Economy restart likely to be gradual process

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This article was published 18/04/2020 (2156 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The form and timing of the reopening of the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic is still unknown, but it’s likely to be a gradual process.

On Friday, the Sun asked several members of the local business community and local politicians what they thought the process of letting business reopen when it is safe to do so will look like.

Though they had varying opinions, there was clear consensus on a couple of items — it won’t be an instant process and it has to be done in a manner that minimizes health risks.

“From what we’re hearing, it will be a phased recovery,” Brandon Chamber of Commerce president Cathy Snelgrove said. “Not everything will open at the same time. Certain businesses will come up ahead of other businesses.”

Snelgrove said the Brandon Chamber of Commerce hasn’t been directly involved in consulting the province on what form reopening businesses will take, but they are being kept up-to-date by the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, which is the umbrella group for the province’s chambers.

She said the timing and scope of the economic restart will be figured out by health professionals, but the province’s decision to reopen certain businesses such as greenhouses, appliance and furniture stores as long as they take preventive measures is the first dribs and drabs of the process.

The most important factor in figuring out the process will be finding a way to mitigate health risks, said Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa MP Dan Mazier. “That does come down to the ability to test. We don’t even know what we’re fighting right now. 

“As for the economy, what we bring back and how we bring things back will definitely have to be in stages,” he said.

Another aspect of getting the country’s operations back to normal is to restart regular sittings and question period in the House of Commons, Mazier said.

Like Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer, Mazier believes that in-person operations need to resume on Parliament Hill to keep the governing Liberals accountable, even if it is in a reduced capacity from the pre-coronavirus norm.

Mazier was asked if online sessions could be held to minimize possible health risks from in-person meetings. He said such things as question period would not be as effective online because of possible technical glitches.

His colleague in the Conservative caucus, Brandon-Souris MP Larry Maguire, said the restart of the economy is likely some time away from happening. Maguire pointed to the 30-day extension of the closure of the Canada-United States border to non-essential traffic announced on Friday as an example.

Maguire praised essential services such as grocery stores for figuring out how to operate while minimizing health risks, saying they’re doing an “admirable job.” He said the province allowing furniture and appliance stores to reopen if they respect social distancing measures could be an example of how things get reopened.

The Sun reached out to the offices of provincial Minister of Economic Development Ralph Eichler and Finance Minister Scott Fielding to ask what plans are being made for the restart of the economy on a provincial level. 

“The government’s priority is keeping Manitobans safe,” a spokesperson in Eichler’s office said in an email. “We will have more details next week.”

Association of Manitoba Municipalities president Ralph Groening said Friday he didn’t know about any specific plans, but the organization knows that discussions are going on within the provincial government on the topic.

“When we move forward with the next step of getting back to a normal situation, we would insist that the Province of Manitoba take a look into investing in Canada (with) grant proposals because that would be where municipalities would want to play a role in building this province back to a more normal economic position,” Groening said.

Brandon East MLA Len Isleifson confirmed there are ongoing talks at the provincial level about restarting the economy but said he doesn’t know the specifics.

“All departments, all ministers’ areas of responsibility are full steam ahead looking into what the future might bring us,” he said. Isleifson said the reopening of businesses such as greenhouses is an example of work the province is doing to see what can be safely restarted. 

“I’m not a doctor, so I take all my cues from (Manitoba’s chief public health officer) Dr. (Brent) Roussin,” he said. “I really think it would be healthy for the economy, healthier for individuals if it was a gradual reopening.”

Isleifson also said he and his Brandon-area MLA colleagues Reg Helwer and Cliff Cullen are participating in a weekly call with community leaders in Brandon to consult them on what problems are being posed by the ongoing pandemic.

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