New Brunswick chamber CEOs John Wishart, Krista Ross and David Duplisea. Image: submitted
As the province moves closer to fully reopening after 15 months of living in the pandemic, the CEOs from Chambers of Commerce across the province are encouraged by what the change means for businesses.
Premier Blaine Higgs announced this week, the province would be moving forward to “green phase two” of New Brunswick’s reopening plan, allowing visitors from other provinces and restaurants to operate at full capacity.
“Our members are excited about the opportunities that will come their way and about the progress that our province has made. They’re very optimistic,” said Krista Ross, CEO of the Fredericton Chamber.
The sentiment is echoed by the CEOs of Saint John and Moncton’s chambers. David Duplisea, CEO of Saint John’s Chamber says restaurants are excited to open to full capacity under Phase 2 guidelines.
“Many of the small businesses rely on tourism and we’re entering our prime tourist season now,” he said. “Many of the businesses that were hanging on are looking forward to this tourism season to help them recoup their losses.”
John Wishart, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Moncton, says opening the province up to the rest of Canada will be a lifesaver to many businesses.
“The Atlantic Bubble is great and it really did help save some businesses last summer, but now that we’re open to the rest of the country, that’s a major step,” he said. “The final step, I think, will be when we can open the border to the U.S., and then maybe things like tourism can come back full speed.”
While it’s a promising sign for businesses, the leaders caution that it will still take quite a bit of time for businesses to get back to running at pre-pandemic levels as the general public adjusts to a lifestyle similar to before the pandemic hit last March.
“Hospitality, air travel, restaurants, arts and entertainment, they’re expecting that it may be quite some time before they get back to pre-pandemic levels of business even when all the restrictions are lifted,” said Ross.
“Now is [the businesses’] opportunity to try to get back on their feet financially and so we have to be part of that equation. We simply can’t let our feet off the gas at this point.”
Part of that equation includes government support. While many avenues for small business support are expected to come to an end, Duplisea says it is crucial for government support to continue as businesses start to heal from the pandemic’s effects.
We need to continue with wage subsidies, we need to continue with those types of programs from the various levels of government because we’re not out of the woods yet,” he said. “This has taken a toll on the businesses and it’s going to take participation from all levels of government as well as continued adherence to safety protocols from the general community.”
Despite the ongoing challenges New Brunswick’s business community will continue to face going forward, there is still some relief as New Brunswick moves into its next phase of recovery.
“The last 15 months have been a bit like running a marathon, but never being able to see the finish line,” said Wishart. “I think maybe we are starting to see the finish line.”
Liam Floyd is a reporter with Huddle Today, an Acadia Broadcasting content sharing partner.
