Board of Trade and many other partners will help them transition back to work confidently and safely. I know Toronto will come back stronger and I know that employers and employees are eager to see that through. This new campaign helps us work together to make that happen.”
- John Tory, Mayor of Toronto
In addition to downtown, We’re Ready Toronto will also include campaign activations in the Pearson Employment Area and Scarborough Centre – two other economically significant areas to Toronto.
This initiative would not be possible without the support of our partners:
The Toronto Region Board of Trade is one of the largest and most influential business chambers in North America and is a catalyst for the region’s economic agenda. We pursue policy change to drive the growth and competitiveness of the Toronto region and facilitate market opportunities with programs, partnerships and connections to help our members succeed – domestically and internationally.
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