Open Letter to Premier Jason Kenney
January 13, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Red Deer – Mountain View, AB
On December 13, 2020, thousands of small business owners, including barbershops and salons, were once again forced to close their doors. Little information has been provided to these businesses to justify the reason for the closures.
To date there have been no reassurances provided to indicate if current health measures, which were extended from January 11th to the 22nd, will be repealed next week.
As a result, many barbershops and salons have unilaterally decided to reopen at this time. This has resulted in a closure order and threat of fines for one business owner in Innisfail.
These small business owners have done everything the government has requested in order to operate in a safe manner. They have been understanding but are looking for the government to provide clarity.
Yesterday, on the Danielle Smith Show, you stated that to date, Alberta has not traced one case of COVID-19 to a barbershop or salon. This should be reason enough to keep these businesses open.
After the MLA travel scandal, you have consistently supported the efforts made by the airline industry to provide a safe environment for its customers. It is apparent that the same can be said for the personal services industry.
Arbitrary shutdowns are continuing to fuel division within this province. Businesses who wish to reopen in a safe manner should be able to do so. Those who wish to attend these businesses understand and accept any risk in doing so. I urge you to provide clarity to small business owners by the end of the week.
WestJet might be too big to fail. Please don’t consider small businesses too small to matter.
Sincerely,
Jared Pilon
Candidate for Red Deer – Mountain View, AB