Two dozen small business owners and small business experts provide recommendations on how city and state policymakers can help them survive this crisis for small business.

All community centres in Vancouver were closed to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. City officials have opened some centres to be used for homeless people and others who can’t self-isolate such as tenants in hotels, where sharing a washroom and other facilities is common.

Stories include: How Cochrane AB is fostering community through technology; Virtual Storytimes in Woodstock, ON; Edmonton, Alberta is staying connected with community postcards; Waterloo ON’s window walks; and Hamilton’s caremongering supports

Coming Together Vancouver brings provides connections to share resources, extend a helping hand to our neighbours, show solidarity for healthcare workers and the vulnerable, and highlight social movements that are fighting for access to healthcare, housing, and workers’ rights.

The Halifax public library site contains information on public health, links to e-books/audiobooks; resources for small business; tips on how to talk to children about COVID-19; and mental health tips and support

Since the COVID-19 outbreak took hold of Toronto there’s been 20 percent growth in the number of clients making use of Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank over a span of the last two weeks. The pressure to provide food to new clients coupled with required social distancing has forced the food bank to change its operations in a dramatic way. They’ve partnered with GlobalMedic and set up a medical hospital mobile field tent in the food bank’s parking lot. Now the food comes out on a conveyor belt from inside the tent.

Looking to build a community of people who are looking to support local businesses during the COVID-19 Pandemic (@loveforlocal)

The Toronto Bike Brigade calls for volunteer bicycle riders in Toronto to help deliver goods to people unable to leave their homes

Emergency bike networks are proving integral for getting essential staff to get to their workplace safely, creating additional space on strained or non-existent networks for people maintain physical distancing. They also present an opportunity to trial future bike lane roll-out. Under normal conditions, it can take several months – and sometimes years – to develop a bike network, but these times call for quick measures.

The initiative gives Veterans a chance to meet for coffee in a supportive setting, to socialize. With the new restrictions in place across the country, locations have moved their meetings online. Recently an online “Buddy Check Coffee” involved veterans serving from all over the globe calling in

Helping local food system stay strong in this time of social distancing. Pre-order to pick up a weekly $50 box filled with local produce, cheese and bread from local farmers and producers.

Dance, laugh, learn, work out, meditate and play with the Downtown Vancouver BIA’s new virtual events forum. Weekly listings!

Ridership has decreased by 80% so customers can now book trips by: App – “On-Demand Transit – Rider App” is available for download and can be used to book rides any time of day for any time of service. Online – btletsgo.ca can be used to book rides any time of day for any time of service Phone – Passengers can contact us at 613-962-1925 and book rides for any time of service. Email – Passengers can email bellevilletransit@belleville.ca for service.

Here is how they are adjusting their survey through social distancing: A) If walking outside is allowed where you are: Go for a short walk, but remember to stay at least two metres away from others. When you do the survey (step two), answer the questions based on what you saw on the walk and what your location is like now, not how it usually is. Scores may be lower than normal – but that is ok, we know this is a unique time! B) If you cannot go outside: think about a walk you normally take to school or a friend’s house, and complete the survey based on memory, or by looking at the route through online maps.

Together Project is currently conducting a needs assessment with refugee households to determine what would be most helpful in terms of remote Welcome Group support and we will be sharing these findings shortly. This is challenging as there are different levels of comfort of newcomer households with technology such as WhatsApp video, Facetime, Zoom or other platforms to facilitate remote social connection. Also newcomers may not have access to WiFi or computers and may wish to save data use for calls over seas.

Calgary’s roads department, in coordination with CEMA, have identified roads where lanes will be reduced with the hope this can give walkers, bikers and other modes more space to be outside, while maintaining social distance. Sections of Elbow Drive and Crowchild Trail will be part of this measure, among other popular walking spots in Calgary

Sprawl Kids is posting specific assignments each week in the form of questions. And kids are the journalists! Here’s Sprawl Kids assignment #1: How are you feeling? You can see more on Twitter using hashtag #sprawlkidsyyc.

The Sprawl is Calgary pop-up journalism. It’s crowdfunded, 
ad-free, and made in Calgary—
a reinvention of local journalism 
in tough times

A google doc put together by Limage Media Group that maps emergency food services, supervised consumption sites, handwashing stations, parks and facilities and Downtown East Side facilities

Sprawl Kids is posting specific assignments each week in the form of questions. And kids are the journalists! Here’s Sprawl Kids assignment #2: What is something on your street that makes you feel happy right now? Draw a picture of it. You can see more on Twitter using hashtag #sprawlkidsyyc.

Roundhouse, an Edmonton-based social enterprise and co-working space is offering “virtual coworking” during COVID-19. As a community hub for entrepreneurs and changemakers, they are rolling out a new suite of online programming “Roundhouse From Home”. They will be offering online versions of our Roundhouse Learning Series, Waffle Wednesday and even daily coworking chats. Check out the full schedule for more information.

Two of Canada’s most densely populated cities are looking at barring auto traffic from parts of their streets so pedestrians can spread out and maintain the proper distance from each other. Toronto and Vancouver are following the lead of other jurisdictions as officials grapple with how to allow for safe movement during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how to facilitate outdoor respite for people confined to small urban dwellings.

Residents living on 41 streets in this Montreal suburb decorated their homes and yards with shamrocks. Armed with a map — virtual or on paper — participants drove around town, looking for shamrocks.

Stay’n’Play Parenting in Regina has started a “A City Wide Heart Hunt,” with homemade hearts displayed in windows across the city. It was designed as a way for families to get moving outside while still social distancing. Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/StaynPlayParenting/

30 neighbours on Canora Street serenaded passersby with a social-distancing singalong, singing and playing instruments to the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine from their porches.

Guelph-based Facebook Group for fostering community, offering support and resources, sharing opportunities/events that may be helpful to support community members, and organizing and staying connected to ensure vulnerable community members have access to food, housing, healthcare, and other necessities. The space is also for the redistribution of resources, and for people to post about any needs for support (emotional or physical or otherwise).

Talking to Children About COVID-19 (Coronavirus) offers advice, guidelines, and resources for parents.

Vendors in Portland Oregon launch the Coronavirus Action Team, an initiative to get information about COVID-19 to people experiencing homelessness. Vendors are paid a stipend to check on each other, dispel myths about the virus & explain health dept guidance

China launched a national cloud learning platform during the outbreak to provide learning materials for students in junior and senior high school. The e-learning platform is meant to provide resources for students but not to replace classroom learning. At the same time, classes for primary school students were broadcast on state-broadcaster CCTV’s China Education Television Channel 4.