Richmond-Queensborough MLA Jas Johal wants the province to come up with a plan on reopening the economy to try to save as many businesses as possible.
The COVID-19 pandemic is not just a downturn or downtick in the economy, he said, and B.C. should follow the lead of Ontario, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan, provinces that have released comprehensive plans on how to ease restrictions.
“The minute the government says it’s going to slowly re-open the economy, it sends a signal to businesses and the average citizen,” Johal said. “(It says) while we must be conscious about public safety, we are entering another phase, there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
Johal would like to see the province release a plan “as soon as possible” that is “cognizant of trying to save as many businesses as possible.”
Johal said he’s not so worried about big box stories, rather it’s the small businesses – that he calls the “backbone of the Canadian economy” – that are needing help.
Businesses are looking for clarity on how they can restart, for example, what a week-by-week easing of restrictions might entail, or a phased approach, Johal said.
Currently the only clarity is “oh, we’re thinking of mid- May,” said Johal, but there should be specifics on what can and can’t re-open.
Significant responsibility for getting back falls on the province, Johal said, and the return to work for the private sector has to align with the public sector, for example, a return to school so parents can get back to work.
“We have to think like we’re in a war and recovering from a war or a great depression,” Johal said. “This is the first time the vast majority of us have seen this in our lifetime.”
