Milton’s Economic Recovery Task Force held their first meeting on May 26, 2020, where business leaders from across Milton started the important conversation about the town’s economy in a post-COVID landscape. The initial meeting served as a chance for the business community to share their experiences as companies adapt to operating within the current provincial guidelines. These experiences to date aid the development of the long term strategies. The themes included:
- Employee health and safety – employers ensuring employees feel safe coming to work. Many businesses implemented screening for anyone entering facilities to ensure they are not sick.
- Innovation – many companies are re-tooling or pivoting to other business areas in response to customer needs and new market demands
- Business continuity – many businesses have had success with maintaining operations while employees work from home and as a result many are considering implementing permanent work from home policies
- Training – digital training opportunities for companies are an important part of their plans to ensure business continuity over the next year
“Hearing directly from our businesses about how they’ve adapted shows their resiliency and strength as a sector. I want to also recognize the Milton Chamber of Commerce for their leadership as they’ve liaised many of our businesses to resources or enabled ease of access to the provincial and federal assistance programs,” Mayor Gord Krantz said. The Chamber of Commerce has been conducting weekly forums with Milton MPP Parm Gill, and MP Adam van Koeverden on funding opportunities and other resources available to help businesses.
The task force is represented by a variety of sectors, and the Town values feedback from all parties involved. “Milton Economic Development and the Milton Chamber of Commerce have worked closely together to support the local business community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Kim Majetic, Chair, Milton Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. The task force will meet regularly to focus efforts on strategies for a post-COVID economy in Milton.
