Montreal businesses want stability, no more ‘yo-yo’ of shutdowns and reopenings

“Reopening is actually a good idea I think, it’s going to help with small businesses,” says one Montrealer ready to hit the stores on the first weekend since businesses reopened after several weeks. Samsara Rainville reports.

By Samsara Rainville and Kelsey Patterson

MONTREAL (CityNews) – An association representing Canadian small businesses is begging the Quebec government not to shut down stores again now that they’ve reopened.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) says the back-and-forth between shutting down and reopening is becoming very hard on business owners.

Across Quebec last week, non-essential retail stores, personal-care salons and museums reopened following a strict lockdown in place since Christmas.

“To do the yo-yo, it is one of the hardest things that business owners could do,” said Francois Vincent, vice-president of CFIB.

The association says businesses are struggling since the very first lockdown imposed by the Francois Legault government.

“At the first lockdown, we had seen programs from the federal government, but the first program for rent subsidy was not very good, so businesses did not have any sales,” said Vincent. “But at the same time, they had to pay the rent and to pay other things.

“So you have seen the debt for businesses due to COVID-19 explode.”

Since the restrictions were eased at the start of last week, 30 new cases of the virus have been linked to retail stores.

But business owners are begging the province not to shut them down again as they struggle to stay afloat.

“If we close again it’s going to be a lot of situations,” said Carlyns Laguerre, the CEO of Dolly Beauty, a beauty store in Montreal. “Because we have to do another marketing (strategy), the way we’ve been planning stuff…”

Experts say February is usually a slower month in terms of sales, but the numbers will continue to see an improvement as long as stores remain open.

“Customers, if they spend less, and they choose small independent stores, they can really make a difference here to help these businesses that make our neighbourhoods so beautiful,” said Vincent.

And while traffic is down in Montreal’s downtown core, Laguerre expects people to slowly keep coming to shop.

“I think people are going to come back to stores,” he said. “I think people love to be in stores and I think people realize how stores are important.

“A lot of people just come in to see, to have the experience, to come back in real life.”

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