As The Voice of Retail™, RCC is here to help retailers navigate through this crisis.
Recent Updates
- Ontario announces new measures, with reduced capacity for essential retailersWith increases in new COVID cases on an almost daily basis, Ontario has moved to extend and tighten the current stay-at-home order and province-wide … Continued
- New Brunswick loosens COVID-19 restrictions in parts of Zone 4 / Mandates for commercial truckersCOVID-19 Restrictions in Zone 4: Beginning April 16, 2021, the Grand Falls area of Zone 4 has been moved to the Orange Level in … Continued
- Delivering customer experience in the face of mask wearing – IpsosIn this new paper, Ipsos offers guidance for organizations charged with designing and delivering positive customer experiences within the mandated health and safety measures … Continued
- Ontario announces new measures, with reduced capacity for essential retailersWith increases in new COVID cases on an almost daily … Continued
- New Brunswick loosens COVID-19 restrictions in parts of Zone 4 / Mandates for commercial truckersCOVID-19 Restrictions in Zone 4: Beginning April 16, 2021, the … Continued
- Delivering customer experience in the face of mask wearing – IpsosIn this new paper, Ipsos offers guidance for organizations charged … Continued
- Alberta announces expansion of business grant programIn response to recent health orders, the Alberta government has … Continued
- BC provides very modest grant to businesses impacted by indoor dining and fitness centre closuresSome restaurants, bars, breweries, wineries, gyms, and fitness centres impacted … Continued
- Reopening of Atlantic Bubble delayed until at least May 3, 2021Due to a rise in New Brunswick’s COVID-19 case numbers, … Continued
- Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario provides employers with roadmap for responding to requests for exemptions from mask-wearing policies – LittlerIn Sharma v. Toronto (City), 2020 HRTO 949, the Human … Continued
- Alberta seeking input on proposed Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) changesRCC continues to work with the Alberta government as they … Continued
- Saskatchewan to prioritize grocery and pharmacy workers working in certain facilities for vaccinesSaskatchewan’s pharmacists are set to begin participating in delivering vaccines … Continued
- BC authorizes Public Health officers to close workplaces with COVID-19 casesOn April 8, 2021, BC’s Provincial Health Officer enacted a … Continued
- COVID-19 lockdown of Edmuston, New BrunswickDue to the continued COVID-19 case numbers in specific areas … Continued
- Extension of restrictions and curfew reinstated in Mtl and LavalDue to the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, … Continued
- B.C. authorizes public health officers to close workplaces with COVID-19 casesProvincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, today enacted a new … Continued
- COVID Consumer Spending Tracker – RCB EconomicsRBC Economics Consumer Spending tracker shows robust spending in March … Continued
- Significant COVID-19 case increase in BC results in changes to restrictions and vaccination leave provisionsOver the past two weeks, new cases in BC have … Continued
In these challenging times, RCC welcomes retailers across Canada to subscribe to our Retail policy news & COVID-19 updates and attend our weekly Member Town Hall Briefings. We are your voice during this crisis and beyond.
COVID-19 Recovery Tools
RCC BCG Retail Recovery Dashboard
Mission-critical metrics to help the Canadian retail sector navigate COVID-19.
Vaccine Timing and Status
Current information available on vaccinations applicable for retail employees.
Requirements for Retailers by Region
View all regulations and safety guidelines retailers must follow to be open by region.
Relief Measures by Region
Financial aid, grants and other relief measures specifically applicable to retailers.
Questions & Answers on COVID-19
Frequently asked questions from our members on working through COVID-19 and its operational challenges.
Retail Supplier Directory
Find suppliers of masks, hand sanitizer, signage and more in the new PPE section of the Retail Supplier Directory.
Videos and Podcasts
Building mental health into operations during COVID-19
This special session presented by Liz Horvath, a leader in workplace mental health, provides practical advice that employers in the retail sector can use to support their own mental health and the mental health of their workers.
The Voice of Retail Podcast
Each and every week TVOR interviews top retailers and industry thought leaders coving topics including the ongoing response and impact to their business and the retail sector of the COVID-19 crisis.
Financial support and payroll resources
- Federal support:
- RCC’s guide to Federal relief measures (see Federal relief measures section)
- New rules for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS)
- Government of Canada Work-Share overview
- Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA)
- Loans for small & medium businesses: Business Credit Availability Program (BCAP)
- Canada Small Business Financing Program
- Government’s overview of federal government Services for Small Business
- Provincial support: RCC’s guide to relief measures and updates (see interactive table to view your region)
- Municipal support: RCC’s database of utility payment extensions, municipal relief and more
- Rent support for small businesses: Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) for small
- Payroll: Canadian Payroll Association on ROE coding
- Workers’ compensation: 2020 provincial workers’ compensation updates for retailers
- Stewardship programs: Stewardship Programs Offering COVID-19 Deadline Extensions
Maintaining your business
- HR recovery planning: Managing return to work anxiety
- Impact on consumer behaviour: Tracking the impact of FMCG, retail and media (Neilson)
- Consumers surveys: Tracking surveys (Leger)
- Consumer education: #ShopSmart campaign – Guidelines shoppers should follow during COVID-19 (RCC)
- Statistics: Info on COVID-19 (Statistics Canada)
- Pandemic planning for retailers: COVID-19 planning checklist for retailers (RCC)
- Business continuity: A guide to robust business continuity planning (KPMG)
- Impact on Canadian retailers: COVID-19 Voice of Canadians and impact to retailers (Deloitte)
- Guide for senior executives: The heart of resilient leadership: Responding to COVID-19 (Deloitte)
- Resources for retailers: Retail Industry Leaders Association
- Fraud Prevention: Tips to protect yourself from COVID-19 related payment scams (Interac)
- Cyber Security: Helpful advice for small and medium organizations to protect against COVID-19-related threats
- Interactive dashboard: Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Situational Awareness Dashboard
If you have questions specific to your area, please contact RCC’s Regional Directors directly:
- Pacific: Greg Wilson, gwilson@retailcouncil.org, 604-730-5254
- Prairies: John Graham, jgraham@retailcouncil.org, 204-926-8624
- Ontario: Sebastian Prins, sprins@retailcouncil.org, 416-467-3759
- Quebec: Jean-Francois Belleau, jfbelleau@cccd-rcc.org, 514-316-7659
- Atlantic: Jim Cormier, jcormier@retailcouncil.org, 902-818-7738
- Public Affairs: Karl Littler, klittler@retailcouncil.org, 416-906-0040
- Grocery Division & Regulatory Affairs: Jason McLinton, jmclinton@retailcouncil.org, 613-656-7903
- GR and Regulatory Affairs: Cory Anderson, canderson@retailcouncil.org, 613-656-7901
- Media: Michelle Wasylyshen, mwasylyshen@retailcouncil.org
- President & CEO: Diane J. Brisebois, djbrisebois@retailcouncil.org, 416-801-3793
Thank you to the retailers, vendors and suppliers who have extended financial support to Retail Council of Canada to help us continue to advocate for you 24/7 during these difficult times.