Good news for a change!.

The County of Wellington has provided funding to housing providers in Guelph and Wellington County, to cover the extra costs due to COVID.

We applied for funding to cover the following and I am pleased to tell you that we were granted everything I asked for.

1. All purchases for face masks, gloves, disinfectant, cleaning solutuion, paper towel, boot covers.

2. Paid for a one year Zoom subscription so we can have longer zoom meetings and not be limited to 40 minutes.

3. A new HEPA air filter system for the community centre. (Picture attached)

4. A disinfectant electrostatic sprayer for the community centre. (Picture attached)

5. We have been given an allowance to purchase 7 computers for Board members. These computers will be on loan to Board members. Right now many Board members are using their phones to particiapte in online meetings. This creates a problem for them to properly view any documents I have emailed them. I do email quite a few documents on a monthly basis. Computers will be on loan to current Board members, with strict rules about the use of them. Computers are expected to be returned in excellent condition when the member is no longer on the Board, or bare the cost of a new one.

In total I asked for $6,794.00 and we received this full amount. The funding from the County to cover our extra costs due to COVID, is greatly appreciated.

Joan

New Stay at Home orders issued by Government.

The Government has announced stay at home orders. Please find below an excerpt from information posted by a housing resource association, Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association. Please stay home!. For now, I will be coming into work but no one is to come to the office. The decision to work at the office vs working at home will be made on a day to day basis. If you need me, please email me wyndhamhillcoop@gmail.com.

For emergencies you can see Sarah at unit 11, but you must wear a mask.

For life safety issues, such as fire, please phone 9-1-1.

"On January 12, 2021, the Ontario government declared a second provincial emergency along with additional restrictions, effective immediately for at least 28 days. This comes as the number of COVID-19 cases has doubled in the past two weeks, severely threatening the capacity of the healthcare system.

New measures include:

Stay-at-home order as of Thursday, January 14 at 12:01 am (aside from essential purposes e.g., groceries, medical appointments)

Extended school closures in hotspots until February 10, with emergency childcare available for eligible families

Outdoor gatherings limited to five people, with limited exceptions

Mandatory masks in all indoor spaces and strongly recommended outdoors

Non-essential stores limited to operation between 7 am and 8 pm

Non-essential construction further restricted

Increased inspection and enforcement measures, including in workplaces

Key takeaways for the sector:

Construction on affordable housing projects is permitted to continue

All non-essential workers must work remotely where possible

Supports for organizations and priority communities:

The government did not announce any new supports to accompany these restrictions, but restated supports announced as part of the provincial shutdown on December 26, 2020:

Ontario Small Business Support Grant, which will provide up to $20,000 for eligible businesses to cover decreased revenues, available to some non-profit organizations (applications expected to open shortly)

High Priority Communities Strategy, which will provide $12.5 million to deliver key interventions in priority neighbourhoods

Supporting tenants and staff:

As part of the stay-at-home order, providers must take steps to allow employees to work remotely where possible and support tenants in remaining at home.

As part of the Safe Restart Agreement, the federal government is funding a temporary income support program that allows workers to take up to 10 days of leave related to COVID-19. Find more information about federal supports, including Employment Insurance, Canada Recovery Benefit, Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit, and Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit.

With the impacts of social isolation on mental health and well-being, members are encouraged to direct staff and tenants to the province’s COVID-19: Support for People website, which has information about many free mental health services and supports"

Please also read the link below for information direct from the Government.

https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-provincewide-shutdown

Thanks for following the regulations. I know how difficult this is, but if we all work together we can help stop increased cases!.

Thanks Joan.

Delivery of General Meeting notice packages.

The Annual General Meeting notice packages will be delivered to the mailboxes at your unit today. I cannot slide them into all the Canada Post mailboxes as some units have 2 packages and not enought room.

Also, some mailboxes have not been check in awhile, so there is no room. Please check your mail regularly as Canada Post will simply take mail back if there is no room to leave it.

An email will go out separately with the rules of order, meeting mgreement, past minutes, and financial reports.

Thanks to Rachelle for delivering these packages to units.

Joan