Garden centres seeking fairer restrictions
Operators of some local garden centres and nurseries are disappointed they will not be allowed to fully open under the government’s relaxation of COVID-19 emergency measures to slowly reopen the economy.
Premier Doug Ford announced Friday that landscaping and lawn maintenance companies would be allowed to offer full service effective Monday, with garden centres cleared only to offer curbside pickup or delivery.
On Monday, Ford told reporters that’s unfair and promised another further announcement later this week.
For Griffin’s Greenhouses in Lakefield, it means no increase in services since curbside pickup was already being offered.
“It was such a surprise on Friday, the announcement was made that we could basically continue doing what we were doing,” said Victoria Whitney, manager of Griffin’s Greenhouses.
“We are proceeding in that fashion still and offering our web store for people to place orders, or telephone orders and have curbside pickup or delivery as an option of getting the plants.”
This time of year is basically the equivalent to a Christmas rush for other retailers with the amount of product garden centres will be selling for the next six to eight weeks.
“A garden centre will do well over 50 or 60 per cent of its year in the month of May,” Whitney said. “All of the sales are crunched down, condensed for us, because that is when people wish to get out gardening and enjoy doing their decorating outside and planting.”
Whitney is concerned because garden centres in the parking lots of grocery stores are able to open.
She and a couple other garden centre owners spoke to local bylaw officers and inquired as to why garden centres in parking lots were being allowed open but their businesses were only allowed curbside pickup.
“It was explained to us, by the local officers,” she said.
“Because they are on the same property as a grocery store that is functioning, they have the exemption or the ability to also fully operate their garden centres.”
Despite the ambiguity, Whitney said the current arrangement for curbside pickups and delivery is working well, though there has been a slight impact to sales because of it.
She said the garden centre is trying to ensure physical distancing to keep everyone safe.
“Our customers tell us they are very happy with this model,” she said.
“Because, they too, are selfquarantining or wanting to stay in their homes, not wanting to venture out following the advice of local health officials.”
A spokesperson for Ontario’s minister of economic development declined to comment on garden centres specifically, but defended the government’s overall approach to reopening the economy.
“We are beginning with an approach that recognizes businesses and operations where physical distancing, hand hygiene and other safe workplace practices may be implemented and managed effectively,” Rebecca Bozzato said in a statement.