Whereas in May 2020 the City of Burlington and Team Burlington (Burlington Economic Development, Burlington Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Burlington, Burlington Downtown Business Association and the Aldershot Village BIA) formed the Burlington Economic Recovery Network (BERN). BERN has strategically brought together key stakeholders and business leaders from across Burlington to develop a robust local strategy that will prepare our economy for recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. On February 17, 2021, BERN and the City of Burlington engaged the Burlington restaurant community to discuss the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on their industry, current economic realities and ongoing support needed by restaurants to survive; and
Whereas when the Province of Ontario went into lockdown and enforced a stay-at-home order on December 26, 2020, all restaurants across the province were forced to close to in-person dining for over seven weeks and Halton and Burlington restaurants were only able to open to in-person dining on February 16, 2021, under red/control level restrictions; and
Whereas the Provincial COVID-19 Response Framework: Keeping Ontario Safe and Open placed Halton Region under the red/control level which restricts restaurants to a hard cap of ten dine-in customers. The feedback from our business community continues to be that the hard cap does not make reopening their business viable for most restaurants. We would like to remind the Province of Ontario of the resolution calling for business equity that was passed by the City of Burlington on December 10, 2020, that asked that the province be requested to revise the physical distancing with capacity limits determined on a per square metre basis for persons admitted to all businesses, including restaurants, subject to consultation on public health best practices; and
Whereas restaurants and the hospitality sector continue to be one of the most impacted sectors by COVID-19 public health measures and according to the latest Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB) data, will take 8 plus years to recover from the impacts of COVID-19. The industry requires specific short and long term supports to remain viable.
Therefore, be it resolved that;
City Council, in partnership with BERN and Team Burlington, call on the federal and provincial governments to provide the following supports and address the issues identified by the Burlington restaurant community:
• Address the key fixed costs facing the restaurant industry while they face steep revenue declines including the following actions:
1. Expand small business relief measures including the Small Business Relief Grant and Property Tax and Energy Cost Rebates to the hardest hit sectors including restaurants beyond the period when they are placed under grey/lockdown level; and
2. Provide wholesale pricing from the LCBO to restaurants to help increase margins on alcohol sales; and
3. Investigate and potentially legislate for the significant increases that restaurants and other businesses have seen (up to 30%) in insurance premiums despite no significant changes to the risks that are being insured; and
• Provide clear evidence and actions as to why restaurants need hard caps and closures when other consumer facing business types are able to remain open with caps based on building capacity; and
• Provide supports and guidance to the restaurant industry and the public to increase consumer confidence and make it clear what is permitted/safe to do for residents and consumers to support the local restaurant industry while ensuring we stop the spread of COVID-19; and
• Develop a long-term strategy of a minimum of three (3) and up to five plus (5+) years that outlines what recovery is expected to look like for the hospitality industry and long-term supports of one plus (1+) years that will be available to the industry to support their long-term survival and recovery.
Further be it resolved that;
The Mayor and Council representative on BERN be directed to write a letter, jointly with BERN and Team Burlington, advocating for the actions outlined above to support the survival of restaurants and the hospitality industry to the Premier of Ontario and the Prime Minister of Canada; and
The City Clerk be directed to send a copy of the letter and resolution, once approved, to:
• Federal Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages
• Federal Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade
• Provincial Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction
• Provincial Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
• Provincial Minister of Health
• Provincial Minister of Finance
• Burlington Members of Parliament including Minister Karina Gould, MP Pam Damoff and MP Adam Van Koeverden
• Burlington Members of Provincial Parliament including MPP Jane McKenna, MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos and MPP Parm Gill
• Halton Regional Council
• Members of the Towns of Milton, Halton Hills and Oakville Councils
• Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)
• Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO)
• Ontario Big City Mayor’s Caucus (OBCM)
• Mayors and Regional Chairs of Ontario (MARCO)
• GTHA Mayors and Chairs
• Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC)
• Milton Chamber of Commerce
• Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce
• Oakville Chamber of Commerce
• Team Burlington (Burlington Economic Development, Burlington Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Burlington, Burlington Downtown Business Association and Aldershot Village BIA)
• Burlington Economic Recovery Network (BERN)
• Burlington Restaurant Association