With the provincial state of emergency and stay-at-home order set to expire in less than a week, local business owners are anxious to know what the next step is.
Business owners in downtown Trenton are growing frustrated with the closure of small businesses according to Downtown Trenton BIA Executive Director Lisa Kuypers-Schroedter.
“Our business owners are very frustrated downtown Trenton. Again, they don’t feel it’s fair that the big box stores can open up when you have lineups and crowds of people in one spot.”
In a release, Kuypers-Shroedter encouraged people to sign a petition from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business urging Ontario Premier Doug Ford to let small businesses open up. Though business owners in downtown Trenton are frustrated that their doors are still shuttered, there are no plans to open before they’re allowed under provincial rules. Kuypers-Schroedter says whenever businesses are allowed to open they will comply with the guidelines set out by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health.
In Belleville, staying afloat is the main focus for members of the Belleville DBIA according to Executive Director Marijo Cuerrier.
“We do have regular zoom meetings and there isn’t actually a lot of talk about anything other than survival, you know, what can we do to keep everybody in business.”
She says that more information or a heads-up from the provincial government on what’s happening after February 9, the date the provincial state of emergency and stay-at-home orders are slated to end, would be a great help to local businesses.
Cuerrier says they’ve received little to no information from the provincial government on what’s coming next.
