As restaurants in COVID-19 hotspots elevate their campaign to reopen for indoor dining, new data indicates outbreaks at Toronto restaurants, bars and nightclubs may have driven the province’s decision to also shutter them in York, Peel, and Ottawa.
In York Region, which returned to a modified stage 2 on Oct. 19, restaurants, bars and clubs have had 10 outbreaks — eight per cent of all COVID-19 outbreaks — since the beginning of August, compared to 27 outbreaks in Toronto restaurants, bars and club, or 14 per cent of all outbreaks, according to Science Advisory and Modelling Consensus Tables data released on Thursday.
Ottawa, which returned to modified stage 2 restrictions along with Toronto and Peel on Oct. 10, had three outbreaks linked to restaurants, bars and clubs, amounting to two per cent of all its COVID-19 outbreaks.
Peel Region also had three outbreaks at restaurants, bars and clubs, about three per cent of all its outbreaks.
In York Region, the grocery and retail sector has had more outbreaks than the foodservices sector — 14, which account for 11 per cent of the total outbreaks. Outbreaks at long-term care and retirement homes, at 22, make up 17 per cent of the total outbreaks since August, while industrial settings, at 24, account for 19 per cent of the total.
In an open letter to Premier Doug Ford today, a coalition of leaders from Ontario’s foodservice sector are asking why they are being singled out with heightened restrictions as the province continues to respond to a second wave of COVID-19.
The letter from Restaurants Canada and 44 foodservice sector leaders in Ontario is calling for access to data influencing government decisions related to dining restrictions, and consultation with the industry to address any concerns identified by the data.
“Restaurants deserve to see the data driving decisions impacting their operations and have a chance to work with government on solutions to keep their dining rooms open,” said Restaurants Canada president and CEO Todd Barclay.
“Since the start of the pandemic, foodservice operators have made major investments in new procedures, training, personal protective equipment and other means to ensure the highest levels of safety for their staff and patrons. Government should be doing everything possible to help them avoid the devastating consequences of indoor dining closures so they can continue contributing to the economic and social fabric of their communities.”
Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, said in a news briefing that other factors influenced the decision to close restaurants, bars and clubs in York, Peel and Ottawa.
"The recommendation we made back at that time because of the rising numbers and the extensive community spread, a lot of the times people were contacting in areas where they were not having adequate protection," Williams said.
"We didn't particularly pick one site or another, we said, as we said along, that we were picking those settings where it's indoors, where people are unable to mask for long periods of time."
Restaurants Canada estimates that the indoor dining closures mandated in COVID-19 hotspots have so far resulted in sales losses of as much as 80 per cent for full-service restaurants and more than 40 per cent for quick-service restaurants.
In York Region, it’s estimated 8,8000 employees have lost their jobs.
In total, tens of thousands of jobs have been lost across the province, including 33,000 in Toronto, 14,900 in Peel Region, and 12,000 in Ottawa.
“I have thought all along that we have been unfairly targeted,” Grant Buckley, owner of Ground Burger Bar in Newmarket’s downtown, told NewmarketToday.
He said because restaurants are a place where people gather, owners have had to ensure public health safety requirements are being followed, including installing hand washing stations and plexiglas barriers, reducing the number of tables for physical distancing, wearing masks indoors and collecting information from their customers for contract tracing if needed.
“We’ve gone above and beyond, no other business is doing what we’re doing,” Buckley said.
“We have followed every protocol … we’ve done everything to make people feel safe, we were full every night, then they pull the rug right out from underneath us and say go back to stage 2.”
He said public health inspectors have not visited his restaurant to check the requirements are in place, “but then all of a sudden we hear they’re going to shut down all the restaurants because that’s where they think it’s coming from,” he said. “Then the actual facts come out and that’s not the case.”
“I’m pissed off,” he said after seeing the data indicating few outbreaks are linked to York Region restaurants, adding that the closures have cost him “tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue.”
“Where are our politicians? Why isn’t our mayor speaking out? Why hasn’t anyone come out on behalf of us? It doesn’t make any sense, we’re getting grouped in with Vaughan, but you can drive up to Bradford and eat there, 20 minutes north. It’s a mess.”
Buckley agrees with the need for more transparency for the foodservices sector — “show us the data and let us make an educated decision with you” — and is calling on the province to reopen restaurants before more are put out of business.
“You can’t survive this winter with restaurants having no indoor dining, you’re going to lose at least 50 per cent of this industry. There’s no way, there’s zero chance, if your food doesn’t transition well to take-out food, no one is sitting outside in -30, you’ll lose your entire business.”
He added the government owes restaurant and gym owners an apology.
Newmarket Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Tracy Walter told NewmarketToday that, ultimately, the province is making decisions with “the utmost focus on community health and safety."
“Our economic recovery is tied to business continuity and we need to work together with all levels of government and community stakeholders to find safe ways for businesses to operate in this pandemic,” she said.
Restaurants are key to Ontario’s COVID-19 recovery, said James Rilett, Restaurants Canada vice-president, Central Canada.
“Without transparent transmission data and further government support, half of all independent restaurants are at risk of closing within a year. This would not only be a terrible loss for communities across the province, but the many other businesses that rely on a thriving foodservice sector for their survival.”
Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Ontario’s foodservice industry comprised approximately 38,000 establishments, contributing four per cent to Ontario’s GDP and serving more than nine million customers every day.
Restaurants also support a wide variety of other businesses across the province, indirectly supporting more than 110,000 jobs and typically spending more than $13 billion per year on food and beverage purchases, playing a critical role for Ontario farmers and the agri-food sector, according to Restaurants Canada.
The coalition is urging anyone interested in ensuring that restaurants receive the data they need to survive COVID-19 can send a letter to their MPP in support of the recommendations sent to Premier Ford: https://info.restaurantscanada.org/ontario-letter
