END OF RESTRICTIONS `LONG OVERDUE'

Businesses have been `waiting for this day for a long time,' though many still cautious

The pandemic isn't over, but a full business reopening has now begun.

For thousands of Alberta entrepreneurs, it feels like the page is finally turning on a long and difficult chapter.

“As a business owner in downtown Calgary, it's about time — long overdue,” said Gerard Curran, proprietor of the James Joyce Irish Pub and Restaurant. “We have to move forward.” On Canada Day, the province formally lifted all public health restrictions on Alberta businesses as COVID -19 case counts have been shrinking while vaccination levels are rising.

For small-and medium-sized business operators, it's the most significant step forward since the initial closures hit in March 2020.

The rule changes adopted Thursday allow movie theatres, restaurants, gyms, bars and retailers to open without capacity limits. For some, it's the first time in more than a year that they've been able to fully operate their business without limitations in place.

“We are thrilled to have an end in sight for the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Ruhee Ismail-teja of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

“With vaccine rates where they are, in particular, we have more confidence than we had in the past that this reopening will be permanent.”

Like Curran, many business operators are elated by the change, but also cautious about what the coming weeks will hold.

They are finally able to rehire staff. Now, they need customers to return.

However, after spending months trying to navigate the intricacies of operating during a public health crisis, the idea of focusing on customer attraction is an encouraging task.

“As a restaurateur, you wear many hats. But as of March 17, 2020, we just got dealt another five hats to wear. You had to become an accountant and become an administrator for all the grants,” said Curran.

“For a lot of staff, it's been very difficult. I've never seen something like this. But getting open and getting going — people are happy.”

A sense of optimism is emerging in some sectors.

Few businesses have been as deeply wounded as companies operating in the hospitality industry.

Hotels are finally able to welcome back customers without limitations on their meeting rooms, restaurants or fitness centres.

The international side of the customer base is still absent as federal travel restrictions remain in place.

Yet, domestic bookings are rising with the hot weather and the holiday period arriving, said Mark Wilson, a vice-president and partner with the Hotel Arts Group.

“We've been waiting for this day for a long time,” said Wilson, a board member of the Calgary Hotel Association.

Heading into last year, the company had close to 300 fulltime and part-time staff, which fell to just 27 at the lowest point of the pandemic.

Now, it has almost 100 employees and the number is climbing.

“Finding employees is going to be a real challenge for a number of places. We, in fact, can't fully open up yet because we can't find enough employees to fill all the shifts,” said Wilson.

“We literally just hired, last week, 50 employees back.”

While 290,000 jobs that were lost during the pandemic have been regained in Alberta, employment is still down by almost 48,000 from February 2020 levels.

The food services and accommodation sectors in the province have seen almost 58,000 jobs disappear since the pandemic began. Another 19,000 positions have not come back in the information, culture and recreation industries.

For the province, a strong rebound is needed.

On Wednesday, the Alberta government posted a massive $16.9-billion deficit for the fiscal year that ended in March. It pushed total taxpayer-supported debt levels to $93 billion.

Removing public health restrictions will be “critically important to economic recovery,” said Finance Minister Travis Toews.

The provincial economy likely contracted in April with the third wave of COVID -19 and business restrictions being imposed at the time, said Alberta Central's senior economist Charles St-arnaud.

If the restaurant and food services sector returns to last summer's levels of sales following the initial wave of the pandemic, another 30,000 jobs could quickly return over the next two to three months, St-arnaud said.

“Now, we no longer have anything holding back the recovery,” he said.

“So the question is: Will the consumers be there to pick up and basically bring activity back to pre-pandemic levels?”

Not all business owners are preparing to drop the restrictions. Some are moving at different speeds, while others are simply not prepared to open their doors at this stage.

Chris Hewitt, owner of Dickens pub in Calgary, which holds live music events, has decided not to reopen until September.

He noted many larger-scale bands will not be touring this summer because the border remains closed and due to ongoing uncertainty.

Hewitt is also concerned about the pace of the government dropping all public health restrictions.

“We are in the closing stages of this whole thing, for sure, so let's not blow it right at the end. I feel it's a little bit too soon,” he said.

In the absence of provincial orders being in place, business operators will set their own rules and procedures for operating this summer.

In turn, customers will make up their own minds about where they're comfortable spending money as the reopening has arrived.

“I am pinching myself. I think our employees are, too,” said Wilson.

“Everyone is walking on sunshine right now.”