WATERLOO -- The Ontario Chamber of Commerce is calling on governments to provide financial support to small businesses as a result of new restrictions put in place to curb the spread of rising COVID-19 cases.
On Friday, the province announced the new measures in response to modelling which showed the Omicron variant could put additional strain on Ontario’s hospital capacity. The measures came into effect as of 12:01 a.m. on Sunday which included reducing indoor capacity at several businesses to 50 per cent while bars and restaurants were limited to 10 people per table and required to close by 11 p.m.
Rocco Rossi, president & CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, said businesses will suffer if subsidies are not re-introduced alongside the public health measures.
"You're going to see a wave of bankruptcies," Rossi said.
In the government’s announcement, Peter Bethlenfalvy, the provincial finance minister, said there is a plan to announce something soon.
"We will be looking at providing supports. We're going to be targeted and look at necessary supports given the circumstances," said Bethlenfalvy at the news conference.
According to Rossi, the message is nice to hear, but subsidies are needed now.
"If they had time to come up with new restrictions, they had time to come up with new supports," Rossi said.
Managers at Borealis Grille & Bar Kitchener said the new restrictions feel like deja vu.
"It honestly felt like the Saturday of March 14, 2020," said Neil Robinson, managing partner at Borealis Grille & Bar Kitchener.
Robinson said usually the Saturday before Christmas is one of the top ten days of the year for sales, but was quiet this time around. He said since the provincial announcement, larger groups are cancelling bookings as a result.
"It'll be difficult for us to continue unless we start seeing some of the subsidies coming back that we received previously," Robinson said.
Rossi said the new restrictions are coming at a time that businesses rely on sales to be high.
"The most important season of the year for many businesses, restaurants, halls, hotels," Rossi said.
Rossi said consumers can help support nearby shops during the holidays, by purchasing local when possible.
