Consumer confidence misaligned with changing restrictions

The following statement on the removal of provincial restrictions is attributable to Deborah Yedlin, President and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce:

Calgary, February 8, 2022 – “Today’s announcement on the immediate removal of all pandemic measures and restrictions ignores the importance of consumer confidence in our economic recovery. While policies must adapt to our changing context, tools such as the Restrictions Exemption Program (REP) and masking remain critical to ensuring people feel comfortable dining at restaurants, attending sporting and entertainment events, engaging in group physical activities and going to work.

“While the time will come for pandemic measures to sunset, the removal of REP is akin to ripping the Band-aid off before the wound has healed. The latest data gathered from wastewater tracking by UCalgary shows the viral load is declining at a slower rate compared with how quickly it rose. The changes made today are sudden – and have been announced against a backdrop of tools such as rapid testing and contact tracing no longer being available to help businesses keep staff and patrons safe and comfortable.

“Lifting these restrictions will likely lead to several unintended consequences. Businesses that rely on discretionary spending may see a decline in revenue as consumers choose to stay home and minimize the potential for exposure. Industries and public services that rely on front-line employees are already facing severe labour shortages – and jeopardizing the comfort and safety of staff is likely to exacerbate these challenges. Schools may see an increase in infection rates, sending children and teachers home and disrupting work patterns and productivity for many parents.

“We would all like to return to having no restrictions and going back to seeing loved ones and engaging in all the activities we enjoy. But we must only do so only when we have adequate certainty that the probability of infection and illness is very low and that a more severe variant is not on the horizon. We are not there yet. To facilitate the ability to treat this as endemic, we urge all orders of government to work together to provide businesses with the option to continue with pandemic measures, the tools to stay open and safe and clarity on overlapping regulations.”

About the Calgary Chamber

The Calgary Chamber is an independent non-profit, non-partisan business organization. For 131 years the Chamber has worked to be the convenor and catalyst for a vibrant, inclusive and prosperous business community, for the benefit of all Calgarians.

For media inquiries, please contact Arianne Brady, Communications Manager, at media@calgarychamber.com or at 403-750-0414.