KITCHENER -- After months of a heavy focus on health and safety, the Region of Waterloo says that it is time to begin looking at economic recovery.

“There are plans being made at the region and area municipalities in the business sector to find the best path forward to make sure nobody is left behind. We are not going back to life the way it was, we need to go back in an orderly fashion make sure that we keep people as safe as possible,” said Regional Chair Karen Redman.

Council received an update on Wednesday evening from the Business and Economic Support Team (BESTWR), a collection of local organizations tasked with leading the recovery plan.

In the presentation, BESTWR laid out a few key plans to a well-organized recovery, including a reopening playbook.

"That’s a key part of the recovery here, for a business to know what they need, what the protocol is and how they can safely reopen their facilities and keep their customers and employees safe,” said Tony LaMantia, Waterloo EDC President and CEO.

“Based on the provincial reopening framework, the playbook really gets into how we reopen and in what stages. That relates to outdoor spaces, best practices, and resources on how to do that.”

Another major objective, creating a central resource for personal protective equipment (PPE) within the region.

“We need a central portal, a one stop shop or at least a central point for businesses as they open up to get PPE, otherwise it’s going to be the wild west,” said LaMantia.

Part of that recovery plan includes Grand River Transit reintroducing transit fares starting June 1 to help offset the financial losses incurred from the pandemic.

"As we go through to the recovery stage we think this is the next step that will help people realize that we can get back to normal, and losing those fares is a huge hit to the bottom line," said Redman.

Council also approved an extension on waiving late fees for regional services, like water and wastewater, until the end of June.

The region and local municipalities are also asking the provincial and federal government for more money to assist in the economic recovery.

A more detailed plan is expected to be released at a council meeting on May 26.