Chamber CEO encouraged by Ontario's plan to lift public health restrictions

The head of the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce (SSMCOC) is welcoming the easing of restrictions for local businesses following Ontario’s announcement that it will begin scaling back restrictions in 21-day intervals starting Jan. 31.

Part of the first phase will allow indoor public settings -  including restaurants, bars, retail stores, malls, gyms, cinemas, meeting and event spaces, museums, galleries and similar attractions, casinos and gaming establishments and religious services - to reopen at 50 per cent capacity at the end of the month, with proof of vaccination as a requirement.  

“It’s positive to see that there’s a plan that businesses can reference and start to begin their own planning process to get themselves back open,” said Ring, speaking with SooToday Thursday. “I think overall there would’ve been a hope that we would be getting through these stages a lot quicker than what’s being presented, but at least [Ontario] is starting to recognize that the Omicron [variant] is starting to move towards that modelling of an endemic, and we have to start to prepare ourselves to begin to live with the virus and the impacts.”

Ring says owners of local businesses that he’s been in contact with wanted to expedite their plans to reopen. 

In mid-January, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce joined businesses across Ontario that were shuttered during the latest round of pandemic restrictions in calling on the province to allow them to reopen Jan. 26. 

“I think businesses would’ve hoped that it happened a little bit quicker - the government is being cautious, possibly a little over cautious - but it is a positive sign nevertheless,” said Ring. “At least businesses now have the ability to do their resource planning.”

Ring hopes the province sticks with its timeline to reopen Ontario’s economy in phases, which would lift all capacity limits for all indoor public settings - with proof of vaccination - effective March 14. 

“The last thing we need to do though is get close to these reopenings and then turn around and say, ‘no, we’re shutting you down,’ because you’ve got businesses that will be ramping up their inventories, they’ll be ensuring that they have the right kind of staffing resources,” said Ring. “To reverse that suddenly would wreak havoc, once again, [on] those businesses that really have had to bear the brunt of the majority of these policies.” 

The number one challenge for businesses, Ring says, is finding staff to work in all of Ontario’s job sectors that were impacted by lockdowns and other COVID-related public health restrictions. 

“There’s been such a fear created by the pandemic that employees are hesitant, in some circumstances, to get back in the workplace,” said Ring. “As we start to see things reopen, as we start to move towards this being an endemic, we hope that labour comes back to the market and feels comfortable, because we know that businesses have done everything to ensure customers are safe, their employees are safe.”

A rundown of Ontario’s timeline for lifting pandemic restrictions can be found here.

- with files from The Canadian Press