Easing of pandemic rules sparks excitement, caution among Windsor business owners
CBC
Windsor business owners say they're excited and cautious over this week's lifting of provincial pandemic restrictions.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced on Monday that a number of restrictions would ease on Thursday.
Among the changes are increasing social gathering limits and removing capacity limits altogether in indoor public settings where proof of vaccination is required (that includes restaurants, bars, gyms, and cinemas).
Then, on March 1, the province plans to remove all proof of vaccination requirements, and lifting capacity limits in all remaining indoor public settings if the situation around COVID-19 in the province continues to improve.
Henry Kim, owner of Windsor coffee shop Cafe March 21, said the lifting of restrictions is coming sooner than he expected.
"We are definitely excited for all the people who have been wanting to sit down," he said. "We are very happy about that."
"We're a little cautious, too," he said. "I believe it's going to help a lot of small businesses."
Mariam Hussain, owner of Windsor restaurant Maison Istanbul, said she was happy to hear the provincial announcement on Monday.
"I think we all almost have the same opinion on that," she said. "It's very relieving, because a lot of us have been struggling with that."
Hussain said Maison Istanbul does have regular customers who aren't vaccinated.
"It sucks for us to tell them 'sorry, you can't come in because you don't have vaccination passports," she said. "We'd like for everyone ... to be able to come here and dine in and just enjoy the food and the atmosphere."
"At the same time ... it's kind of for our own protection, too."
Hussain said she was happy to see restrictions easing, as the pandemic has been a struggle at the restaurant.
"The business is going to be back to normal, we're going to get super busy again," she said. "We'll also have more positions to hire people, because I know a lot of people are looking for jobs."
Intelligence regarding foreign interference sometimes didn't make it to the prime minister's desk in 2021 because Canada's spy agency and the prime minister's national security adviser didn't always see eye to eye on the nature of the threat, according to a recent report from one of Canada's intelligence watchdogs.