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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.