'It's very aloof': Business owners disappointed with Manitoba's reopening plan
Business owners in Manitoba have been eagerly awaiting the province's reopening plan and watched closely as it was unveiled Thursday.
For many, the plan was vague and disappointing.
"My business hangs in the balance of people not willing to get their first vaccines," said Christopher Graves, who owns the King's Head Pub.
"That's just not fair at all."
The province's reopening plan focuses on vaccine targets as the benchmark to reopen with Canada Day as the first goal. At least 70 per cent of Manitobans 12 and older will need to have at least one dose and 25 per cent with two doses for the first phase of the plan to be rolled out in July.
"Even if we do get to open according to their plan, we may only be at 25 per cent capacity still," said Graves. "It's very aloof. We don't know if restaurants and bars are even open in this first plan."
Another business left with questions is Sapphire Hair Lounge on Academy Road.
"We patiently watched and waited for them to name our industry, and they haven't really," said co-owner Kelly O'Leary.
The plan simply states, "Meeting vaccine targets by Canada Day means businesses, services and facilities can open at 25 per cent or greater levels," but does not go into further detail.
O'Leary is hoping salons will be included in the first phase of reopening.
"We're ready to go. We have the PPE, we have all the cleaning stuff. We just have to call our clients and get them back in the book, but we are champions at that now," said O'Leary.
Under the last major round of restrictions, fitness centres and gyms were also forced to close.
"There's so much uncertainty just trying to plan as a small business owner," said Tim Yuen, owner of 9Round Downtown Fitness.
"Every day, we're just not really sure which day we need to let our members know."
While Yuen wishes he had clarity on an opening date, he said the reopening plan is promising.
"It is encouraging that it is moving in the right direction. I don't know how fast it can be changed, like I don't know if it's the following week we increase from five to 10," said Yuen.
The province said on Thursday if vaccine targets are met early, the plan could be sped up.
The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce said the reopening plan is long overdue, and while it does provide businesses with hope, it is lacking details.
The organization is calling for more financial supports, in the meantime, to help struggling businesses.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.