EMILY HSUEH
PONTIAC Dec. 23, 2020
As COVID-19 cases in Quebec continue to surge, Premier François Legault announced on Dec. 15 that the entire province will enter the red zone. Effective Dec. 16, all non-essential businesses will have to close their doors until Jan. 11.
This has left many Pontiac business owners upset, especially considering the low number of cases in the region.
“We were able last time to stay open as an essential service because we have pet supplies and cleaning supplies and a little bit of hardware, so we were able to stay here. But this time we can’t because they’ve restricted what we’re able to sell,” said Rhonda Meisner, owner of Stedmans V&S in Shawville. “This is going to hurt us.”
Meisner said she understands the need for the new rules, but is very disappointed with the new restrictions.
“We’re in different circumstances but we’re grouped into the whole which I didn’t think was very fair,” she continued. “They kick the little guy the hardest and then they let a big box store stay open and say they’re going to regulate what they sell. That’s impossible, I don’t know how any government official thinks that’s going to happen, in all honesty. So I’m pretty disappointed about that.”
Jill McBane, owner of Boutique Shawville Shooz, is in the same boat as Meisner as she explained that small businesses are safer to shop in terms of contact and capacity.
“What upsets me most is the big stores can remain open,” said McBane. “They’ve got all kinds of people jamming into one another whereas the small businesses, we’re following all the rules, we’re wearing masks, we’re protected, there aren’t very many people in your store at one time. So it does upset me that the little guy always seems to lose out.”
The change to red zone comes just in time for the holiday season, which is also affecting small establishments as this time would be one of the busiest for business. Chelsea Smith at House of Inspiring Flowers echoed this statement, and says she will miss the in-person contact as well.
“It’s a tough time, you know Christmas is when you do a lot of business and it’s tough all around,” she said. “We’re adapting as needed, we’re making changes as needed according to government restriction. We’re doing curbside pickup and home delivery, but we remain closed to walk-in customers [Dec. 17] onwards until the lockdown is over with.
“It’s hard, it’s very hard. The more lockdowns and the more rules they enforce really affects us,” she said. “I don’t think it’s very fair because for small businesses like us, we rely on our customers to come in, pick out what they want, and if they can’t do that, you lose that personal touch that we had for so many years.”
However, some business owners don’t see the restrictions as harmful for their business, being able to keep busy while they are closed to walk-in customers. Jason Yereck owns Renaissance Variety with his wife Lorna, where they sell video games, books and other popular culture merchandise. They also fix computers for clients, which is what they will be focusing on while their doors are closed.
“It’s going to have an impact but at the same time, we still have inventory to do. We still have computers we build regularly, we still have clients … we still produced our items for the clients which was very good and it’s a necessity; people are homeschooling, Skyping, Zooming. Computers are a very vital part of our business.”
While Yereck agrees the restrictions are frustrating, he is not worried about how his business will fare.
“We’ll survive it well, we’re not in any jeopardy,” he said. “We’re a successful business with 20 plus years of experience and our clients support us and we support the community.”
In Campbell’s Bay, Elsa Renwick and Jen Whittal at La Junction restaurant are going into the red zone with high hopes. In the last lockdown, they were only open for dinner services, but this time they are offering lunch with promising results.
“If today’s lunch period was any reflection, we were extremely busy. So if every lunch period’s gonna be like this, it would be a great change. Last time we were only open during dinner, during the last lockdown, so this new lunch time will be a new avenue for us,” added Renwick.
“I think it’s unnecessary for our area especially. I was really hoping to be exempted again because we just don’t have the numbers here but I understand what they’re trying to do,” she continued.
“I do believe we’re a little bit more prepared, we have a little more of an understanding on what to expect,” said Whittal. “Just like preventative measures in a car; if you can stop it from happening, maybe it’ll stop the wave getting so big. So maybe, it’s these two weeks and that’ll be it.”
As of Dec. 25, non-essential Quebec businesses will have to close their doors to the public until Jan. 11. Meisner hopes that those who shop at Stedmans won’t stop coming after they reopen.
“[We’ll] come back with the hope people haven’t forgotten about us while they’ve been forced to go somewhere else for the last two weeks.”
