THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay mayor Bill Mauro is seeking changes to Ontario’s lockdown rules, arguing they create an "uneven playing field" for small businesses and ignore widely varying local conditions.
Mauro will seek city council’s endorsement of a resolution asking the province to consider changes to its lockdown regulations on Monday.
“As we move into the second year of managing the pandemic response, it must be acknowledged that what is appropriate in the Province’s largest cities may not be appropriate in smaller municipalities that are facing different issues,” the mayor wrote in a memo accompanying the resolution.
The resolution calls on the province to revise its lockdown regulation to address the inequity between small and large businesses.
“Small businesses and local retailers are at a significant competitive disadvantage when lockdowns or the red control level are implemented, while larger retail outlets are permitted to remain open in lockdown and sell more than just essentials in direct competition with small retailers,” Mauro explained.
Mauro’s resolution also calls for the elimination of hard capacity caps for businesses, saying capacity should be determined purely on a per square meter basis.
Lastly, it asks the province to partner with municipalities to pilot “unique/additional parameters and programs.”
“Public health measures and restrictions on business are not one size fits all, and need to be varied based on local public health conditions, demographics, and geographic scale,” Mauro said.
If passed by council on Monday, a copy of the resolution will be sent to Premier Doug Ford, ministers for finance and small business, local MPPs, and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), among other groups.
