Whereas on November 23, 2020, the Region of Peel entered the province’s “Grey Zone: Lockdown,” which has put significant restrictions on business operations in the Region, including the closure of small businesses, except for those that can provide online shopping, curbside pick-up, or delivery;
And whereas, daily COVID-19 numbers in Peel continue to increase;
And whereas, hospitalization numbers and the number of patients in the ICU, throughout Peel, continue to rise;
And whereas, the safest way to shop to stop the spread of COVID-19 is through infrequent trips to the store, online shopping, by curbside pick-up, or through take-out;
And whereas, in an effort to keep the supply chain operating and ensure people can get the essentials they need like groceries, large retailers have been permitted to continue to operate, albeit with capacity limits;
And whereas, larger retailer outlets sell more than just essentials and are in direct competition with small retailers who are not allowed to open, or only with online shopping or curb side pick-up, creating an uneven playing field for small businesses and local retailers;
And whereas, the holiday shopping season has begun, a critical time for small businesses due to the provincial restrictions;
Therefore be it resolved, that the provincial government be requested to revise the Rules for Areas in Stage 1 under Ontario Regulation 82/20 (the “lockdown”) to address the inequity created between small businesses required to close and businesses permitted to open and continue sales; to avoid unfair competitive advantage between businesses; and to provide consistency with continued effective health risk management in consultation with Public Health;
And further, that strict enforcement of requirements for masking, physical distancing with capacity limits on a per square metre basis, and limits on numbers of persons admitted to big box and other businesses be emphasized and pursued;
And further, that a copy of this resolution be sent to all Peel-area MPPs:
Sara Singh, MPP Brampton Centre
Gurratan Singh, MPP Brampton East
Kevin Yarde, MPP Brampton North
Prabmeet Sarkaria, MPP Brampton South
Amarjot Sandhu, MPP Brampton West
Sylvia Jones, MPP Dufferin-Caledon
Natalia Kusendova, MPP Mississauga Centre
Kaleed Rasheed, MPP Mississauga East-Cooksville
Sheref Sabawy, MPP Mississauga-Erin Mills
Rudy Cuzzetto, MPP Mississauga-Lakeshore
Deepak Anand, MPP Mississauga-Malton
Nina Tangri, MPP Mississauga-Streetsville,
with a request that they advocate and speak up on behalf of the businesses that they are elected to represent;
And further, that a copy of this resolution be sent to the City of Toronto and Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area municipalities.