TORONTO — In a recent statement, Restaurants Canada commended the Federal government’s more than $600-million commitment to helping businesses survive the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“Many of the measures announced respond to our recommendations to help Canada’s vital foodservice sector pull through these extraordinarily challenging times,” says Restaurants Canada president and CEO Todd Barclay. “We appreciate the Federal government’s continued recognition of the unique impacts that COVID-19 has had on restaurants and how integral they are to the economic recovery of communities across the country.”
Canada’s foodservice-and-hospitality sector continues to be hardest hit from COVID-19. “The vast majority of our members have been able to remain operational and continue contributing to their communities, largely thanks to measures the Federal government has introduced since the start of the crisis,” says David Lefebvre, Restaurants Canada vice-president, Federal and Quebec. “We look forward to learning more details about the commitments unveiled [last week] and continue building on the government’s efforts to address the ongoing needs of our industry.”
Without continued and additional support, Restaurants Canada estimates 40 per cent of independent restaurants might not survive beyond March 2021, on top of the roughly 10 per cent of establishments that have already permanently closed over the first six months of the pandemic.
