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Sault chamber of commerce wants reopening to happen sooner

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Sault Ste. Marie -

A northern Ontario chamber of commerce is hoping for a more expedited reopening process in Ontario to help struggling businesses.

An official with Sault Ste. Marie's chamber said they're happy to see a plan from the Ford government that starts next Monday, but would have preferred to see the province stick to its original Jan. 26 date.

"Extending it another five days, there's certainly a lot of questions about how much impact that would really have," said chamber CEO Rory Ring.

"Other than again, stalling these businesses ability to get back at what they do best, which is running their businesses."

Ring said business owners have become accustomed to adapting throughout the pandemic and is encouraged the province is at least looking to get customers back into shops.

In most cases, members are also happy with Ontario's more conservative approach, he added, in comparison to some European countries who've moved to scrap their COVID-19 restrictions almost entirely this month.

"But watching how the global market unfolds, it does add some frustration to our current situation," he said. "Do we have to ban all protocols at this time? I would suggest no, but that's not to say you can't move into restricted capacity limits with all the protocols in place."

Under provincial guidelines, recreational facilities will also be able to reopen starting Monday.

The City of Sault Ste. Marie said it's still waiting for clarification on exactly what restrictions will be in place.

Ontario's three-stage reopening plan ends on March 14, with all indoor capacity limits being removed, but proof of vaccination remaining in effect. 

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