As we look forward to 2021, NewmarketToday has reached out to local leaders for their perspectives on what the new year may hold for Newmarket and York Region communities.
The COVID-19 year behind us was a hard one for small businesses. The uncertainty, lockdowns, restrictions, and sharp drop in customers have left business owners scrambling to survive the pandemic.
But with vaccines now being distributed in York Region and across the country, Newmarket Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Tracy Walter hopes 2021 will be the year that the business community can turn a corner and flourish once again.
Getting to that point, she said, will require making sure local businesses make it through York Region's lockdown for however long that lasts.
"We are not exactly starting the year in a great spot. But the further government supports, such as grants and reduced electricity rates, have certainly helped. At least it gives businesses a chance of surviving this second-wave lockdown," said Walter.
"If we as a community can continue to support our businesses and get them through this lockdown, we can then concentrate on the recovery."
What that recovery will look like is anyone's guess at this point, Walter said, but what is clear is that things will not simply go back to the way they were before the pandemic.
Innovations and pivots such as the adoption of Zoom meetings, the rise of e-commerce, and working from home are not going to go away when the virus does, said the chamber president. So there is going to be a period of adjustment as everyone figures out what exactly the new normal will be.
"All of that was done out of necessity, but now there will be questions around things like Workplace Safety and Insurance Board rules as we look at offering employees the flexibility (to work from home). We all may be Zoomed out, but you got to admit they sure save a lot of time and travel," she said.
"Even at the chamber, we are going to have to adapt our events to have both in-person and virtual options. All businesses will have to think through how we can continue to embrace the things we took on during 2020.
"It will be a challenging year ahead in a lot of ways, not just from an economic recovery standpoint, but how businesses will adapt."
Walter hopes that the pandemic situation will be improved enough by summer to allow more activity during those warm months. Not just for the well-being of the tourism industry but also for businesses along Main Street and other pedestrian areas.
"That sort of thing is what makes a community vibrant," she said. "Hopefully, we will have some sense of normalcy back by summertime, but I would expect there will still be some protocols in place. But I think it will be very important for businesses to be able to open, and as a business organization, the chamber has been calling for improved contact tracing and rapid testing to help with that."
There are likely to be some businesses that will have to close because of the pandemic's hardship. Walter, who also sits on York Region Human Services Planning Board, said that it would be necessary to make sure other businesses fill empty those storefronts.
"If there are some closures, we will need to look at how we attract businesses back to our town, because ... the people working there lose their job. All that hurts community vibrancy, so we will work with the Town of Newmarket to focus on that," she said.
Regardless of how economic recovery plays out, Walter hopes that everyone in Newmarket will learn from the pandemic how important it is to support local businesses even during non-emergencies.
"I hope that the pandemic has reminded us of the importance of that as a community. Just remember that those businesses carried us through for so many years, and we have been doing so great when it comes to community support that it lasts beyond this one point in time. "
