Gym owner says businesses must open

By GILLIAN SLADE on January 9, 2021.

gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade

Some local business owners say that extending the COVID restrictions this week – which for many mean closing their doors completely – is another blow that doesn’t make sense for the region.

“It seems to be arbitrary and not data driven,” said Colin DeWolfe, owner Back Alley Fitness.

After a 13-week lockdown in the spring, Premier Jason Kenney suggested future measures could be based on numbers and could then be regional rather blanket, said DeWolfe.

The active cases in our region have dropped and are now only two per cent of the whole province. DeWolfe says it does not seem to matter how well you have done, the promise to take this into account has not been kept.

“We just feel like we’re being lied to,” said DeWolfe.

The restrictions announced Dec. 12 were initially scheduled to lift on Jan. 12. This week Kenney said they will continue until at least Jan. 21.

“He (Kenney) has got to allow us to work and feed our families,” he said, fearing that restrictions could last a lot longer than another two weeks.

There have been no cases of COVID attributed to his business, said DeWolfe, adding that his is an industry that can help address physical and mental stress issues experienced during the pandemic.

DeWolfe says he and his wife have both taken on second jobs to keep going but they also have staff and some of them are in dire circumstances. CERB is not available like it was during the spring shutdown.

Laurie-Ann Andjelic, of Laurie-Ann Fashions in the Co-op Mall on 13 Street SE, is currently allowed to be open but it is not business as usual.

Andjelic says the mall is allowed to have only 80 people at any given time and most shoppers only go to the grocery store now. The coffee shop across from her business is closed, as are hairdressers.

“People are scared to come and try clothes on. It is quite alarming.”

After the spring lockdown Andjelic sold off her inventory at a loss. Each time she is faced with buying stock it’s a guessing game as to whether she will be open and what she will be able to sell.

After nine years in business there is huge “uncertainty,” she says. After the initial lockdown she thought she would manage to get through but then there were more restrictions and the extension of restrictions. She has reached the point of no more resources to mitigate losses or invest in new strategies.

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