Timmins chamber asks Porcupine Health Unit to give business community a reopening plan
The Timmins Chamber of Commerce has written a letter to the Porcupine Health Unit's medical officer of health, asking for a measured re-opening within the unit's jurisdiction.
Chamber officials are asking Dr. Lianne Catton to work with them to figure out a plan so business owners can budget appropriately.
The owners of Full Beard Brewing in Timmins said they've gone above and beyond to ensure their business is ready and safe to reopen with the rest of the province.
"We purchased more picnic tables. We purchased a tent as well to cover some people during hot days or rain or whatnot and hopefully utilize it. We’ve expanded it to larger area ... we applied for that," said Jonathan St-Pierre, co-owner of Full Beard Brewing Co.
St-Pierre said the brewery even has special software to conduct efficient contact tracing. An, with safeguards in place, he co-owner Benjie Potvin are frustrated after seeing people congregating in local parks not following COVID health rules. They don't know when they will be allowed to start serving customers again.
"Give us a little bit," Potvin said. "Let people out. Let business owners police it because it’s not being policed right now. Every small business has people and staff that are ready to do the job and do the job properly. We just need that go ahead and give us that chance.”
On Monday, the health unit announced the Timmins region is not ready to reopen due to high COVID case numbers. But in a letter to Catton, the Timmins chamber asked her for a measured, regional metric to reopening.
“We understand that these restrictions need to continue at this time given the rise in case numbers in our region but we need some milestone setting," said Cameron Grant, senior policy analyst government and stakeholder relations for the chamber.
"Businesses can’t just simply sit by idling. They’ve likely ordered food in anticipation of the June 14 reopening. Now we see that happening on Friday for the rest of the province."
The Porcupine Health Unit did not respond to a request for an interview, but Grant said Catton reached out to the chamber to say her administration was working on what reopening benchmarks could look like.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.