Will the Ontario government move this week to lift the Stay at Home order amid the pandemic?
Thunder Bay’s Chamber of Commerce President Charla Robinson tells us they, along with other provincial chambers, have asked Premier Doug Ford, in a letter, for evidence based decisions, not based on public pressure, and clearer guidelines moving forward.
“When they’re in Orange, what a community is doing… when they’re in Red, what a community is doing… and when they are in lockdown. Set the expectation. If this is your situation, this is where you are going to be. And I think that kind of clarity would help everyone be more…. accepting,” says the Chamber President.
She adds the provincial chambers’ messaging to the province must be clearer too.
This would help during times when some restrictions seemed tougher for some businesses over others. “But when things are not clear, that’s when it becomes very hard for businesses to understand why the rules keep changing, why we’re not following the guidelines that have been set up by the government. And if we can get that clarity back, I think that will help.”
The request to the Premier also asked for planning for areas that are hardest hit, in a regional sense, and better workforce management systems, such as employee screening, so there’s a more uniform approach for area health units instead of a patchwork approach.
