Premier Doug Ford did the right thing when he ordered certain businesses shut back in the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas.
“He now has to help them weather this pandemic so that Main Street doesn’t shut down when the virus is dead,” she said at a Sept. 25 press conference touting the NDP’s plan for small business pandemic recovery.
That plan is called “Save Main Street: A Plan for Jobs and Financial Security For Working People.”
It calls on the Ontario government to bring in measures including a commercial eviction ban, a commercial rent subsidy, a fund for safe re-opening and remote work setup, paid sick days for all, and stopping insurance gouging. (A full summary of the plan’s details are below).
This plan won’t come cheap, though.
“It will cost close to three-quarters of a billion dollars,” said Gélinas, who was joined at the press conference at Kuppajo Espresso Bar on Friday afternoon by her colleague, Sudbury MPP Jamie West.
“We’re talking about $700 million to make sure that throughout Ontario you have paid sick days, you have help with the rent, you keep your businesses open.
“In the grand scheme of things, it is a lot of money, but in the long run, to keep those businesses going, they will pay taxes, Ontario will continue to be a prosperous province, and they will continue to be there.
“To let them fail and close will bring a whole lot more economic hardship than to help them upfront, although the cost is there — over $700 million.”
She said for every dollar of government investment in COVID-19 help, 97 cents came from the federal government, and three from the province.
Gélinas also pointed to a report by the province’s Financial Accountability Office pointing to $6.7-billion in unallocated pandemic fighting funds.
“That money coming from Ontario has not been spent,” she said. “It is there. It is the right thing to do at this point in the game, to make sure that you support small businesses.”
When asked about the funds on Sept. 10 during a press conference in Sudbury, Ford said the province is flowing COVID-19 funds as quickly as it can, while a spokesperson for the office of the premier sent an email to Sudbury.com providing more information on the subject.
"In its report, the FAO fails to mention that the $6.7-billion estimate in unallocated funds is meant to span the entire fiscal year and the Province is only in its second quarter,” said the spokesperson.
“Our government remains committed to spending these funds as the need arises.”
Gélinas said she knows of many businesses in her riding that have either closed or are dealing with financial difficulties brought on by the pandemic.
She gave the example of the Cousin Vinny’s Restaurant in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre (Gélinas’ constituency office is also located in the mall).
The restaurant has had a large decline in business while at the same time dealing with increased insurance rates.
West said the Ford government “can’t cross their fingers and hope we’ve been successful.”
“We have to have a plan to provide support for small businesses to survive,” he said. “Families, small- and medium-sized enterprises are relying on government at all levels, municipal, federal and provincial.
“It’s time for the province to start pulling their fair weight. We have to take preventive actions now to make sure all Ontarians make it through the second wave and have the financial security to drive the province to come back healthier and more prosperous than ever before.”
Ontario NDP’s Save Main Street plan
Keeping workers on the payroll
- A ban on all evictions, lockouts or eviction threats by commercial landlords, in place until the pandemic ends
- A utility payment freeze for small- and medium-sized businesses
- A stand-alone emergency 75 per cent commercial rent subsidy, up to $10,000 per month
- A fund for businesses that face historic barriers
Keeping workers safe
- A safe re-opening and remote-work set up fund for small and medium-sized businesses
- A Made In Ontario paid sick days plan for all
Building the she-covery
- Cap class sizes and school bus capacity to keep kids safe, and moms working
- Create more, safer non-profit and public child care spaces
- Create a dedicated re-training fund and Office to Advance Women Apprenticeship
Stopping insurance gouging
- Institute an auto-insurance grace period for taxis and car-sharing drivers
- Stop insurance gouging, stop insurance corporations from denying coverage based on COVID-19, stop insurance companies from denying business interruption claims
- Mandate commercial vehicle insurance rebates.
Keeping restaurant jobs afloat
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Limit food delivery fees
