Sudbury MPP Jamie West believes that both Nickel City businesses and not-for-profit organizations didn’t get the provincial support they needed during the COVID-19 pandemic and suffered alongside their employees because of it.
A lack of information and a lack of funds to support their financial needs amid closures has the two sectors worried they will never get back on their feet.
West hosted three virtual meetings late last month in addition to numerous informal conversations with local employees and employers, in response to a request that MPPs consult with their constituents on the gradual reopening of the province. The goal of which was to identify strengths and areas of improvement in the existing strategy, West said.
Around 15 community members responded to the non-partisan survey earlier that month, the MPP said, from a fairly broad spectrum of the community..
“We didn’t want it to be a navel-gazing exercise,” he said. The goal was to be constructive.
The topics discussed were varied, said West, but the overall sentiment was equal parts pride in Sudbury’s ability to adapt and disappointment in the lack of support offered from the provincial office.
A common theme from the respondents was they felt abandoned since the first list of essential and non-essential services was released, confused by their place in the ranking and concerned for the survival of their organization, he said. Announcements from the province about funding or new programs to help groups weather the COVID-19 storm would be accompanied by supplementary information available online, but this was difficult to manage, said the MPP, and sometimes necessary details wouldn’t be added to the government’s website until two to three days after the announcement was made.
Searching for answers, members of the public would contact the health unit, the City of Greater Sudbury or West’s office, he said, but would most often leave the call with questions unanswered. Calls could also be made to the provincial office directly, but this route could take up to two weeks to get a response.
“People would phone our office and we would literally know as much as they said in the press release.”
This left employers in a position of having no way to generate revenue by traditional means and an ever-increasing pile of bills, with no end in sight, he said. The only relief offered were deferrals in the form of a loan or the time-sensitive wage subsidy, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.
Employers hit hardest by this were mom and pop shops that West said without a physical storefront, had no way of reaching customers, and little savings to support themselves or the cost of web development. But even larger organizations with an online presence have been forced to gradually eat away at previously reserved savings to stay afloat, he said.
“We often think that everyone is online but the reality is that a lot of people aren’t.”
Non-profit organizations also suffered considerably during this time, said the MPP, having one of two revenue streams stripped from them with the prohibition of public gatherings and limited to no savings. On top of that, he said many, including the Sudbury Women’s Centre, have been busier now than before the pandemic began, adding to their financial strain.
“As their name implies, their goal is to balance the budget and not make a profit, and so as they go into something like this, they don't have any reserves to dig into.”
Also going above and beyond during this time were those in Sudbury’s medical, long-term care and nursing sector, said West, but these individuals were not included in that most recent survey. Based on the informal conversation, however, West said employees of these care facilities have been struggling with a lack of personal protective equipment and elevated work-load.
Part of this elevated work-load being directly related to the fact that because of COVID-19 safety protocols, families have not been able to visit local long-term care and nursing facilities to fill gaps in care, he said. Thankfully this has not affected care locally as much as in other areas of the province, but adds to the burden to those in what he said are underpaid and in unstable positions of employment.
“Once you remove all that you start to see the real cracks and the stress come out.”
These employees like many who have been given the opportunity to return to work have been suffering from poor mental health, not only in response to the stressors on the job but for fear of bringing infection home to their family, said West. Evidence of this stress and fear can be seen in what he said has been an elevated number of work refusals, which is then multiplied should that complaint be dismissed by the provincial Ministry of Labour, Training, and Skills Development.
Never before the pandemic has West seen a work refusal be overturned, he said, but this has become a theme of the pandemic.
“Those who had jobs felt very fortunate and were worried about rocking the boat even if they had legitimate safety concerns. It just became: I need to pay my bills, It might not be worth bringing this up.
“As word of that spread, other workers didn't want to bring forward safety concerns because they felt like they didn’t have support from the government.”
Pandemic pay seemed like a silver lining, he said, but had heard no news of these funds being dispersed by the date of the interview.
“I think the pandemic pay would help if it was in people's pockets, but it's not, so it’s sort of like this plastic carrot that they keep chasing.”
Knowledge of this pay without disbursement has also added tension to the workplace, said West, with some employees believing these funds are being withheld by employers or distributed unfairly.
This conflict, like some other stressors, would have been unavoidable in trying times such as these, but there are some things local employers think could have helped local businesses and non-profit organizations adapt to the change.
First and foremost, participants said they would have appreciated more financial support to cover operating expenses, development broadband capabilities, or safety-related purchases such as personal protective equipment and plexiglass. Aside from that, they believe it would have been helpful to have more accessible information that was easier to understand, preferably, with examples in the instances of legally required safety measures.
West also believes it would have been advantageous to give MPPs embargoed information prior to a provincial announcement to be a better community resource.
He hopes this change along with those above is addressed moving forward, but at minimum, that the provincial government begins to understand the importance of listening to the varied needs of Ontarians.
“Unfortunately, the Doug Ford government has a history of not listening to everybody. It’s important, not just that northern voice, but there's a lot of voices outside of the GTA area that aren't being heard. As important as Toronto is, the province is much larger than that large population in the GTA area and you need to govern for everybody.”
