Hatters march in protest of the provincial government's closure of beauty salons and overall restrictions on small businesses in downtown Medicine Hat on Friday.--NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade
Hairdressers and supporters attracted attention in Medicine Hat on Friday asking Premier Jason Kenney to overturn his decision to shutdown beauty salons.
A crowd of about 45 people stood at the gates to Veterans Memorial Park holding placards. One read, “Our kids need to eat, our bills need to be paid, let us work.”
Another stated, “Salons are safer than big box stores.”
Several vehicles drove by and honked in support.
On Dec. 12 Kenney invoked COVID restrictions across the province and mandated closure of beauty salons. This week those restrictions were extended to at least Jan. 21.
“There’s hundreds and hundreds of people affected in Medicine Hat,” said Paul Hemsing, an owner of Salon Purity in Crescent Heights.
He said since starting a support group he has had many hairdressers calling him in tears.
“They don’t know how they’re going to feed their children. They’re financially stressed, mentally stressed and physically exhausted,” said Hemsing.
Hairdresser Michael Gray says the government’s staff and elected officials who made the rules are completely insulated from the impact of shutting businesses, and continue to get paid regardless.
“They have no idea what it’s like,” he said.
In December, Kenney said no cases of COVID have been linked to hairdressers.
“He said zero cases … and then six days later he shut us down,” said Hemsing.
On Nov. 17 however, Alberta Health stated that the origin of the vast majority of COVID cases was unknown (75 per cent at that time).
Hemsing says he recently heard Kenney speak of the importance of keeping WestJet open and operating, which added to his frustrations.
“You support that industry because you don’t want to see them go bankrupt but at the same time you are leaving tens of thousands of Albertans jobless where we could operate with safe standards,” said Hemsing.
Beauty salons were closed for two and a half months last spring for the initial lockdown, while Kenney has not specifically discussed the current number of active cases in the south zone.
“There are really only two zones with high transmission – Calgary and Edmonton,” said Hemsing.
The current COVID rates for the five health zones are as follows: Edmonton (505.8 cases/100K), Calgary (345.6), Central (321.6), North (318.14) and South (92.9). Alberta Health deems anything over 50 cases per 100,000 people to need restrictions.
“If you can go walking up and down the mall, if you can go into Walmart, sit in your dentist chair, see your physiotherapist and go for a massage why can you not go to your beauty professional,” said Hemsing. “I’m not just fighting for Medicine Hat. I’m fighting for the entire province. I don’t understand why our industry has been targeted.”
Judy Morris, who is not a hairdresser but stood in support with protestors, says she knows Kenney personally and thinks it is “silly” to shut down small businesses.
“I think he has to rethink (his decision).”
The beauty industry’s professionals are predominantly women and many are self-employed, making them ineligible for EI, said Hemsing. CERB is restricted to those below a certain income level.
Several officers with Medicine Hat Police Service stood with the group of protestors on Friday evening just as the sun was setting. Hemsing said they had offered to come and provide assistance to keep it peaceful.
As Hemsing was giving instructions about the rules for the march, towards the intersection of Kingsway and Allowance, a young man began shouting about the perils of COVID. Officers took him aside and the march began.
Hemsing said it took courage for people to attend because the government has banned gatherings, even out of doors.
As the group marched down the street they chanted, “We need to open.”
