Rushing reopenings could be ‘far more harmful’: Chamber
Niagara business leaders say gradual approach needed to fuel economy
It will be a long time before it’s business as usual.
But the leaders of Niagara business organizations say a gradual approach is needed when reopening Ontario’s economy.
“It’s going to be a trickle rather than a flood,” said Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce policy and government relations director Hugo Chesshire.
“It won’t be flipping a switch and we go back to work and it’s business as usual. In fact, I don’t know if we’ll ever return to things the way that they were before.”
Provincial government recovery plans announced Monday will be phased-in under the guidance of public health professionals as the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic diminishes.
The first phase will reopen nonessential businesses that can modify operations to protect staff and customers, as well as some outdoor spaces such as parks, permit some public gatherings and events, and allow hospitals to resume services such as nonurgent surgeries.
The second stage will increase workplaces and outdoor spaces permitted to reopen, as well as increase the size of public gatherings, while the third stage would reopen remaining workplaces and further relax restrictions on public gatherings.
Chesshire called the government’s plans a prudent approach, because a vaccine for COVID-19 has yet to be developed and rushing normalcy could lead to a second wave of infection. If that happens, it “will be far more harmful to the economy in the long run than I think the current scenario is.”
Niagara Falls Tourism president and chief executive officer Janice Thomson said health concerns remain the top priority for the tourism industry.
However, she said, the uncertainty adds to the struggle tourism companies are facing.
“You don’t know when is Day 1 — that’s the thing … We have to just wait and see along with everyone else,” Thomson said.
“In Niagara Falls, the tourism attractions, the restaurants, the facilities and hotels, everything is built to accommodate the visitation of 14 million people a year. It’s at a different scale than many of the towns and cities around the country.”
In the meantime, she said, business owners have been working in the background, developing plans for how they will reopen their businesses when they are permitted to do so.
“We are working that way in the background and all the businesses are looking at what is their ramp-up time, what is the time needed to have their staff fully operational. It’s obviously very fluid,” she said.
“The whole situation is very challenging for everyone ... There’s a lot of co-operation needed by everyone. We say we are in this together, and getting out of it means working together.”
Upper-tier governments have implemented programs for struggling businesses, offering rent assistance, tax deferrals and funding to help cover the cost of wages.
On Tuesday the province announced the development of a website to help business owners navigate through various programs to assist them. Thomson said some of the programs do not apply to shutdown tourism companies, “although there are other opportunities the government is giving for funding, for grants and loans and those are being explored by many operators.”
Even when the world does finally return to normal, Chesshire said “some things may have changed for good.”
He said lessons learned from the pandemic might have a lasting impact on the way some companies conduct business.
Some businesses, for instance, may choose to continue virtual meetings they have been conducting,” Chaesshire said.
Doing so could benefit them in the long run, reducing costs of maintaining large offices as well as travel expenses, in addition to helping protect the health of workers.