Mayor’s Update 2020-04-07
| Hello everyone, Before the COVID-19 pandemic, West Vancouver Council recognized the need to support and revitalize our business community; and to address the challenges businesses were facing such as attracting and retaining staff, and a diminishing local customer base. The impact of the pandemic and the dramatic economic downturn have increased those challenges exponentially, and every business is facing unprecedented changes. We are all grateful to the businesses that remain open to provide the services we need, and appreciative of the staff who go to work every day to provide those services. Grocery stores and pharmacies, to name a few, provide a critical service, and meeting the requirements of the Provincial Health Officer puts extra responsibilities on them. So please, follow all their physical distancing requirements when you shop. Protecting the supply chain for these vital businesses is critical, which is why the District waived bylaws restricting delivery times even before the Provincial Health Officer ordered that change. Other businesses have been ordered to close for health reasons, either partially or completely. Fortunately, the Federal and Provincial governments are providing some economic relief for businesses and their employees; and information about those programs is updated frequently on our newly launched webpage: westvancouver.ca/businessresources. The Ambleside-Dundarave Business Improvement Association and the West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce have created a survey to gather information on how we can help our local businesses during COVID-19. The survey for business operators is available at adbia.ca/news. Please do what you can to support our local business community: Buy local as much as possible; Support local restaurants by ordering takeout or delivery where available; and Buy a gift certificate now to be redeemed later. I will continue to advocate on behalf of businesses to senior levels of government, Metro Vancouver, and the health authority. As we approach the Easter long weekend, I’m asking everyone to stay home and not travel to tourist destinations or their second homes because of the burden this puts on scarce medical and other resources in remote and rural communities. Further, please do not engage in activities that pose unnecessary health and safety risks because our medical staff and hospitals are already consumed with addressing this pandemic. Thank you for everything you are doing to fight this disease, and support each other. We have much for which to give thanks this Easter, including our families and friends; our essential service providers; and our dedicated health care workers. As Queen Elizabeth said in her recent speech, “We will succeed, and that success will belong to every one of us.” Warm regards, Mayor Mary-Ann Booth |