‘It’s a tough go out there’: Peterborough small business facing ongoing pandemic challenges

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic continues to hammer the small business sector from coast to coast.

From the closures and restrictions in the spring to reduced capacities for patrons inside of businesses in the summer and fall, 2020 has been a tough go.

Camille Parent has owned Peterborough Vacuum for 30 years and says this year has been unlike anything he’s seen.

“It’s a tough go out there.  Nobody knows where things are going to go,” he said.

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Parent tells Global News Peterborough his business, which sells vacuums and cleaning supplies and offers repairs, was closed for a month at the outset of the pandemic during stage one restrictions in April.

Despite being open since, he says he’s seeing a dropoff in revenue.

“We’d usually have a lot more sales than we’re doing right now and a lot more repairs. There’s a big difference.”

Parent attributes being able to move forward during tough times to help from his landlord, which owns the plaza he’s located in.

On Friday, Parent was visited by Willowdale MPP and parliamentary assistant to Ontario’s Finance Minister Stan Cho and Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith.

Cho was in Peterborough on a post-budget tour following the release of the historic 2020 Ontario budget on Nov. 5, which promises property tax cuts for small businesses, should individual municipalities opt in as well as a reduction in hydro rates.

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“The time is now to lay the foundation to support small businesses right now but also so they can prosper once COVID-19 is behind us,” Cho told reporters outside of Peterborough Vacuum.

Smith said he’s hearing the same concerns from small businesses across his riding.

“They just want customers to come back,” Smith said.

“They need support and cost savings on fixed expenses, but can find ways to get confidence to get customers to come back.  They want to serve people, stay in business and do business.”