Saving Sask. jobs, businesses is now critical

It’s time to support smaller companies instead of buying from likes of Amazon

My refrigerator went on the fritz this week because, of course, that’s always what happens during times of great stress and upheaval in your household.

Appliances are malicious. They are out to get us. It’s the only logical explanation. (That, and the fact that I hadn’t been properly defrosting the freezer compartment, so ice buildup blocked the air flow into the fridge section.)

Fortunately, I’m a handy kind of guy, confident I can fix anything myself, so I independently dealt with it as I would have even if I wasn’t in COVID-19 self-isolation. I won’t bore you with the details, but would like to thank the refrigerator repairman who kept a safe social distance while rushing to my house to fix the thermostat I broke and the glass company that expertly cut a new shelf tray that ... well ... I might have broken that, too.

But it did cause me to ask: Who is essential these days? For me this week, it was a fridge repair guy and glass-cutting guy ... and it would have been an appliance store salesman if I chose to be any damn handier than I already am. I kinda need my fridge.

Certainly, nurses and doctors, firefighters and police are essential. And no one should quibble with the “comprehensive list of critical public services and business services” released by Premier Scott Moe on Wednesday. It included: health-care and public-health workers, law enforcement, public safety and first responders; production, processing and manufacturing and the supporting supply chain; transportation and logistics; government and community services; media and telecommunications; construction, including maintenance and repair; select retail services; and banking and financial services.

But as we now are confined to our hours practising self-isolation, let’s recognize that “essential,” or at least “critical,” likely also means your plumber or furnace repairman or glass- or doorreplacement company or

... even that guy that sells you your TV or cellphone. Today’s functioning society needs those, too.

A functioning society needs jobs and business, so how “critical” businesses — or even “non-critical” entities like fitness facilities or barbershops — survive COVID-19 should be critical to us all.

Part of the problem right now may be that the notion of “reopening” has been poisoned by U.S President Donald Trump, who is determined to lift America’s restrictions by Easter weekend (only two weeks away) because having a stagnant economy is worse than people dying. His country is quickly surging towards 100,000 known cases and 1,000 deaths. The U.S. rate of COVID-19 infection is 208 cases per million people — three times the world average of 63.2 cases per million.

But wise people like Glen Beck, health economics professor at the University of Saskatchewan, also think shutting down the Saskatchewan economy may be something we need to fear:

“In the supply chain, there’s some industries we can’t do without,” Beck said, adding that business owners’ fear of not reopening their doors is a real one.

It was great to see that Premier Scott Moe seems to be taking a reasonable approach to business restrictions while simultaneously restricting public gatherings to 10 people and offering support to struggling business through its response team. Maybe we can do more than one thing at once. Only time will tell.

But in the interim, we need to do what we can to support local business in any way we can. Stop shopping online with giants like Amazon when you could be doing business locally, and saving a few jobs. Think about smaller retailers rather than chains. Buy gift certificates to restaurants desperate for business right now. When it’s over, buy tickets to a concert or sporting event.

If ever there was a time to be kind and appreciate where we live, those around and what makes this such a great place to be, it’s probably right now. Make a plan. Do what you can.

The economy is one the one thing all of us should try to fix ourselves. Even me.

Mandryk is the political columnist for the Regina Leader-post and Saskatoon Starphoenix.