Small businesses from Kingsville and Leamington gathered on the steps of Carnegie Hall to address the economic crisis faced by the neighbouring towns.
As the group stood unified, emotions were high as individuals came forward expressing their disappointment that Kingsville and Leamington have been left behind in Stage 1 of provincial reopening while the rest of the county has been able to move forward into Stage 2.
After a thank you to supporters, Heather Brown of The Main Grill and Ale House and member of the Kingsville BIA opened the ceremony with a heartfelt plea. “As you are aware, Kingsville and Leamington have been forced to remain in Stage 1. Today, we stand here united as small business owners and operators and ask for your help.”
Heather Brown at the podium
While Kingsville and Leamington are the only economical region in Canada that has not been able to open for business, the point was made by Lisa Bradt of Bradt’s Butcher Block and Chair of the Leamington BIA, that both towns have economic ties and crossover throughout Essex County.
Bradt said that the small businesses within both towns “feel the situation remains inherently unfair and there are two sets of rules in place that are not protecting our community equally. The failure to ensure widespread effective testing at the outset of the pandemic has resulted in daily infection counts skyrocketing. This was all easily preventable. Yet, due to the ‘essential’ status, the agricultural sector remains open and small businesses suffer.”
Concluding her speech, Bradt expressed the group’s support in standing with the migrant workers in demanding a safe work environment, proper safety education, and provision of all necessary PPE.
Trevor Loop of Jack’s Gastropub and Banded Goose Brewing Co. and member of the Kingsville BIA, took to the microphone listing the items of support which the group is seeking from the government and relevant industry bodies.
Mayor Nelson Santos at the podium
The requests are as follows:
1) Kingsville and Leamington should both be permitted to move into Phase 2 immediately.
2) Small business requires an immediate financial lifeline in the form of the following:
a) Exemption from repayment of the federal $40,000 CEBA loan for ALL small businesses in our affected area
b) HST relief for the entire 2020 calendar year
c) An extension of the Wage Subsidy Program through to March 31st, 2021
d) An extension of the Rent Subsidy Program through to March 31st, 2021
e) Provincial Financial support in the form of a $5,000 relaunch grant per business to offset the costs of retrofitting business to comply with the new health and safety guidelines
f) A Provincial Marketing Stimulus Package for our immediate region of Kingsville and Leamington equivalent to our regional spend over the last five years (no less than $5,000,000.00) to be coordinated and administered by both Tourism and TWEPI.
3) Provincial and Municipal regulation to provide our community with agriculture-specific rules and guidelines (with corresponding penalties for those who fail to comply) to ensure that farms/greenhouses take the health and safety of their workers seriously (and by extension, the safety of the entire region).
In a last statement from Loop, the emotion and confidence of the small business owners was evident. “We are the backbone of our community in which we all live, raise families and work. We have the best interests of our community at heart day in and day out. With the help of federal, provincial and regional guidelines, we have every confidence that we can reopen our establishments and continue to serve our friends, family, and neighbours.”
Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald at the podium
Mayor of Kingsville Nelson Santos also came up to the podium to address the crowd and support the small businesses of both towns.
“Separating Kingsville and Leamington from the rest of Windsor-Essex was divisive and continues to be catastrophic decision that has stigmatized our town and overlooked our needs as a community as a whole,” Santos said. “The clock is ticking. The timing now is urgent to ensure the survival of our small businesses who are our lifeline within our communities.”
Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald later spoke, admitting that she has already talked to Premier Doug Ford. She had already told him how disappointed she was after he neglected to mention the small businesses of Windsor-Essex county in a conference last week. She pressed him to provide either a firm reopen date or financial assistance for the small businesses of our community.
MacDonald ended on a note of unity. “We will stand with you. Two communities … we are beyond just neighbours, we’re friends, we’re family and we will stand together.”
Mayors Santos and MacDonald will be adding the voices of both communities to those others who have already been reaching out to Premier Ford and the provincial government to let Kingsville and Leamington move forward into Stage 2.
Sebastian Schmoranz at the podium
In addition to the mayors of Kingsville and Leamington, Essex MP Chris Lewis and Chatham-Kent-Leamington MPP Rick Nicholls were in attendance. Sebastian Schmoranz of McGregor Sims Schmoranz Law Office also attended as legal counsel.
As a result of today’s press conference, a clear demand has been made. Move Kingsville and Leamington to Stage 2 of the provincial reopening plan and commit to the list of reasonable requests to ensure our local small businesses will survive.
If you would like to have your voice heard, you can also join the many community members that are already doing so by emailing Premier Doug Ford at premier@ontario.ca.
Photos by Rylee Wallace