Naturally there’s a variety of reaction to the Ontario government’s plan to gradually reopen the economy, beginning with some outdoor activities Saturday.
As part of Step Three, indoor sports settings will have to wait a bit longer, something that doesn’t sit well with the General Manager of Mario’s Bowl on Memorial Avenue.
Bill Graham recalls closing back in December, and the months after leading up to the current gradual reopening. “We were only open the 13 days in February, and we’re now closed until, looking to the end of July; that’s seven months of shutdown for us, hard to take.”
Graham does credit the Thunder Bay District Health Unit for helping him persevere, including during the first wave.
“We spent a lot of money to keep people safe, and put dividers between our lanes, to keep people away from other groups as best we could. It was going quite well at that time,” recalls Graham.
He also wants to thank everyone in Thunder Bay who has supported his business during this time.
Meanwhile, Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce President Charla Robinson feels some business owners would’ve been happier under the colour coded framework. “So there’s a lot of businesses that potentially won’t be able to open until early July, or even late July.”
Robinson adds it’s a blow for those who were hanging in until the conclusion of the stay at home order on June 2nd. But she feels the staged approach has a clear plan and goal.
“Let’s work as hard as we can to get as many people vaccinated as possible, the faster we get vaccinated, the faster we can get open,” Robinson said.
And then there’s a co-owner of Dragon Hills Golf Course, who faces the fortune of opening this weekend.
“I’m extremely happy! It’s fantastic that they finally got to let us open,” exclaimed an excited Mike Komar, adding the phones are ringing off the hook.
However, he adds keeping the outdoors closed this long made no sense. “I don’t know how much safer you can be. We’ve 80 acres here, you definitely have to be six feet apart to avoid being hit by a club.”
He also owns Dragon’s Den Sports bar, and is aiming for its reopening a few weeks later.
