(Toronto, March 24, 2020) – Rocco Rossi, President & CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce released the following statement in reaction to the Ontario Government ordering the mandatory closure of all non-essential workplaces effective as of Tuesday, March 24th at 11:59 p.m. and releasing the list of essential workplaces.

“Prioritizing public health is our best long-term economic strategy. Although the mandatory closure of workplaces will affect many of our members, this is a short-term measure so that our businesses and economy can recover quicker.

“We need to stop talking about supporting public health and supporting business like they are two separate things. We want to starve the virus, but we don’t want to starve the economy permanently. The faster we stop the spread of COVID-19; the faster our businesses and economy can recover.

“The Province has given approximately 36 hours for businesses, that can, to prepare and adapt, so they may continue operations with employees working remotely, or through other contingency measures. We call on the Province to give more time so that businesses can shift more complicated operations, such as payroll.  We also ask the Province to further define their list of essential workplaces as it has left ambiguity for some of our members.

“We thank the Ontario and Canadian government for their efforts to mobilize people, employers, and employees to win this fight. The business community is stepping up and ready to meet the challenges we will face ahead.”

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About the Ontario Chamber of Commerce
For more than a century, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has been the non-partisan, indispensable partner of Ontario business. The OCC’s mission is to support economic growth in Ontario by defending business priorities at Queen’s Park on behalf of its network’s diverse 60,000 members.

For more information, please contact:
Michelle Eaton, Vice President, Public Affairs, Ontario Chamber of Commerce at [email protected] or 647-261-4594