December 16, 2020

Mayor Drew Dilkens and Members of City Council

City of Windsor

350 City Hall Square West

P.O. Box 1607

Windsor, ON N9A 6S1

Dear Mayor Dilkens and Members of City Council:

As of the morning, we have over 8,850 signatures on our Fairness of Ontario Small Businesses During COVID Crisis petition. That number is growing by the second.

As the representatives of residents, business owners, professionals and service providers who have chosen to lay down their roots in what we feel is the most beautiful part of this gem of a city – the city centre – we want to sincerely thank you for being compassionate, gracious and supportive during this unprecedented time in our history.

We know it has not been easy, this challenge of seeing a major Canadian municipality through a pandemic that has lasted far longer than any of us could ever have anticipated.

This said, we wonder when the support for small businesses – the lifeblood of our communities – will be more than mere words.

While big box stores, driven by corporations with purses much bigger than those of small business, can carry on with little change, the local, independently-owned businesses that line our downtown are once again facing a terrifying reality. Choosing to implement such restrictions on small business is detrimental. The impact of such orders is massive – it could mean, for many of our small businesses – which are the heart and soul of our community – seeing their doors shut forever.