Bars and restaurants struggling and need help, say Yukon Party, NDP

From total shutdowns to capacity limits, navigating COVID-19 public health measures has been a challenge for the hospitality sector for the past two years.

In the Yukon, both the NDP and the Yukon Party say these businesses need more help from the territorial government.

"Bars and restaurants are so important to Yukoners and tourists alike," said Emily Tredger, NDP MLA for Whitehorse Centre. "They make our community a more vibrant place to live. The government needs to do everything they can to help them survive. 

"Right now, they're not getting the help they need."

Stacey Hassard, Yukon Party MLA for Pelly-Nisultan said there has been "so much confusion" around the rules that apply to the hospitality sector, and business owners in the territory need their government to be clear and proactive.

"I would hope they would get rid of the [public health measures], but if they are not going to get rid of them, at least explain the rules to the businesses," he said.

In an open letter, the Yukon Party asked the government to loosen some of its current public health measures such as the 10 p.m. curfew, table size limits and the requirement that restaurants and bars check patrons' proof of vaccination.

The NDP also suggested allowing alcohol delivery with takeout orders, waiving some licensing fees and making it easier for businesses to apply for government funding.

Hassard said the government should trust people to be smart enough to make their own decisions when it comes to public health.

"We have this vaccination rate, which is quite possibly the best in the country, and the government continues to come up with restrictions for these businesses, and quite honestly people are just confused and I don't blame them," he said.

'The rules seem to change every other day:' restaurant owner

Lee Willett is the owner of Burnt Toast Cafe in Whitehorse. She said she would be happy to see some of the current restrictions ease, as long as it is safe for her customers.

"I think if the health department thinks that cases are going down and that we are in a good place, of course I'm all for it," she said.

But Willett said her customers have been very accepting of the situation over the last two years.

"In the beginning, it was obviously a big change and we all had to adjust," she said. "And it would go up and down, and we would relax a little bit and then another wave will hit and we would be hit with another set of restrictions like checking vaccine passports.

"But people who come here want us to be careful, and if we are not, they won't come in."

Andrea Reti is the owner of the Caribbean restaurant Pickapeppa in Whitehorse. She also said the public health measures have been a challenge for her business.

"It's a bit nerve-racking [because] the rules seem to change every other day," she said. "And you gotta sort of wing it and... go with the flow, as some would say."

Of all the public health restrictions, Reti explained the restaurant capacity limit has impacted her businesses the most. Her restaurant has such little square footage that, with the current rules in place, she can only seat five people at a time.

Pickapeppa has struggled to stay open throughout the past two years. Some days, Reti chooses between serving lunch or dinner — or nothing at all.

"Some days you go, 'why bother opening?'" she said. "It's no use opening at one point when no one is coming because you're looking at using electricity and all this 'wonderful' stuff that you have to put money into that you're not making."

In an email to CBC News, the Yukon Government said it has been "a national leader in supporting local businesses throughout the pandemic," and expects to have more details to share about supports for local businesses "in the coming days."