Group of small business owners bands together to defy lockdown measures and reopen
Businesses band together in “united non-compliance” of provincial lockdown measures
As business owners prepare for a possible reopening on Feb. 22 in Ontario, some ‘non-essential’ businesses are banding together nationwide in defiance to reopen now.
The group ‘We Are All Essential’ is rallying small businesses to stand together in “united non-compliance” of provincial lockdown measures and open their doors for business on Thursday.
The group sent out a media release stating that businesses will stay open going forward “no matter the government intimidation techniques.”
“After careful examination and scrutiny of mitigation measures taken by all levels of government, it is now evident that the lockdowns cause more harm than the virus and must be brought to an end,” reads the release.
A directory of those businesses can be found here WeAreAllEssential.ca
The release claims more than 300 businesses across Canada plan to reopen in defiance of current lockdown measures.
Government restrictions have contributed to an alarming number of small businesses shuttering their doors since the onset of the pandemic.
Stats Canada says there were 8.3 per cent (or 25,614) fewer active businesses in September than in February in Ontario. That data does not include the expanded lockdown measures the province took on Boxing Day.
Data on the impact of the October and November restrictions on businesses should be released this month by the Federal government.
The number of companies that have taken steps under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act or Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act since the beginning of the pandemic is also alarming.
The list includes Cirque Du Soleil Canada Inc, Henry’s (Cranbrook Glen Enterprises Ltd.) Sail Outdoors Inc, MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-operative), Moores, and DavidsTea Inc to name a few.
