THUNDER BAY - Local leaders say it is difficult to know exactly when the city of Thunder Bay’s economy reopens, keeping in line with the framework announced by the province.
During the daily media briefing on Monday, the provincial government unveiled its framework for reopening the economy.
Premier Doug Ford called it a roadmap and not a calendar, saying it is too early to put any specific dates on when things will start to open.
Thunder Bay Mayor Bill Mauro said Monday’s announcement was more about letting the people of Ontario know the conditions that are needed before things start to open again.
“We are still, depending on what you took from the press conference today, we are still a few weeks or many longer from announcing that,” he said.
Last week, Ford said Northern or rural parts of the province not hit as hard by COVID-19 will not open any earlier than the rest of Ontario.
Mauro said the municipality cannot open workplaces or businesses on its own and it is based on provincial orders.
“I think for me it is important to keep reminding people, because I do get that question a fair bit, but people are feeling pressure,” he said. “Obviously our small businesses are suffering. There are a lot of people who want to see things get started again, but it is not the municipality that controls when things will happen, it is the province.”
But Mauro added that he understands people are struggling and perhaps hoping for more concrete timelines out of the government’s announcement.
“I think there was a different expectation today,” he said. “I think some people thought we might likely see something about dates. I’m not sure if we are disappointed or not. I think the decisions have to be based on advice from medical professionals.”
The framework announced on Monday includes a three-stage process for reopening the economy, but specifics as to what workplaces or businesses will open at which stage was not made immediately available.
President of the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce, Charla Robinson, said local businesses were probably looking for more clarification when it comes to who may open first.
“I think some businesses will have a bit of a sense of where they fit, and some won’t,” she said. “Where do hairdressers fit? Where to chiropractors fit? We are still looking for more guidelines but at least this gives us a start to wrap our heads around.”
Robinson added the framework will at least give businesses and citizens something to wrap their heads around, but everyone should be aware that nothing is going to happen overnight.
“It’s not like one day we open the doors and things go back to normal,” she said. “This at least gives us a sense of where we are at. They are not talking of specific dates yet. We all know that Ontario is going to be a little bit slower because of the severity it has come to our province. So setting that expectation is important.”