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The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce is appealing to the province for more fairness and predictability in the way COVID-19 restrictions are applied.
“As you are aware, this pandemic has been an extraordinary challenge for many enterprises and particularly small businesses,” the organization says in a letter addressed to Premier Doug Ford.
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While the chamber acknowledges that several provincial programs, such as the Northern Ontario Recovery Program and Ontario Small Business Support Grant, have been helpful, it is asking that additional steps be taken “to further support businesses that are struggling to survive.”
The MPP for the Kenora-Rainy Riding says he feels the pain of businesses in Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls.
This past week, the town council there passed a resolution indicating the lockdown was hurting local stores and restaurants.
Greg Rickford, who is also the Northern Development Minister says they have a number of programs in place to help small businesses through COVID-19.
“I feel for Sioux Narrows, we’ve been very active there supporting a number of projects,” says Rickford.
“Mayor Dufresne knows that. We’ve been as helpful as we possibly can. Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls has a challenge that some of the other towns and cities in our region don’t and that is they don’t have any big box stores or larger grocery stores that folks can go to.”
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The year 2020 can be described as one of “resiliency” for the local business community, Peter Chirico says.
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“This has been one of the most challenging years for business that I think they’ve ever seen, at least in this generation or in a couple of generations going forward,” says Chirico, president and chief executive officer of the North Bay & District Chamber of Commerce.
But despite the ebbs and flows that COVID-19, and the resulting restrictions put in place by governments to curb its spread, had on the economy, Chirico says businesses rose to the occasion, whether it was New Ontario Brewing producing hand sanitizer, The Original Bug Shirt Company making masks or Average Joes doing Sea-Doo deliveries.