Local shops need your business more than ever
I was walking down Richmond Road in Westboro and it was amazing seeing shops with open signs, people going into restaurant patios and cars parked along the corridor — it's like we are waking up from a long, bad dream and things are slowly returning to normal.
Ontario is moving to Stage 3 of its reopening plan on Friday, July 16, five days earlier than planned. This will allow for larger indoor and outdoor gatherings, including recreational facilities and gyms at 50-per-cent capacity or a maximum of 1,000 people, whichever is less.
Indoor dining, retail and personal care will have no capacity limits as long as patrons can properly physically distance.
Along with this stage, we will now be able to go to concerts, theatres, cinemas and weddings — all with their own set of caveats — but that's beside the point. Businesses that have been in limbo can finally go on to make up for the time and revenue lost.
“The Step 3 reopening is a welcome relief for all fitness studios and their clients,” said Devinder Kaur, director of PranaShanti Yoga Centre and Education Centre. “We have been closed for over 400 days. The physical, mental and emotional strain of the pandemic has been enormous. I opened our new centre in December 2020 and then another lockdown hit. I can't wait to welcome folks through our brand-new doors.”
According to a report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), seven in 10 small-business owners are facing an average debt now of almost $170,000 each due to the impacts of COVID-19. Four in 10 businesses also said it would be at least a year from now, if not longer, before they return to normal profit levels, not including any debt repayment. Businesses need consumers now more than ever.
The Ottawa Board of Trade, the local business advocacy group, recently launched a campaign to provide small-business owners with free rapid-test kits to identify asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 in the workplace and prevent outbreaks of the coronavirus.
“We applaud the announcement for Phase 3 and call for additional support and guidance for businesses to ensure a strong recovery and rebound,” said Sueling Chin, president of the board of trade. “Closing down our businesses cannot be an option any longer. Leveraging the lessons we have learned, getting our vaccinations and utilizing tools like rapid testing will create our collective path to prosperity.”
“It's been a long seven months and we cannot wait to get back to work,” said Ashley Lawrie, CEO of Free Form Fitness. “Our people and our clients need it. Mental and physical health have been put in the back seat since this pandemic began and everybody is starting to feel the effects. It's time to start making it the priority to help people start to feel themselves again,” she said.
With reopenings, I hope consumer confidence goes up as well. As a small-business owner I have noticed customers still hesitant in coming out comfortably. Eighty per cent of the population in Ontario is now vaccinated and most businesses are taking extreme measures to clean, sanitize and provide a safe environment for patrons.
After a long 15 months of panic and closures, it is normal for people to feel a little hesitant, but we can confidently say to our patrons: It is safe to come out and support your local businesses. We need you and can't wait to serve you in person.
We have been closed for over 400 days. The physical, mental and emotional strain of the pandemic has been enormous.