THUNDER BAY – As the province begins easing COVID-19 restrictions, allowing some businesses to reopen, Mayor Bill Mauro is looking to answer Thunder Bay residents’ questions with a virtual town hall. The event, which takes place Tuesday at 7 p.m., will focus on economic recovery and will also feature Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) CEO Eric Zakrewski.
The two will provide information on provincial reopening timetables, how the city can help local businesses, and what residents can do to support local shops.
Mauro said the reopening process must be led by advice from public health experts, but he believed it was the right time for some local businesses to begin reopening, with proper precautions in place.
“I think from the health side, from the medical professionals, you’re still hearing a bit of caution,” he said. “There is no vaccine yet and we don’t necessarily have treatments that are better, although there is some positive news.”
“At the same time, we know it’s very important for a lot of these small, locally-owned retailers to be able to reopen. I think a number of them can be managed – we see we’re doing it already with grocery stores and pharmacies.”
Mauro indicated some outdoor city services may soon follow suit.
“We’ve heard there will be announcements soon on city services like golf courses, the marina, other parts like that,” he said. “I’ve reached out to our administration, and they’re working on this to be certain that when we get the go-ahead from the province, we’re ready to go. People want to get out there, we’ve been waiting a long time.”
Still, the mayor said city services won’t automatically reopen as soon as provincial restrictions are eased. That's a determination the city will make based on advice from its own staff and the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, he said.
“There may be some examples where the city will pull back and say, ‘we’re not ready to do that,’” Mauro explained. “I think there will be some where we can say, ‘yes, absolutely.’”
The mayor deemed it unlikely the province would allow regions less hard-hit by the pandemic, like northwestern Ontario, to reopen sooner.
“I can respect that from their perspective, that’s not something that’s easily managed,” he said. “I think we’ll probably see a one-size-fits-all [approach], generally speaking. The fact that our numbers are lower than in some places across the province may be a factor. I think there’s an argument perhaps we could make, but I’m not sure how successful we’d be in that.”
Residents can submit questions for the mayor’s town hall until Monday at noon through the city’s website. Questions will also be taken live on the phone and through an online chat on the city’s website during the broadcast.
The town hall will be broadcast live Tuesday at 7 p.m. on the city's social media channels, Shaw TV, the Tbaytel Community Channel, and the City's website. Following the town hall, all questions and answers will be compiled and posted online.
