'An act of desperation': Winnipeg barber offering 'yard calls' under new public health orders
A Winnipeg barber whose shop has been shuttered amid Manitoba's lockdown is getting creative in an effort to pay the bills—he is bringing his business to his customers' yards.
With Manitoba's new health orders set to take effect on the weekend, Jeremy Regan, the owner of the Hunter and Gunn Barbershop in Winnipeg, has decided to start offering 'yard calls' to clients.
"It's basically a little bit of an act of desperation," Regan told CTV News.
Regan said in the past 14 months his barbershop has been closed for close to seven months. For the months the shop was open, he said its capacity was limited.
Despite some financial assistance from the province, Regan said the bills and payments have been starting to pile up.
"I'm looking for a creative way to try and earn income so that my mortgage payment can be made, I can buy food, and just basically get by until we are open full time and hopefully rebuild the business."
While barbershops are required to remain closed in Manitoba, the new orders do allow small groups to gather outside.
Under the orders which take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, groups of five people can gather outdoors in public, and five people plus household members can visit outdoors on private property.
Regan said with the new orders he will be taking his barbershop business to people's yards—all people need to do is provide the chair.
"I'm going to bring my tools which are all electric, and my sanitizing spray, and we both are going to wear masks and I'm going to give people haircuts," Regan told CTV News Winnipeg.
He said he has received his COVID-19 vaccine, and will be taking precautions while cutting hair including full sanitization of all his tools.
In the hours since making the announcement on Twitter, Regan said he has received around 100 requests for haircuts.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.