Opposition urges Ford government to do more for small businesses

The Progressive Conservatives’ bid to boost small businesses by liberalizing alcohol sales and giving them $1,000 for pandemic protective gear is small beer.

That was the message from NDP Leader Andrea Horwath on Wednesday as the Tories introduced the Main Street Recovery Act designed to help restaurants, bars and shops crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Horwath — who has been on a “Save Main Street” push since April, one month after the coronavirus outbreak took hold — said the measures are “nowhere near what businesses are asking for.”

As first disclosed by the , Associate Minister of Small Business Prabmeet Sarkaria plans to keep the temporary changes the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario had said would expire on Dec. 31.

“We’re committed to making it permanent,” Sarkaria told a Queen’s Park news conference.

But Horwath said much more needs to be done.

“The government’s announcing a pittance of $1,000, thinking that’s going to help small businesses,” she said, referring to the one-time grants for small businesses with fewer than 10 employees to help pay for personal protective equipment like masks and Plexiglas shields.

“It will be a little bit of a benefit for some, but it will not keep them afloat. The government is delusional.”

The NDP leader said businesses need more financial support from Queen’s Park than just making permanent the temporary allowance for restaurants and bars to sell beer, wine and spirits to go.

“I find it just unbelievable that the government thinks that these minor adjustments are going to save the bacon,” she said.

Liberal MPP John Fraser — whose leader Steven Del Duca was the first to pitch lifting the restrictions on booze sales to assist ailing businesses in March — said “it’s a good thing.”

“But right now it’s definitely not the most important thing. It’s a continuation of what’s going on,” said Fraser (Ottawa South), stressing the Tories should be improving the COVID-19 testing system to aid the economy.

“If your customers can’t come — because they’re isolated and they haven’t got the results of their test — or your employees are gone, not (bolstering testing) really doesn’t support the little guy,” he said.

Green Leader Mike Schreiner, who has also been calling for greater assistance to small businesses for months, said the measures were welcome but not enough.

“All small businesses need support with PPE grants not capped at 10 (employees) and quite frankly the elephant in the room … is a rent program that works,” said Schreiner, blasting the current federal-provincial relief efforts for commercial tenants.

“Until they deliver that, what they’re delivering now is insufficient.”.

But the Green leader emphasized that he backs permanent changes to make alcohol delivery and takeout available through restaurants.

“It makes a lot of sense,” he said. “It’s a lifeline for many small businesses.”

Robert Benzie is the Star’s Queen’s Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: