by Sylene Argent
Essex resident and small business owner, Dave Cassidy, asked Council to be a lead on supporting small businesses and write another letter to the Province on the matter.
He approached Council about the idea during the Tuesday, April 6 regular Council meeting.
Cassidy spoke on behalf of the gym he and his wife, Jen, operate in town. Back in January, he said his small business was locked down. In Windsor-Essex County, he said, “We did our part, and the [COVID positive] numbers came down.”
Back in January, he approached Council on the matter, and Council moved to passed a resolution that called on the higher tiers of government and health community to protect the health of Ontarians and small businesses by allowing them to remain open for in-store sales, with limited capacity and increased safety measures. Council also passed a second resolution, later in the meeting, that noted Council believes small businesses are essential and the backbone of the community, provide mental, social, and physical wellbeing, but need to still follow government regulations.
The letter was sent to the necessary Ministries, health officials, and all Ontario municipalities.
“We have invested our entire retirement savings into our business. It is important for us. This will be the eighth month we’ve been closed and it is devastating. And, I am not the only business that feels this. People are really ticked off over the whole what is going on with COVID. Show me the numbers, because the numbers continue to show us we are doing our part in this area,” Cassidy said.
The Stay-at-Home order, issued last week, he said, is going to be devastating. Phase one, he said, was suppose to be learned from. Phase two was an epic failure, in his opinion. Phase three was a total disaster, he added.
Cassidy said he has spoken to the Health Unit, which has indicated to him they have no say over orders. The Premier then notes the Health Units have the say as to the COVID reopening plan.
“Somebody is not telling the truth. Somebody is not being honest. Listen, I understand politics, I understand politicians. I understand its tough decisions people have to make. If you don’t want to come to my place of business because you don’t feel safe, then don’t come. But, I can tell you, based on the data, the transmission is not there. The transmission is not at mom and pop little restaurants. The transmission is not at these little retail stores that are dying to try and stay open,” Cassidy added.
Essex Council, Cassidy said, is one of the few Councils to listen to business owners, and he gave Council kudos for that. He asked Council to do that again.
Mayor Larry Snively said it is puzzling to see line-ups at big box stores and small businesses can’t be entered. He believes smaller businesses take better precautions.
“I think down here, we are being punished,” he said. “Our numbers are pretty decent down here, compared to the Greater Toronto Area. They don’t give a hell down there. They don’t follow protocol down there. But down here, we are taking precautions. We are following the guidelines, but yet, we are being punished. And, it is not fair to the small businesses. We are going to lose a lot of them. A lot of them are not going to reopen. We all know that. It’s a shame.”
Snively said he supports sending another letter to upper tiers of government demanding small business open in the area, with precautions in place.
Councillor Kim Verbeek said it is not known on how the government is making these decisions. If the Health Units are forcing the government on decision-making, the government is still saying let 30 kids in a classroom and so many into a large box store.
“There is no Health Unit telling the current government that the mandate and the outline for these regulations should be to close down the mom’s and pop’s. That’s all on them [the provincial government.”
She wondered if there was more Council Could do.
Verbeek wanted added to the letter, that pushing people to rally will cause more spread of the virus.
Councillor Steve Bjorkman said the situation breaks him. As a business owner, he has 11 employees ready to start when his business is slated to open at the end of the month. He said everything he has done in his life is now invested. It is about the people that work for him.
“This has been a depression, a recession set on the poorest people, the people least able to afford it in our Country. It’s those employees trying to feed their families, pay their rent. They are working minimum wage jobs. Those are the people aren’t working,” Bjorkman said. “It’s terrible.”
Bjorkman said Council has to reach out to other municipalities to do the same thing. He added that he knows of three businesses that closed over Easter weekend, including The Fort in Amherstburg.
“It’s arbitrary decisions by people who have never missed a paycheque through this entire pandemic. They are being gracious, we are trying to help, we are doing our best. But, none of them is experiencing the loss, none of them is experiencing what is going on with normal people that are losing it every day” Bjorkman said. “They don’t have a way to get out and express themselves. They don’t have a way to get out and work out their feeling and angers.”
COVID is not going away, Bjorkman suspects, it will be here for years. “We know how to fight it. Let us go to work.”
Snively added that local COVD numbers should be included in the letter, compared to down east.
Councillor Joe Garon said he wanted the effect the pandemic has had on the mentality of individuals included in the letter. “We have to continue to press that issue, too, that it is just not good to be bottled up in your house…the mental factor is huge and we got to keep emphasizing that.”
Councillor Chris Vander Doelen wanted the letter to go to the health units and other agencies. He said Heath Units can over rule the Premier with a Section 22.
Councillor Sherry Bondy asked what County Council is doing on the matter and would like to know why the Chief Medical Officer is not giving better data.
The presentation was received and the letter was supported.
Cassidy said he will now take the matter to County Council.
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