North York, ON – On Monday, Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction, Prabmeet Sarkaria and Don Valley North MPP, Vincent Ke and the Premier of Ontario Doug Ford hosted a virtual roundtable to hear from the small business community in North York and surrounding areas on how to respond to COVID-19 and help Main Street rebound.
“It is critical that communities across Ontario have a chance to provide their insights and feedback to the provincial government as we continue our roadmap to recovery, this is why I am very pleased Premier Ford and Minister Sarkaria were able to hear from our community,” said Don Valley North MPP Vincent Ke.
“Whether it’s wearing masks, putting up plastic barriers or promoting physical distancing, our hard-working small business owners in North York and across the province are reopening their doors with the health and safety of their customers and staff as the number one priority,” said Premier Doug Ford. “I encourage everyone to shop local and support small businesses to help them get back on their feet.”
“Small businesses, like these in North York, are vital to our communities and our local economy – whether that’s the supermarket in Don Valley Village or a hair salon in Bayview Village,” said Small Business and Red Tape Reduction Minister, Prabmeet Sarkaria. “Our small business owners know better than anyone what it takes to create jobs, jumpstart growth, and get our economy moving again – this is why it is vitally important to draw on their strengths, expertise and know-how.”
Monday’s virtual roundtable gave North York’s small business community to participate in the government-wide effort to help businesses weather the COVID-19 pandemic and provided local business owners to identify specific challenges and potential solutions for the government to consider.
Minister Sarkaria is one of the members of Ontario’s Jobs and Recovery Committee which is tasked with developing the staged action plan on how to move Ontario forward as it deals with the COVID-19 pandemic. Feedback from this and other provincial roundtables will help inform that committee and its necessary and critical work ahead.
QUICK FACTS
- Members of the Ontario Jobs and Recovery Committee include:
- Rod Phillips, Chair, Minister of Finance
- Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
- Peter Bethlenfalvy, President of the Treasury Board
- Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation
- Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health
- Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
- Greg Rickford, Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines and Minister of Indigenous Affairs
- John Yakabuski, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry
- Laurie Scott, Minister of Infrastructure
- Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries
- Lisa Thompson, Minister of Government and Consumer Services
- Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development
- Prabmeet Sarkaria, Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction
On March 25, 2020, the government launched Ontario’s Action Plan: Responding to COVID19. The first phase of the government’s response, it is a $17 billion package with funding targeted to help families and a variety of sectors across Ontario.