THUNDER BAY – The City of Thunder Bay is formally asking the province to reconsider lockdown policies, over concerns they create an uneven playing field between big business and independent retailers.
On Monday, city council unanimously passed a motion put forward by Mayor Bill Mauro calling on the Ford government to revise the rules to treat non-essential sales the same way at large and small retailers.
Mauro’s motion was based on a similar ask from the Ontario Big City Mayors (OBCM), formerly known as LUMCO, which represents the mayors of Ontario’s 26 largest municipalities, including Thunder Bay.
It’s chiefly aimed at curtailing an unfair advantage for big box stores able to remain open to sell both essential and non-essential items.
“An example would be where a large retailer is considered essential [because] they can sell groceries, but they can also sell a lot of other things because they’re open,” Mauro explained Monday. “Their ability to do that places a small business that’s… limited to curbside or delivery at a disadvantage.”
Coun. Andrew Foulds praised local businesses for their creativity and innovation in adapting during the pandemic, but said provincial rules made it impossible to fairly compete.
“When you have an unequal playing field, it’s difficult no matter how creative and innovative you are.”
A copy of the resolution will be sent to Premier Doug Ford, ministers for finance and small business, local MPPs, and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), among other groups.
It also calls for a re-examination of capacity limits when lockdown is lifted. Mauro argued capacity limits for restaurants and other businesses should be set by square footage, not by a hard cap.
A restaurant five times larger than its competitor shouldn’t have the same capacity limits, Mauro argued.
Lastly, the resolution asks the province to partner with municipalities to pilot “unique/additional parameters and programs” that recognize local variations.
“Public health measures and restrictions on business are not one size fits all, and need to be varied based on local public health conditions, demographics, and geographic scale,” Mauro said.
Councillor Shelby Ch’ng declared a conflict of interest over the matter, as a local business owner, while Coun. Brian Hamilton was not present for the vote.
