Alfonso Maury at La Pampa, a take-out empanada restaurant in Winnipeg, on Jan. 13, 2021.Shannon VanRaes/The Globe and Mail
Customers trickle in and out of La Pampa, a restaurant specializing in empanadas in Winnipeg’s River Heights neighbourhood, as owner Alfonso Maury weighs containers of Argentine desserts. Two doors down, a Korean specialty store is busy selling groceries.
But in between, there’s an empty storefront that once housed a hair salon. “She really tried to make it work, but she just couldn’t,” Mr. Maury said of the salon’s owner, who closed shop permanently when the city went into its second COVID-19 lockdown in early November.
That lockdown remains in place.
Loren Remillard, president and chief executive of The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, said many of his members feel they’re in a race against time. “The attention has really been just focused on basic survival, hanging on, hoping to get to the point where reopening happens and still be in business,” he said.
Under the province’s code-red restrictions, bars, restaurants, beauty salons and entertainment venues are closed to patrons across Manitoba. Non-essential businesses are limited to providing delivery or curbside pick-up. Many establishments hoped to reopen earlier this month, but a postholiday uptick in COVID-19 infections saw measures aimed at curbing the spread of the virus extended until Jan. 22.
Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s Chief Public Health Officer, said he knows the months-long provincial lockdown has been difficult on business owners, but stressed that efforts are paying off. While hospitalizations remain high, new infections in the province have dropped by nearly 20 per cent since last week, according to the federal government’s current seven-day moving average. Ontario saw an increase of nearly 30 per cent over the same period, while new infections in Saskatchewan are up almost 60 per cent.
“The restrictions are quite tough, but it’s obvious they made a difference and continue to make a difference,” Dr. Roussin said. “If we let up now, all this hard work and sacrifice over these past several weeks will be for nothing.”
Manitoba was barely touched by the pandemic’s first wave and was down to one active case last July, after nearly two weeks without a positive test. However, the second wave saw the province lead the country in per-capita infections as the provincial government favoured targeted restrictions over broad measures through September and October. A record 546 new infections were recorded on Nov. 23. But last week, Manitoba averaged 163 new cases per day.
Since the pandemic was declared last March, nearly 800 Manitobans have died after contracting the virus, but Dr. Roussin estimates a further 1,700 lives have been saved by current lockdown measures. The province is expected to release preliminary reopening plans this week, but has given few hints about what restrictions will be loosened first.
“Public health is of utmost importance, so we completely understood closures; it’s the right thing to do,” said Lisa Malbranck, co-owner of Diamond Gallery in Winnipeg and a board member with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. “But now, with our numbers coming down, business owners want to know what’s coming.”
Lisa Malbranck, co-owner of Diamond Gallery in Winnipeg and board member with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, on Jan. 15, 2021.Shannon VanRaes/The Globe and Mail
While the impact of extended closings has yet to be quantified, Ms. Malbranck has no doubt some small- and medium-sized establishments won’t survive long enough to see the province fully reopen
“In our situation, we’ve been fortunate, but we don’t represent the majority of businesses out there,” she said. “The majority of businesses are finding this extremely challenging.”
The gemologist and her partners have taken their custom-design services into the virtual realm and embraced the concept of window-shopping, talking to clients over the phone as they view items from the safety of the sidewalk. But it’s difficult to replicate the tactile experience of touching and holding a piece of jewellery, Ms. Malbranck said.
Mr. Maury’s primary business, Corrientes Pizzeria, lost more than $300,000 in sales last year and will remained closed to indoor dinning as long as code red persists. But despite the losses, he feels restrictive measures were necessary.
“When you see the cases slowing down, you have to say it was worth it, right?” he said.
Mr. Maury attributes the survival of his businesses to “fantastic” landlords willing to renegotiate rental agreements, as well as government programs and his ability to offset losses at his pizzeria by opening a second take-out empanada restaurant last spring.
The province announced its Manitoba Bridge Grant program would be extended and expanded last week, providing eligible businesses $10,000 in assistance.
“God bless them for doing it and helping us out, but it’s just not enough,” said Tracey Skjerven, who went into the pandemic as the owner of two tanning salons. The 57-year-old former flight attendant closed one of her salons during last spring’s lockdown and is now struggling to hang onto the second.
Tracey Skjerven at her one remaining tanning salon in Winnipeg, on Jan. 15, 2021. The entrepreneur permanently closed another location during the pandemic's first wave and doesn't know if she'll be able to reopen after the current lockdown ends.Shannon VanRaes/The Globe and Mail
“You can’t order in a tan; you can’t take out a tan; you can’t curbside a tan. My income is zero at this point,” she said. “I’m scared, scared I’m going to lose it all and I’m preparing for the worst. It’s heartbreaking.”
She’d like to see the provincial government offer even more support, particularly to small businesses that can’t deliver goods and services through alternate methods.
The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce’s Mr. Remillard notes only about half of the $200-million allotted for the bridge program has been dispersed to date and he hopes nothing is left on the table when the program wraps up. He’s also advocated for allowing small retailers to open at 20-per-cent capacity. Stores in Alberta have remained open at 15-per-cent capacity.
“It’s a relief to see all of our numbers come down, not just for business, but for our community as a whole,” he said. “But I think I will have more of a sense of relief when I hear there’s a reopening plan in place and we know what that plan is so businesses can prepare.”
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