Lines of communication open
Local MP receiving up to 200 COVID-19-related calls, emails each day
GLACE BAY — The MP for Cape Breton-Canso said they are receiving an incredible number of calls daily from people impacted by the effects of COVID-19.
Mike Kelloway said between himself, two case workers and three other staff members, they are triaging about 100 calls and about 100 emails a day.
“That doesn’t include tweets, Facebook and texts to my phone,” Kelloway said.
Kelloway said the good thing is the communication lines are open, people are reaching out to them and in turn, they are reaching back.
The impact is significant, said Kelloway, who explains their now seven-day work weeks usually starts at 7 a.m. and end at 10 p.m.
Although there to listen, Kelloway said the focus to find solutions. With the first Stimulus package that came out three weeks ago, Kelloway had written an extensive brief on what he felt was needed for Cape Breton-Canso, which came from talking to all the different sectors of his riding from not-for-profit organizations to individuals.
Kelloway said before the package came out he received a call from finance officials who said it was really good stuff.
“I said, ‘You don’t need to thank me, it’s people from Glace Bay to Canso who helped write it.”
Among the assistance in the $52 billion federal package includes a taxable benefit of $2,000 every four weeks for up to 16 weeks to eligible workers who have lost their income due to COVID-19.
In Glace Bay, Kelloway said the majority of calls received were regarding accessing the benefit. As well as people losing their job because of businesses closing, many in Glace Bay are self-employed, meaning they didn’t pay into employment insurance. When businesses shut down because of COVID-19, it all happened pretty quickly, and all of a sudden they didn’t have any income.
“Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people from Glace Bay reached out to our office to say 'what’s going to happen to us?'" he said.
Kelloway said these businesses were wondering how they can tough it out during this time, how they could access the interest-free loan.
At first, the loan package was for businesses with a payroll between $50,000 and $1,000,000.
“Most businesses in my riding – most businesses in Glace Bay — have a payroll below $50,000 so they were not fitting the criteria.”
Kelloway said they took the need for the threshold to be lowered to the ministers and now the criteria is below $20,000.
“That’s a direct result of businesses – like those in Glace Bay — reaching out to me,” he said.
Kelloway’s office is in Dominion – the mobile offices are on pause — but he and his staff are working from home. Currently, he is working on ways through technology– for example, Zoom – to meet with the community.
Many businesses in Glace Bay are non-essential and are currently closed and at a standstill including some seasonal ones waiting for the green light such as Passchendaele Golf Club in Glace Bay.
“We can’t open until we get the go-ahead,” said owner Harvey Ellsworth Sr.
Although closed, Ellsworth is busy making preparation in the event they can open.
“I have to cut the greens, I have to cut the fairways and fertilize, “he said. “If we’re going to have a golf season I have to get the golf course in shape.”
Ellsworth said normally he opens April 1, depending on the weather.
“I’ve been able to open April 1 for 15 out of 20 years,” he said.
This year two snowstorms in April impacted things a bit.
Every two weeks, golf clubs get together for a conference with the golf association. They can get ready but due to the COVID-19 impact can’t go until the government says.
Some other golf courses were also impacted by snow but many are well underway into preparations.
Ellsworth hopes even if they could get going by June, they will be able to end up with some sort of a season.
“Everyone here, basically I think, can go on a very short notice,” he said. “We’re just trying to put ourselves in position so when we can open we’ll be ready to go.”
In the meantime, Ellsworth said they have a plan in place to keep up with the health directives such as one person to a cart, spacing out tee times instead of eight minutes to 10 or 12 minutes, and not serving food.
“Everything will be like that to get people out to play but space them out a little more,” he said.
“Just all the little things that we can do.”
Although they are working hard to ensure they meet all the emergency health directives, Ellsworth knows the province has to see a reduction of positive cases before moving ahead loosening restrictions.
“We have to slow up on our cases first and I have no problem with that,” Ellsworth added. “No one would want to expose anyone to getting sick.”