TORONTO — Starting today, Restaurants Canada (RC) is rolling out its PR for GR campaign urging the government to expand federal-support programs for the restaurant sector specifically. At the core of the campaign, RC is calling on the government to lower the revenue-decline threshold requirement of 40 per cent to receive additional financial support.
Although the government has recognized the hospitality industry as one of the hardest-hit sectors, the new Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program doesn’t provide financial relief to most restaurant owners. Based on RC’s surveys, eight out of 10 operations have either been consistently losing money since the first wave of lockdowns ended last year, or barely scraping by. With operating costs increasing, the survey shows many feel the restaurant sector won’t survive over the next six months.
“We have been working closely with several members to gather intel and stats that will help us reinforce the industry story,” says Todd Barclay, president at CEO of RC. “We continue to share these models and numbers with senior government officials, including those in Finance, Tourism, Small Business, as well as Erin O’Toole’s office, to share our concerns and recommendations for re-vamping the programs to ensure they truly support the hardest hit by this ongoing pandemic.”
