The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a shutdown of nearly a third of Barrie, Ontario’s economy, leading to financial hardship for many individuals, according to the city’s mayor.
“We’ve seen the shutdown of a huge portion of the economy,” Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman told Global News. “That’s creating financial hardship for a lot of people.”
COVID-19 and the local economy
Barrie’s unemployment rate was reported to be 5.7 per cent for the month of March, an increase from February, which reported an unemployment rate of 4.3 per cent.
Ontario’s COVID-19 emergency order went into effect in the middle of March, and as a result, Lehman thinks Barrie’s March unemployment rate is understating the current reality.
“It’s probably not until the first week of May that we’re going to have good data on the impact here,” the mayor said.
The pandemic has also influenced many businesses’ ability to operate, including non-essential ones that don’t qualify for relief programs offered by the federal government.
“For many businesses in Barrie, they simply don’t qualify for those types of programs, so there’s a tremendous amount of anxiety,” Barrie–Innisfil MP John Brassard told Global News.
“Many of those businesses are not going to be able to survive this because of the burn rate of cash that they’re going through to meet their obligations.”
Some of those obligations may include paying employees or commercial rents, the latter of which is the biggest economic issue in Barrie right now, according to Lehman.
“So many commercial landlords continue to charge rent,” he said, adding that the city’s restaurant industry has been hit particularly hard by COVID-19.
“I don’t think those are, by and large, businesses that have years of built-up profits that they can work off of to get through this.”
Through the finance critic, Brassard said he’s been advocating to the finance minister about the many small businesses that don’t qualify for the loan program or emergency wage subsidy that’s offered by the federal government.
“We have been suggesting to the government changes that can be made in the implementation of these programs,” he said.
To help families with the adverse economic effects of the coronavirus, the City of Barrie has waived late fees and municipally-imposed “non-sufficient funds” charges on property tax and wastewater bills until June 30.
Effects on the vulnerable
The City of Barrie has also created a social support task force that will help address service closures and the effects of COVID-19 on the region’s vulnerable populations, including seniors and those who are homeless.
“People who are struggling because they’re shut-in or unable to either pay for or access the things we all need daily — food, medication, that sort of thing — those are the most concerning stories I’ve heard,” Lehman said, adding that another major concern is long-term care.
While there have been no reported outbreaks at any seniors’ homes in Barrie, Bradford Valley Care Community in Bradford, Ont., is currently undergoing one.
“The other major concern that I’ve had is long-term care,” Lehman said. “There’s something about those facilities that it seems to be almost impossible to control the spread of viruses.”
For Brassard, it’s everyone’s responsibility to make sure seniors living in long-term care homes are protected and that staff are given the tools they need.
“Our job is to make sure that we work with the provinces at a federal level to make sure that… the provinces have the resources that they need,” the MP said.
Recently, the women’s and children’s shelter in Barrie has also seen a slight increase, according to Lehman.
“I’m concerned that with a longer duration of people being stuck in the same place together, we could see more of that,” the Barrie mayor said, adding that a long-term concern will be surrounding the mental health of community members.
Coronavirus measures and compliance in Barrie
The City of Barrie has set up a COVID-19 enforcement line so that residents can report cases of non-compliance with coronavirus-related emergency orders.
“When we first set that up about a week ago, we did have a lot of calls,” Lehman said. “I would say close to 100 a day for the first few days, but that has really tapered off.”
According to the local mayor, the majority of people are following the rules, although there’s a small portion of the population who thinks they can ignore the physical distancing laws.
“Not only is it a law, but you’re putting everybody else at risk,” Lehman said.
Overall, Brassard said many in the community are following the advice of local public health officials.
“I see less movement of people in the community,” he added.
Community banding together
Some local businesses have retooled and started to produce medical equipment to help with the fight against COVID-19.
“I think the response from the local manufacturers to retool and produce supplies for the health care sector is amazing,” Lehman said, adding there’re companies in Barrie that are building ventilators, face shields and producing hand sanitizer.
“One of my roles through this is to not just help to guide people through the process, but also to help guide business in dealing with government from a procurement standpoint so that they can get those products that they’re now manufacturing for the health sector in the supply chain,” Brassard said.
According to Lehman, there’s been a number of grassroots initiatives from local residents to support one another, in addition to vulnerable community members.
“I’m just so impressed by our community spirit responding to the crisis,” he said. “It’s been really heartening.”
Comments