Business owners wary about reopening Monday after several false starts
Ontario will start its gradual easing of restrictions on Monday, starting with indoor dining, but at Barrie's Mexhico restaurant, the tables and chairs are still stacked.
"We have something pulling us back and waiting for the last minute to see if it's actually happening or not," said co-owner Emmanuel Flores.
After two years of being forced to scale back on short notice, the uncertainty is an all too familiar feeling for Flores, who has doubts after multiple false starts.
"Take out has not been enough. I think it would have almost made sense for us to close until the restrictions lifted. We would have probably lost less money."
Now Flores is set to reopen again, with a 50 per cent capacity limit and a new overhead expense.
Starting Jan. 1, the server wage increased to $15 an hour - one of the reasons he's now considering technology, like using tablets to order food, over bringing back staff.
"I don't want to, but we have to be looking at reducing the cost of whatever I can, so what is going to happen is a lot of restaurants around here will start moving that way."
Businesses will still be required to check vaccine certificates to contact trace.
"It just hinders the business and the freedom people have to enjoy their lives when they are out in a restaurant or a pub," said Fionn MacCool's owner, Nitin Mendiratta.
Each return to restrictions is concerning for owners struggling to recoup lost revenue.
"We are wasting five or 10 thousand dollars of inventory to just restart, and when we restart, all those products have expired, so we have to return them or throw them in the garbage," Mendiratta said.
Meanwhile, gyms and fitness studios like Waterfront Fitness and Pilates are also getting ready to welcome back clients, and hoping it sticks this time so customers can be confident purchasing full memberships.
"Not a lot of people want to do it. They want to stay home and hunker down until this all goes away," said owner Courtney Vettor.
The province said it plans to lift more restrictions on Feb. 21 but won't hesitate to press pause if public health trends have not improved.
But that threat leaves many business owners admitting that it could mean shutting down permanently if they aren't allowed to stay open.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.
Woman, 18, killed by co-worker's vehicle on Highway 1 in Moose Jaw
Moose Jaw police say an 18-year-old woman who was at work has died from injuries she sustained in a collision with a vehicle being driven by her co-worker last Thursday.