Part of the plan, Saito said, would include a marketing push and incentives funded by the Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT), a four per cent levy charged on short-term rentals in the city.

The city’s 2020 budget showed MAT tax revenues of $8.9 million in 2018 and $9.8 million budgeted for 2019. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, Mississauga was planning to raise around $58 million from the tax in total by 2023.

Saito said a bailout for Mississauga’s hotels is not likely given the number of businesses in the hospitality industry but she didn’t entirely rule it out.

“Everybody is going to want and everyone probably deserves assistance,” she said. “Will it be a direct cash handout? I really doubt it.”

Wojcik said using MAT money to help hotels is a recommendation he can see coming from a recovery plan.

“Giving it back to hotels, or helping hotels survive may not be in the master plan of what the MAT money was supposed to be used for but right now, we're talking about survival,” he said.

When pressed on whether the help he is describing means cutting a cheque for hotels in the city, Wojcik said "I think everything is on the table for discussion right now."

To date, the federal government has announced several measures aimed at supporting workers and businesses.

The government has waived the one-week waiting period for those in quarantine to claim Employment Insurance (EI) sickness benefits, and announced up to $5 billion longer-term supports for workers not eligible for EI.

The Canada Revenue Agency has also allowed businesses to defer, until after Aug. 31, some income tax payments owed before September 2020.