Ontario’s Main Street Relief Grant

The grant application is now live, apply here.

Eligibility
To be eligible, your business must have two to nine employees and be in one of the following sectors:
– Retail
– Accommodation and food services
– Repair and maintenance
– Personal and laundry services

What you’ll get
Eligible small businesses will get one-time grants of up to $1,000.

What you’ll need to apply
You will need to submit receipts or proof of costs for PPE purchased since March 17, 2020. This includes:
– gloves, gowns, face shields, eye protection, masks, sanitizer, sanitizing wipes
– thermometers, temperature monitors or cameras
– physical changes, including the installation of hand sanitizer stations and plexiglass dividers
– signs to guide or inform customers and employees


Downtown London Marketplace – Coming Soon!

Downtown London wants to help Londoners support downtown businesses this holiday season…and we have some very exciting news to share!

We have created an online marketplace…think of it as a local Amazon for our downtown!

Your business can list products, services, or gift cards online through this marketplace and consumers can shop online through out site. Consumers can either choose to have their purchased delivered via Canada Post or pay online and pick up in store.

There is no subscription fee to be listed on this marketplace.

More details about how to get involved will be released shortly. If you are interested in learning more, please send an expression of interest to Colleen at colleen@downtownlondon.ca



Window Decorating Contest

The annual window decorating contest is back! We invite you to decorate your windows this holiday season and enter into our contest to win Downtown Dollars.

There will be two parts to the contest this year: a judged portion and a fan’s choice!

Judges include Julie Atchison (CTV News), Amber Desilets (The Pink Millennial) and Dennis Garnhum (The Grand Theatre). Entries will be judged on cleanliness, originality, use of material, and overall impact.

Londoners will be encouraged to vote for the Fan’s Choice award on our website beginning December 1, 2020. Links to voting to follow.

The deadline to submit an entry is November 25th at 5pm. To submit, all you need to do is send a photo of your window display to intern@downtownlondon.ca!


Redeem Your Construction Dollars Today!

Friendly reminder that all Construction Dollars must be redeemed for payment at the Downtown London office by December 15, 2020. We encourage you to redeem the Construction Dollars at our office ASAP. The earlier we have them, the more we can distribute in 2020!

Our office is open for Downtown Dollar & Construction Dollar redemptions on Tuesdays & Thursdays only.


Holiday Music Streaming Service

Whether you are roasting chestnuts, wrapping presents, or just hiding out from the cold… Listen to Classic Rock 98.1’s Christmas Stream – Proudly sponsored by Downtown London. This free streaming service is available 24/7 with non-stop Christmas classics, so you can tune in however and whenever you get into the holiday spirit!

We encourage you to play this station in your business this holiday season as the only ads are for supporting downtown businesses!


City of London Announcements…
City of London Annual Budget Update

Nearly a year ago, Council approved London’s Multi-Year Budget. The City’s Budget team has been hard at work preparing the Annual Budget Update. The budget update is a chance for Council to review the City’s budget & make any changes necessary. You can learn more about the Multi-Year Budget process, key dates and how to provide questions and comments by visiting the City of London’s Get Involved website.