Ontario Chamber Urges Province to Continue Expediting Second Vaccine Doses

(Toronto – June 7, 2021) – Today, Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC), released the following statement:

“Herd immunity is an essential part of curbing the spread of COVID-19 in addition to deploying free rapid tests while that herd immunity is being achieved. While Ontario has made important progress with its vaccination rates, the job is incomplete until every Ontarian who wants a second dose has received it. To help slow transmission of new variants and prevent a fourth wave, we implore the Province to accelerate second doses for as many Ontarians as possible, with prioritization on hot spot communities, including those outside the Greater Toronto Area.

“We all want our communities, businesses, and services to reopen as quickly as possible. It is extremely demoralizing for business owners in these regions who feel they have shouldered an unfair burden of restrictions, particularly in jurisdictions with very few or no cases. That is why we continue to ask government to consider alternative methods of addressing future outbreaks without locking down the province as a whole.

“In the meantime, businesses need enhanced support to confront the economic consequences of public health measures. While we welcome recent news that Ontario’s reopening will commence slightly sooner than anticipated, many businesses are opening under extremely strict guidelines and will struggle to make ends meet. New supports, including an additional round of the Ontario Small Business Support Grant, must be made available to help keep businesses afloat.”

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About the Ontario Chamber of Commerce
For more than a century, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has been the independent, 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:
Ceara Copps – Edwards
Manager, Public Affairs
cearacoppsedwards@occ.ca | Mobile: (647) 936-6734