https://twitter.com/mikebabs/status/1333848487625175040
yes we are in this together. Nice speech. Gov seems to be compassionate to people who can’t be with families. What about the businesses and their employees affected? Not one mention of $$ lost that I heard. Anyone at gonna care about us/them?
David Raymond Amos
Mike Babineau - Owner/Operator of RustiCo and Cora's views on Coronavirus Crisis in Fredericton!!!
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-staff-layoffs-covid-19-1.6316475
Tighter restrictions force some N.B. restaurants to lay off staff
Shutdown of indoor dining means restaurants are reducing staff to stay afloat
Mike Babineau owns several restaurants in Fredericton, including the Happy Baker, Cora's Breakfast and Lunch and the Diplomat. He said he's laying off 100 employees as New Brunswick's lockdown rules came into effect today, mandating all restaurants move to takeout only.
"It's a very sombre day … to come to the realization … you've got to sit down with 100 employees, and you've got to sit down with … some of these immigrants that have come to Canada expecting to work," he told Information Morning Fredericton Friday.
"Now I've got to send them home or for who knows how long."
Shawna Foster, the co-owner of MoCo in downtown Fredericton, said she's in the same boat. She said she will keep her permanent staff, but cut their hours in order to pay the bills.
"It's just, it's awful," she told Information Morning Fredericton. "We knew it was coming. It's just hard when it's staring at you in the face."
New Brunswick moved to Level 3 of the COVID-19 winter plan, the most restrictive level, for 16 days. The move came at midnight Friday.
The province is struggling to cope with a strained hospital system. More than 100 people are hospitalized due to COVID-19 and more are expected.
Shawna
Foster says she tried to keep most staff on despite a decline in
business through the holidays, but she will have have to lay off staff
now. (Stephanie Sirois/CBC)
Babineau and Foster said they knew restrictions were coming because they could see a similar pattern in Quebec and Ontario. They also have been struggling with reduced businesses since Omicron came to the fore in November.
"We kept all our employees working through Christmas, even though the business levels weren't there, and tried to do our best to keep them working, " Babineau said.
Premier Blaine Higgs said he's confident 16 days will be enough to get the case numbers and hospitalizations under control, but the restaurant owners are not as confident.
Babineau said he's planning for the lockdown to continue for at least six weeks.
"We're not going to reopen and the clouds are going to part and we're going to have sunny days right away," he said. "We're still going to be in the 50 per cent occupancy [range] and we're still going to have these restrictions on us.… We're in for a really long haul here."
In an interview with Information Morning Fredericton Friday, Higgs said the 16 days are a "bridge" while health-care workers are isolating because of uncontrollable spread.
What about the $10,000 assistance fund?
When the move to Level 3 was announced, the province also announced an increase to the province's small-business recovery fund to up to $10,000 per business.
Babineau said this is a "drop in the bucket" considering the losses in the last two years and especially over the last holiday season.
"It's definitely welcomed, but we've been losing money for the last several months," he said. "That'll help basically cut our losses from December, but that really doesn't do anything for … the upcoming closure."
Higgs said "no one has a windfall" through this program.
"The idea was trying to mitigate some of the concerns that business owners have and give them … very quick money to help them bridge a gap," he said.
He said the province is looking at the taxes and fees businesses have to pay to see if there's any reduction possible.
Community support continues
Babineau and Foster said their restaurants are still depending on, and benefiting from, community support for their businesses.
Foster said people have already been calling her, saying they will order takeout and support her restaurant.
"I think we just put our heads down and we get the work done and we roll with the punches the best we can," Foster said.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/restaurants-vaccine-mandate-covid-1.6216781
Vaccine mandate creating 'challenges' for struggling restaurant industry, survey finds
In addition to losing customers, owners now have to 'police government policy,' Restaurants Canada says
Now, restaurant operators are adjusting to a new requirement: enforcing a proof-of-vaccination mandate.
Introduced in New Brunswick on Sept. 22 as cases surged to an all-time high, the proof-of-vaccination mandate is aimed at limiting spread among unvaccinated people and providing an incentive to get vaccinated.
But some New Brunswick restaurateurs say it's also limiting their ability to do business.
"We've been beat up since day one with the Covid restrictions," said Mike Babineau, co-owner of four restaurants in Fredericton, including Rustico and The Happy Baker.
Mike
Babineau, co-owner of four restaurants in Fredericton, says he's seen
business decline by 30 per cent since the implementation of the vaccine
passport. (Jon Collicott/CBC)
He said business has dropped by 30 per cent at his establishments in comparison to other years around this time, and worries the industry can't handle any more losses.
"We had a pretty good summer," he said. "But, recently in the last month or so, it's really gone down with the Covid restrictions and the passports."
Nearly half of Canadian restaurants operating at a loss: survey
Across the country, restaurant operators are reporting similar crunches.
A survey conducted by Restaurants Canada this month found that 60 per cent of restaurant owners reported either slight or significant revenue loss due to vaccine mandates across the country.
Forty-six per cent said they were operating at a loss.
"The vaccine passport, while it's a great alternative to being closed and further restrictions, it really has created challenges for operators," said Luc Erjavec, vice-president of the Atlantic Canada division of Restaurants Canada.
Luc
Erjavec, Restaurant Canada’s vice-president for the Atlantic region,
says restaurants need financial support from governments to say afloat. (Luc Erjavec)
In addition to losing customers, Erjavec said restaurants are having to police government policy, leading to confusion about where the mandate is coming from.
"We'd like to have some really strong messaging that this is a government policy." he said.
CBC News reached out to the provincial government for clarity on the number of cases that were coming from restaurants prior to the mandate taking effect, but no numbers were provided.
Department of Health spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane said the vaccine mandate would be in place for the "foreseeable future."
Proof-of-vaccination mandate not the only hurdle
The proof-of-vaccination mandate may be the latest challenge restaurant operators are facing, but it isn't the only one.
The hospitality industry in Canada and the U.S. has been suffering a labour shortage for months, with many workers choosing to pursue different jobs after losing their employment during shutdowns.
Babineau said restrictions are making it harder to offer employees stable work.
"I realize a lot of people are leaving the industry and I don't blame them now," he said.
Jennifer Somers, owner of Cheers Moncton, said the constant changes to operating rules have been a challenge.
Thanks to circuit-breaker restrictions, her restaurant saw more customers than usual over Thanksgiving weekend, but it has been a 'ghost town' at other times, she said.
"Every week, something changes and you're constantly adapting to the new rules," said Somers.
My personal opinion is that the spike in cases has stopped people more than 'I have to have my vaccine,' because most of the people I know have the vaccine.- Chris Vair, owner of Big Tide Brewing
In Saint John, Big Tide Brewing owner Chris Vair said he's seen business decline as well.
But Vair thinks the rise in cases is more to blame than the vaccine mandate.
"My personal opinion is that the spike in cases has stopped people more than 'I have to have my vaccine,' because most of the people I know have the vaccine," Vair said.
Restaurants have faced a challenging 18 months as the
pandemic keeps customers away from their establishments. (Jon
Collicott/CBC)
Babineau thinks the rise in cases is keeping some customers away as well. Looking to the future, he said he's concerned about what will happen if a booster is deemed necessary, given how long it took to get people the first two doses.
"How long is it going to take to get the third vaccine out?" he said.
Late Tuesday, Public Health announced the first booster doses would begin on Oct. 25, for health-care workers and for residents of First Nations communities who had their second dose at least six months ago.
In the meantime, Luc Erjavec of Restaurants Canada said, restaurant owners need help.
Erjavec said his organization hopes to see governments provide financial support to the industry as operators bear the added costs of enforcing mandates and continue to grapple with business decline.
"We're nowhere close to recovering," said Erjavec. "We're still operating at a loss and we need some help to get back to the fourth-largest employer in New Brunswick."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CFIB’s elected Board of Governors includes members with extensive business experience and expertise from every province, as well as our CEO, Dan Kelly, and our Executive Vice-President and Chief Strategic Officer, Laura Jones. The Board oversees the governance of CFIB.
Mike Babineau
Owner-operator of a Cora’s Breakfast & Lunch franchise as well as King West Brewing Company – RustiCo. Restaurant and Cannon’s Cross pub in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Member since 2013
Mike started his career in the restaurant industry in 1998, progressing from dishwasher to owner of three pubs and restaurants. After working as general manager of the restaurant Snooty Fox from 2007 to 2012, Mike bought a Cora’s Breakfast & Lunch franchise in Fredericton in 2012. His Cora’s has then achieved continuous revenue growth for 5 continuous years.
With the help of his business partner, Mike continued to grow his operations in 2017 by purchasing Cannon’s Cross, a British-styled pub. One year later, the two partners launched King West Brewing Company – RustiCo., a new concept restaurant that serves wood oven pizza and craft beers. As the Owner-operator, Mike manages his establishments with the strong belief that employees are a crucial part of the team and the business’ success.
Born and raised in Minto, New Brunswick, Mike studied in French and is bilingual. When he has spare time, Mike enjoys fixing and restoring old motorcycles with his brother.
Inflated power bills another hit to businesses dealing with COVID closures
Some businesses asked for meters to be read after receiving bills
Some New Brunswick business owners already facing a cash crunch because of COVID-19 have received an unwelcome shock from NB Power: electricity bills that don't take into account how little energy they've been consuming.
Several Fredericton restaurant owners were buzzing this week that their bills were based on an estimated level of power consumption that appeared to be based on a normal month of electricity use.
Given they were closed during most of the billing period because of the pandemic, that made no sense.
"I saw that it was pretty much the same amount as it was the month before, when we were in a colder season and in full operation," said Mike Babineau, the owner of three city restaurants.
"It was kind of surprising to see our power bill still at pretty well the same amount as it was the previous month, when we were closed the entire billing cycle."
Mike
Babineau said he called NB Power after receiving higher than expected
power bills for the three restaurants he owns that have been closed
since mid-March. (Submitted)
Babineau said the bill for his Cora's franchise on Queen Street was only $100 less than his usual $2,000 monthly amount, while the bill for his Rustico restaurant on King Street was $2,200, down only slightly from the usual $2,500.
That was despite the lights being out and the kitchens closed for most of April, save for the last week when they began offering take-out during limited hours.
"It should have been dramatically less when we only have our walk-in freezers turned on. Everything else was powered down," he said.
Babineau said at least five other restaurant owners on a private Facebook group had similar complaints this week.
Added pressure
Fredericton
Chamber of Commerce CEO Krista Ross said businesses with the meters
located inside should call NB Power to have the meter read so the bill
can be adjusted. (CBC)
Fredericton Chamber of Commerce CEO Krista Ross said many businesses have faced ongoing expenses during the lockdown without any revenue to allow them to break even, so absurdly high power bills just added to the pressure.
"Nobody wants to be spending money at this point that they don't need to, because there are lots of expenses businesses are incurring while they don't have any revenue," she said.
Ross said about 50 per cent of businesses have power meters inside their buildings that NB Power readers haven't been able to reach when the businesses are closed.
"I suppose it's one of those many things that we've encountered over these last eight weeks that have just been challenges that we didn't predict or were unforeseen."
But she said at least two of her members reported that after they complained to the utility, they were able escort meter readers into the building to take readings.
"They've encouraged businesses to call their toll-free number and perhaps let them in the building and do the readings, and then make arrangements for credits or refunds or what have you," she said.
Get meters read
NB Power spokesperson Marc Belliveau acknowledged the issue in an emailed statement.
"We have in fact had a few calls related to this issue and have been dealing with them on a case-by-case basis," he said.
While the utility has made "some estimates" during the pandemic, he said, "when we are able to access the meters, the customers balances will be adjusted according to actual use, the same way as someone who is on equalized billing would have adjustments made according to use."
Babineau said when he called NB Power, he was told his bill would be adjusted and any late fees would be waived. But he said that's no help to the restaurant owners who don't realize there's a problem with their bill and lack the cash to pay.
"It doesn't make any sense. With all the bills we have to pay, and rent, during this time, we're trying to save every dollar we can."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tuesday, 28 April 2020
Hundreds of N.B. businesses in jeopardy without rent relief, says federation
David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos @alllibertynews and 49 others
I finally crossed paths with this CFIB dude personally during secret meetings last summer about NB Power's future. Need I say I was not impressed?
https://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2020/04/hundreds-of-nb-businesses-in-jeopardy.html
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/covid-19-businesses-rent-relief-cfib-1.5547343
Hundreds of N.B. businesses in jeopardy without rent relief, says federation
CFIB polling suggests 36% of 5,000 members won’t survive until June at this rate
CBC News · Posted: Apr 28, 2020 10:00 AM AT
Hundreds of businesses belonging to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business say they're at risk of closing for good if they don't get more help. (Marty Melville/AFP via Getty Images)
The wheels of the provincial recovery plan are in motion, but many New Brunswick businesses are still at risk of financial peril, according to the local director of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
Louis-Philippe Gauthier, the federation's director of provincial affairs for New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, said if the current COVID-19 restrictions and related financial support programs remain until the end of May, as many as 36 per cent of its 5,000 members in the province won't survive.
The revelation has renewed calls for greater support for businesses, in particular an expanded or additional rent relief package.
The federation has been polling its members every weekend for the past seven weeks. The latest survey data, to be published Tuesday, indicate 21 per cent of businesses are still open, he said.
Gauthier told Shift New Brunswick on Monday owners are concerned for cash flow and how consumer spending will play out during the multi-phase recovery.
Louis-Philippe Gauthier is the director of provincial affairs in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. (CBC)
"It's an unfortunate reality," he said. "The situation has essentially shut down the doors and with no cash coming in, well, businesses only have so much of a cushion."
The latest survey was conducted in the days after the release of the recovery plan Friday.
The plan first reopens low-contact workplaces and activities, like outdoor recreation, before moving onto "controlled contact" zones, like restaurants and retail, two to four weeks from April 24, barring any setbacks. High contact spaces, like gyms and barbers, are three to four weeks from there if there's no new wave of cases.
The timeline for large gathering spots, like organized sports and bars, has yet to be determined.
Three unrelated community outbreaks in a six-day period may trigger renewed restrictions — something that would be "very problematic" for businesses struggling to survive, Gauthier said.
An operational plan
A detailed guidance document states workplaces must develop an operational plan "outlining how daily operations will be managed to meet the additional measures in this documents." Those include physical distancing, hand and respiratory hygiene, pre-screening for symptoms, signage and enforcement.Workplaces must establish appropriate cleaning and disinfecting practices, but Gauthier said he's hearing concern it might be difficult for businesses to get their hands on cleaning supplies in this environment.
As GNB moves into recovery for COVID-19, it is critical that public health measures are followed to reduce the risk impact of further waves of COVID-19 to the public and to progress towards a ‘new normal’. https://bit.ly/3aCYiwW
9:40 PM - Apr 24, 2020
Gauthier is pleased, however, the government has provided a roadmap for the weeks and months ahead.
"It provides clarity for businesses even though there is a very small amount of businesses, like golf courses and fishing operators, that can start right away," he said. "It gives us a very good insight as to what will be the requirements for businesses when in the subsequent phases."
Rent relief
But the federation is calling the provincial government for more support for businesses, specifically filling gaps in the federal rent relief program.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday a new rent subsidy program to help businesses forced to shut down due to the global pandemic. The plan, to be funded jointly with the provinces, will provide non-repayable loans to commercial property owners to cover 50 per cent of rent payments for April, May and June.
Higgs said New Brunswick will take part in the program.
Gauthier said the vast majority of his members say it's a flawed program and only 28 per cent believe they can qualify.
To qualify, small business tenants must pay less than $50,000 a month in rent. They also must have experienced a revenue decline of at least 70 per cent from pre-COVID-19 levels, or they must have been forced to close down because of pandemic restrictions.
And some members claim their landlord isn't participating, Gauthier said.
The federation — in addition to opposition MPs — was quick to criticize that point after the program was announced.
"As landlords do not have to participate and will be expected to accept some losses under the program, they may choose to ignore it, even if their tenants badly need it," national vice-president Laura Jones said in a statement.
The federation's polling suggests 58 per cent of its members nationwide will not be able to pay May rent in full without further assistance.
Gauthier said they continue to push for an amended or expanded program, but, ultimately, he wants to see the New Brunswick government provide a grant program to cover that monthly fixed expense.
64 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.
David Amos
I finally crossed paths with this CFIB dude personally during secret meetings last summer about NB Power's future. Need I say I was not impressed?
Mac Isaac
Business owners must be helped if they are to survive, but so must property owners/landlords unless we want to see them go bankrupt. I don't see many winners if the property owners go bankrupt. At some point somethings gotta give!!
Nicolas Krinis
Mary Smith
Turn the CERB into a Universal Basic Income - remove the $5000 threshold, make it universal and thus the $1000 income cap would be removed, and have it not count towards taxes at the end of the year.
With a UBI businesses can stay afloat because customers will have money to spend on those businesses within their local economies, people will have incentive to still earn because it would be ON TOP of their benefit, businesses could then manage this storm and businesses and landlords alike can make it through okay, workers will have danger pay/bonus pay if they can work, workers will then be able to financially take a sick day and keep their communities safe, and it would ensure that no Canadians fall through the cracks the CERB has right now.
The Maritimes is the perfect place for a larger scale UBI trial. We're all going to be staying within our communities for this pandemic and we would use that UBI locally. This could work - UBI is the one program to replace them all - and it would benefit us all and keep our economies going and that money would flow throughout our communities over and over again.
Call it "Covid-Bucks" or some pun to do with the Maritimes or something. We're all in this together and UBI would help all of us thrive and ride out this storm together.
The key is you make those employees still in the system exempt from the elimination of redundant government jobs that UBI would cause. It doesn't have to all happen overnight, but by phasing out those redundant jobs over time it's a win-win.
Yang talks a lot about this (his example is about applying term limits to congress, and the struggle at how to pass something that is in essence against a congress persons interest). You get term limits passed by exempting those who are currently employed, and they would gladly pass it because it doesn't directly effect them, just any new congress members.
This could be done if implemented in the right way. Look at the DMV -- no one ever says that's run effectively -- almost everything the DMV does can be done online, and more efficiently. The last time I went into a government office, there was a person behind glass and when I went to talk to her she just tapped at a sign on the glass saying to go online. What a redundant and blatant misuse and waste of tax dollars.
UBI would be the one program to replace them all, but there will always be a need for some government workers but not nearly as many as we currently have. The people who don't take an early retirement can easily be shifted around to a role that actually is not just a make work program, but a role that is useful, needed, a good use of tax dollars, and a role that benefits the people and society.
Tom Simmons
it's going to get expensive out there in another 3 to 6 months...inflation is going to go thru the roof
SarahRose Werner
Wrong. People aren't going out and spending all their money on goods and services right now, they're using the government benefits to pay rent, buy food, or pay for education.
You are right, not right now, those who have been watching and paying attention have already done their spending. Right about the 15th of March prices adjusted themselves pretty much 20-25% upwards.
Fern Robichaud
These businesses should ban together and file a civil suit against the Higgs Government. There is no justification for prolonging the shutdown nor were there sufficient reason(s) to implement it in tbe first place.
I am NOT a conservative supporter , but believe you me, he's doing a bang up job on this. My best friend and his wife in London Ontario contracted the corona-virus about 6 weeks ago, and they are just getting back to 'normal' now. He said it was horrible with an ongoing fever, coughing and exhaustion they couldn't shake. This virus has a death rate of 12-15% of anyone over 70. You are apparently OK with that huh?
Wow...I'm not.
The mortality rate of influenza is about 1/10 to 1/20th that of COVID-19 (thus far).
will be roughly the same total overall. We will then all look back and ask ourselves "What was that all about".
A long way from last call, and other challenges businesses face with a 'new normal'
From bars to restaurants, barbers and retailers, pandemic-related hurdles will continue
The owner of the 5 Kings Restaurant in St. Stephen, N.B., made a meat run to the butcher in St. George before returning to help with the lunch orders. As the focus began to shift to dinner, Aronson received some good news.
Shortly after 2:30 p.m., about 120 kilometres northeast in Fredericton, the province's chief medical officer of health announced New Brunswick is ready to move into the next chapter of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Welcome to the new normal," Dr. Jennifer Russell said as New Brunswick government officials outlined their recovery plan with timelines for easing restrictions on businesses and public movement.
Lisa
Aronson, owner of the 5 Kings Restaurant, says the staff are excited to
reopen, even under physical distancing restrictions. (Submitted/Lisa Aronson)
Within the next four weeks, restaurants will be allowed to reopen to the public as part of the second phase of the four-phase plan. Since mid-March, restaurants have been limited to takeout and delivery, creating enormous financial hardship.
Aronson said sales plummeted nearly 75 per cent and she had to lay off the entire staff, which consists of between 14 and 19 workers, depending on the season. The restaurant was forced to cut back on hours of operation.
It has since rehired six employees on a part-time basis as business rose slightly.
But she's looking forward to taking the chairs off the tables and welcoming back customers next month.
"The staff are excited for the opportunity and I am as well, and the regular customers keep saying that they can't wait," Aronson said. "Of course, we're going to take every precaution to make sure that we're handling it in a safe manner."
She expects the 5 Kings will reopen with 35 seats, half the regular number, and keep tables spaced two metres apart. Staff will also keep their distance as best they can when accepting orders and payment.
The 5 Kings Restaurant staff have been providing takeout and delivery service during the shutdown. (Submitted/Lisa Aronson)
Physical distancing and barriers, health screenings, handwashing, surface cleaning and face coverings are all directives that will remain in place, Russell said.
Restrictions on provincial and international borders presents another wrinkle for the restaurant, and many other St. Stephen businesses.
Easing the border measures comes in Phase 3, which begins after two-to-four weeks without a new wave of COVID-19 cases, and the restriction shifts to a "strict controls per risk" approach rather than a blanket isolation order for anyone entering the province.
A full reopening of the border will come in Phase 4, the final stage, when there's a vaccination or herd immunity. That cuts off roughly 15 per cent of The 5 Kings' customer base, which crosses over from Calais and other parts of Maine.
"And we get the ones that stop here on their way to the cottages in Nova Scotia or Prince Edward Island, so we also get that crowd, which we're probably going to miss out on," she said.
It's one of many realities still facing businesses preparing to reopen under the newly announced framework.
Stops and starts
Friday marked the sixth consecutive day without a new positive test in New Brunswick. The total remained at 118 confirmed cases, 11 of which were considered active, and the cumulative cases curve has flattened.
But, as they have in recent daily COVID-19 briefings, Premier Blaine Higgs and Russell reiterated on Friday the overwhelming likelihood new cases of the virus will be discovered when the province is reopened. Three unrelated outbreaks in a six-day period would trigger a new round of restrictions, Russell warned.
The recovery plan provides insight into the long-sought answer to the question of how this all ends, yet the fluidity of the situation presents uncertainty to some business owners.
Anne McShane, who owns and operates The Feel Good Store in Saint John, said small, family-owned businesses like hers are troubled by the potential for stops and starts.
She used the familiar 'hammer and dance' analogy — the hammer being the rigid shutdown and the dance being the mercurial nature of restrictions over the next weeks and months.
"Truthfully, the dance scares me and some others more than the hammer," McShane said prior to Friday's announcement. "You worry that's it's going to be somewhat in between the two, and you have to do both."
Anne McShane, owner of the Feel Good Store, uses a mask and long pole to make her curbside deliveries. (Submitted/Anne McShane)
True to the uptown wellness shop's name, McShane carries a positive attitude, even when her sales were cut in half. She closed the store entirely a few days before the state of emergency was declared but has since embraced a curbside delivery model after being approached by loyal customers.
"You deal with things as they come up," she said.
Retail facilities also fall in the second phase, same as restaurants. Also included are daycares, camps and child-care centres, offices, campgrounds and all-terrain vehicle trails. Elective surgeries will begin again.
Hands-on businesses
For some other businesses, it could be many weeks before they could reopen. In Phase 3 — after from two to four weeks without a new wave of cases — dentists, chiropractors, massage services, churches, gyms and other close-contact businesses will get the green light.
Hairstylists and barbers will also get their turn at this time, and it's no surprise to Chad McGarity that his barbershop isn't top of the list considering the hands-on nature of the job. He owns the Warehouse Barbershop in Fredericton, which opened in September.
McGarity scored a prime location with parking on Regent Street, one of the city's busiest streets, and the business, which rents chairs to self-employed barbers, was performing above expectations.
"But that came to a halt pretty quickly," said McGarity, who understandably didn't account for a global pandemic in his business plan.
Staff at the Warehouse Barbershop will likely be wearing masks on top standard protective gear. (Submitted/Chad McGarity)
The staff was sent home, and McGarity has been busy crunching the numbers, eager to learn of a return date.
"I have projected myself, pre-planning all bills and everything, until July at least," he said before the recovery plan was announced. "Of course, I'm hoping that's the worst-case scenario, but, at the end of the day, it is what it is."
He's comforted knowing the city has their backs. The customers have been "going absolutely nuts," asking for tips, buying merchandise, offering to pre-pay for haircuts, wanting an appointment on the day they open. He said the mountain of requests means they'll likely keep longer hours in the early days.
But it won't be just the length of the work day that will change; the working conditions are also expected to be different. The close-contact environment carries a greater risk of transmission than most operations — something that's been on McGarity's mind.
"I've scrubbed [the shop] down, personally, four times since we closed and we haven't had anybody in the doors," he said.
The employees will likely wear masks and gloves — on top of the standard sanitary practices in place at barbershops — plus there's signs urging the public to follow health guidelines and avoid putting staff at risk.
A long way from last call
On the other side of Fredericton's downtown, Nicolai Rigaux was busy filling orders on Friday afternoon. Graystone Brewing closed its taproom more than a month ago, but the bar manager said the rush for an end-of-week pint hasn't disappeared.
"People want to buy beer on a Friday," he said after concluding his delivery runs.
The Graystone taproom and patio would have been packed on any old sunny spring Friday, but Rigaux said physical distancing is impossible in that setting, and the brewery was quick to shutter that side of its business.
It will be a long time before bars will be permitted to open. The province's gradual return to normalcy doesn't offer a timeline for bars, gathering places and organized sports. The phased reopening document simply says "to be determined."
The reopening plan did not offer a timeline for bars to reopen, saying 'to be determined.' (CBC)
"With the knowledge we have today about the virus and how it spreads, it would not be appropriate for me to suggest we're in a position to do anything other than to prevent mass gatherings and ensure we didn't have a huge breakout in our community and in our province," Higgs said during Friday's announcement.
The premier said the timeline could shrink for those activities if new information is presented. The provincial plan only allows gatherings of 10 or fewer people in Phase 2 and 50 or fewer in Phase 3 before lifting the measure when there's a vaccine or herd immunity.
Russell said bars are in a separate category from restaurants because of the higher chance of mingling among patrons.
Rigaux said revenue lost from the taproom and keg sales to licensees has been offset in part by growth in sales at liquor and grocery stores and Graystone's delivery service.
The company spent a lot of time solving how it can function and comply with public health guidelines in the workplace, he said, and nobody will be upset by an extended shutdown of the taproom.
"As much as we would like to get back into that business, no one wants to be the reason anyone gets sick."
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