Business Survey COVID MEASURES & TOWN RESPONSE SEPT. 28 - OCT. 3,2021 - COVID MEASURES & TOWN RESPONSE ...
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Item #: 8.1
Received for the Corproate Record
Received from: Administration
Date: 2021 October 04
Business Survey
COVID MEASURES & TOWN RESPONSE
SEPT. 28 – OCT. 3, 2021
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Revised Agenda for the 2021 October 04 Virtual Regular Meeting of Council (Version 3)
Item #: 8.1
Received for the Corproate Record
Received from: Administration
Date: 2021 October 04
COVID-19 Business Survey
• Rapid poll to businesses
• Help Council decisions relating to Sept.
27 Council meeting discussion on
• Advocacy to federal government on
extending business subsidy programs
• Town bylaw to enable municipal
enforcement of Restriction Exemption
Program (REP)
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Revised Agenda for the 2021 October 04 Virtual Regular Meeting of Council (Version 3)Item #: 8.1
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Date: 2021 October 04
COVID-19 Business Survey
• Banff Viewpoints survey tool
• Launched Tuesday, Sept. 28
• Promoted on BLLT member newsletter,
BanffViewpoints.ca business members,
banff.ca business notification list (NotifyMe)
• Summarized results noon Oct. 3
• 125 survey participants
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Revised Agenda for the 2021 October 04 Virtual Regular Meeting of Council (Version 3)Item #: 8.1
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Summary results
• A strong majority of respondents support the
Town advocating to the federal government
to extend the subsidy programs for
businesses.
• More respondents do NOT want an
additional Town Bylaw for the REP, than
those that do support a Town Bylaw, but it is
very close split
• Most respondents support a vaccine bus
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Revised Agenda for the 2021 October 04 Virtual Regular Meeting of Council (Version 3)Item #: 8.1
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Summary results
– conflict over proof of vaccine
• 4% of respondents said they often had
conflict with customers over proof of
vaccine requirements
• 53% said rarely or never
• 19% said sometimes
• 47% of respondents were not
participating in REP
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Revised Agenda for the 2021 October 04 Virtual Regular Meeting of Council (Version 3)Item #: 8.1
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Summary results – bylaw
• Frequently provided comments against a
Town bylaw included:
• Desire to not have 2 “layers” of rules in Banff
• Concern over extension of Town restrictions after
Provincial order removed
• Desire to not have REP imposed on retail
• Concern with unfair and inconsistent REP program
reinforced by Town bylaw
• Gov’t enforcement of rules is preferred over relying on
front-line staff, but additional rules not desired
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Revised Agenda for the 2021 October 04 Virtual Regular Meeting of Council (Version 3)Item #: 8.1
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Full Survey Results
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Revised Agenda for the 2021 October 04 Virtual Regular Meeting of Council (Version 3)Item #: 8.1
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Date: 2021 October 04
COVID Business Survey October 4, 2021
Comments from respondents
(Consolidated from response provided between 4 pm on Sept. 28 and noon on Oct. 3, 2021)
65 comments provided out of 125 survey participants.
All comments are included verbatim. Comments have been reordered to be grouped into similar
categories. Each bullet represents a comment from a separate organization. In a few cases, one long
response from one participant was broken into two or more sections to align with categories. In a few
cases, the name of the organization or other information was replaced with XXX in order to protect the
identity of the organization.
Retail – REP requirement people won't wait in lines to shop. Last spring
the 10% occupancy killed our retail business
• As a retail store, it really doesn't work for our while it was in place. We would like the ability
business to have to ask for proof of vaccination to implement the restriction exemption
as people enter the store - we often have only program for retail if there are more restrictive
one staff on duty and having to ask for directives that limit our occupancy to less than
vaccination records would require a second 33%
staff and be financially untenable for us. We • As a retailer - I appreciate that we have 2
fear it would also mean many people would options - reduce and distance or ask for the
simply choose not to come in. Reducing our vaccines. We have chosen to reduce and
capacity to 1/3 of fire code and wearing masks distance in store and would like for that to
at all times is much simpler and easier to continue. I do not want my team having to ask
enforce for our business. Please do not make for vaccine proof - that will be stressful for
this a requirement for retail shops! them. We prefer to reduce our numbers in-
• I worry for my staff's safety and mental health store and allow everyone in with masking and
if we as a retail store had to ask for proof of distancing. Its not an easy time for front line
vaxx. I also worry about how we would workers so I would suggest anything that will
implement this as we are short staffed and lessen the stress level for them is the best way
sometimes everyone working could be on cash forward.
and not able to stand at the door.
• Retail is exempt from the restrictions program. Oppose Town bylaw
That said, if we are asked to limit numbers to
• I understand that being yelled at for enforcing
10% occupancy, we will not survive that
a rule you didn’t make is a terrible place to be
restriction. Retail should be able to use the
put in. However I don’t think that adding more
exemption program to avoid punishing
official enforcement is going to help with those
restrictions to the number of people allowed in
people already frustrated or struggling with
our stores. This allows us to keep staff
the fact that they are no longer allowed in
employed, as we don't need 6 employee to
certain businesses because of a personal
deal with 5 customers in the store, which
choice. I think if someone was to have told us 5
happened in May.
years ago we would be here making these
• Limiting retail makes us unable to maintain
decisions, it would be hard to believe. I would
staff levels and business quotas, as many
like to ask for some consideration on both
Oct. 4, 2021 COVID survey of Banff Businesses Page 1 of 6
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Revised Agenda for the 2021 October 04 Virtual Regular Meeting of Council (Version 3)Item #: 8.1
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sides, people who are vaccinated and people Line Staff to deal with, is when there are
who aren’t, to try and understand the others different restrictions "only" for the town of
point of view and be respectful. Banff.
• Where operations can participate in REP they • At XXX we have found 99% of our guests are
are. Town of Banff does not need to add prepared to show their vaccine information
another layer onto the provincial health order, and I.D prior to dining without any
by implementing a new bylaw making it complications. Banff does not need to further
mandatory to participate in REP. complicate health policies set by the province.
• The Town of Banff does not need to add any • It is not in the best interest of the Town to
additional layers of covid-19 management, it is implement our own Covid Policies- we should
easiest for frontline workers to manage one follow the province, and not be an exception.
set of rules, as set out by the AB gov't. • Please be conscious of the steps
• I believe our business is better served if our (restrictions/bylaws) you take as they impact
COVID protocols are aligned with the provincial many people negatively. Town Council has lost
guidelines. the trust of their voters by not listening to
• Any time a municipal COVID policy is important issues before. The TOB would be
misaligned with the province, there is more wise to not enforce any Human Rights-violating
potential for conflict and confusion - this does bylaws. Lawyers are costly &
not help Banff businesses. Health policy should vaccines/passports/restrictions are illegal & go
be left to the province - full stop. If the against The Charter of Rights, therefore the
municipality is concerned with Provincial TOB should remain neutral, as should Banff
policy, they should be advocating to the business owners & landlords. Our local
province to change the policy. Calgary hospitals are not & have not been
businesses were supposedly asking for this “overwhelmed” due to covid, so why increase
bylaw, Banff businesses are not. It's working restrictions & enforcement? Stop this biased
great as is. madness & please cease perpetuating division
• I feel that all town bylaws should be in line with amongst residents by constantly flooding
Provincial regulations. social media with pro-vaccine & pro-passport
• We have had zero need for support with rhetoric.
enforcement to date, not sure if it was ever • Hello, we have answered this survey on behalf
offered but it will be VERY difficult to leave the of XXX with 700+ Banff employees. Re Q6: In
onus on enforcement of a vax mandate in the principle, we would be supportive of a legally
Town of Banff if the province pivots, you're in binding requirement which would allow for
the wrong place here. deflection of implementation away from our
• I would hope they don't implement a vaccine businesses and staff onto the municipality or
passport to get a haircut, and if they do this is province. That said, we are wholeheartedly
something I will fight for to be removed, if you against any provision which would outlast and
don't have freedom to get a haircut then we be above and beyond any measures put in
have a serious problem as hairstylists have a place by the Province of Alberta. Additionally,
chapter in our trades of sterilization. we advocate that any communications which
• Since Bylaw doesn't seem to be available are potentially visible to our destination
during evening hours, I don't see how bylaw visitors be crafted in collaboration with BLLT
could help with any"Covid Compliance" issues, who are the correct organization for qualifying
given the majority of compliance is for messaging which faces our volatile tourism
restaurants. Why would the Town of Banff audience.
implement a bylaw for restrictions when this is • I would suggest decreasing the micromanaging
already covered through Provincial and creating directives in excess of Alberta
Restrictions? The biggest problem for Front Health regulations. We aren't a police state.
The vast majority of people are following
Oct. 4, 2021 COVID survey of Banff Businesses Page 2 of 6
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Revised Agenda for the 2021 October 04 Virtual Regular Meeting of Council (Version 3)Item #: 8.1
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Date: 2021 October 04
regulations. The REP allows businesses to stay might have in helping change some of the
open responsibly and prevent an economic eligibility requirements for these programs
and mental health disaster. would be helpful for our business
• Hello, we have answered this survey on behalf
Support Bylaw for municipal enforcement of XXX with 700+ Banff employees. Re Q7 & 8:
• The By Law removes the issue of enforcement Several of our businesses are not eligible for
from the business and front line staff, while at rent or wage subsidies. Several are. Re Q9: Yes
the same time, making it a matter of civil (advocacy). This is where much energy should
authority and if need be - enforcement. be spent. It is critical for our community who's
Reducing troublesome interactions and single industry is tourism. Tourism has not
maintaining civil stability. recovered. Businesses have not recovered.
• As we are a retail operation I am satisfied that • For businesses such as caffes or small food
reduced capacity and wearing masks is the and beverage establishments, adoption of the
safest option for both staff and customers. For REP comes with the added cost of employing
businesses that can operate the exemption someone to stand at the point of entry and
programme I think it would help front line check the vaccine status of customers for the
workers if municipal bylaw can be called when duration of their operating hours. I believe that
disputes happen. the province should help in one of two ways; 1)
• The Fates lead those who will and drag those amend the definition of 'point of entry' to allow
who won't. The sooner mandated vaccination vaccine status to be checked at food service
and enforcement is enacted the sooner counters, or 2) provided funding to cover the
everyone will get on board and the sooner we payroll costs associated with having a full time
will be 'through' the pandemic. Providing the host at the door.
bylaw will help the same as the pass program • Bear st business certainly can use support,
has helped in provinces across Canada. despite subsidy’s we did not enjoy the full
• Thank you for your initiative. You have my summer competitive advantage that council
support. I think it will be valuable to provided banff ave. Prov/Fed support is
collaborate with Parks Canada Agency with this necessary as TOB and BLLT offered nothing in
so that messaging can be consistent. We must light of our challenges.
be careful not to send a message that is • Thank you for the survey. I am not sure how
interpreted to mean that >Banff is ClosedItem #: 8.1
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Date: 2021 October 04
normal levels. The very existence of our • Please, keep the restrictions on. We cannot
community as we know it depends upon have an other lock down, for businesses,
tourism. Restrictions on travel by governments workers and residents.
must be offset by subsidies from those same • Our tourism economy has been completely
governing bodies. Insolvencies and shut down in the first pandemic wave of 2020
bankruptcies will be the logical consequence and after the subsequent multiple rounds of
without more extensive assistance. restrictions imposed on businesses, we are
• You did not give an option of splitting the now facing yet another looming lockdown
answer on question 9. So, wage subsidy should which will yet again questionably penalize our
end so people would actually apply for jobs economy, our businesses and well-being of our
again and employers would have employees, citizens and workforce. Keep in mind as well
but rent subsidy could exist another month or the newer businesses that do not qualify for
two, until people are earning again. subsidies and have been through the ringer
• As a tourist town we need more financial already. Banff as of today has 10 active cases.
support for business special in off season … We propose locking out any visitor without
with travel restrictions the tourism bureau proof of vaccination coming into town with
should lobby that .. as for pricer non checks at the town entrances. As the CMA is
vaccinated party’s and persons the fines calling for "extraordinary measures" needed to
should be much higher… stop Covid surges in Alberta, we think this
• My preference would be to have a business measure is entirely appropriate to keep the
model that supports a recovery without the active cases in Banff low and avoid more
need to incur future debt. I also suggest that undue hardships for our businesses.
health policy be left for the Province to • No one should be allowed inside any
manage. businesses without full vaccination.
• Employees and employers should be required
Vaccine Bus / Vaccine promotion to double vax and have proof,especially
• With regards to the Vaccine BUS we also think dealing with public. That should have been on
the TOB should help the Doctor's office and the survey. Staffing shortage is a big issue.
pharmacies to get the word out that they also Should we just offer them to the virus?
have vaccinations available. Thank you • It is good, to all businesses in Banff to make
• Thank you for offering an ongoing vaccination the vaccine proof ti either staff or clients. And it
program and requiring it for TOB staff. We makes more sense if the businesses impost
need to put this behind us so we can continue mandatory vaccine as well to their staff or
welcoming visitors which is the Parks Canada employees. As what is the used of wearing a
mandate for our town. mask without having you vaccinated.
Restrict Unvaccinated No proof of vaccination / oppose REP
• Vaccinated people should be able to move • I don’t think anybody should be required to
about within government restrictions. show private health information ever. I feel this
Unvaccinated people should not be able to is a very scary precedent we are setting and
move about freely certainly not within non am ashamed Canadians are going along with
essential settings. It is important for us to this.
know that our guests are vaccinated and that • Being in Lodging we are not part of the scope
we are doing the best we can to accommodate for the restrictions exemptions program
a safe environment. This 'Alberta Passport' is except rentals of our conference space. For
essential to our tourism business. Our hope is conference usage we chose to go with 1/3 fire
that children can soon be vaccinated. capacity as it still allows for smaller groups to
use the space. We want all our guests to feel
Oct. 4, 2021 COVID survey of Banff Businesses Page 4 of 6
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Revised Agenda for the 2021 October 04 Virtual Regular Meeting of Council (Version 3)Item #: 8.1
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welcome and appreciated. The restrictions Ave/Caribou .... it might have been helpful to
exemptions program discriminates based on offer continued closure of Banff Ave/Caribou.
health status which I want no part of. • It would help the retail sector if Banff ave was
• Please stop encouraging discrimination reopened to vehicle traffic
through the use of vaccine passports. The • Vaccines have been administered and
Restriction Exemption Program is a subtle and numbers continue to rise. It's time we try a
dangerous way to promote segregation and new approach to managing the spread and
could in fact just as easily be called the caring for the small 1% that will experience
Exclusion program. Please please please stop illness. Town efforts should spent to create
prioritizing COVID-19 above all else, the better facilities for treatments and to support
mental/emotional/social/financial distress it is its residence and visitors by providing
putting our community through is significantly education/ tools promoting mask wearing,
worse than the virus itself. Promote long term eating well, limiting the transfer of viruses,
sustainable community health instead through stress management strategies, immune
preventative strategies like healthy diet, supplements etc, etc. The last thing we need is
exercise, and encouraged social engagement. more time and resources spent supporting big
• I think the Vaccine Passport is a horrible idea pharm.
and it goes against the Canadian Charter Of • Retail is still severely impacted by the lack of
Rights And Freedoms. Do you realize that international visitors and foreign workers in
businesses can be sued in the future for Banff. We have a serious staff shortage, so any
implementing this? The TOB should be initiatives to improve that situation would also
ashamed of itself for implementing this be most welcome.
requirement. • Masks are not necessary. Health directives
• Let's open up like Florida did. The results are should not be determined by councillors.
now showing there is no improvement by • We run a guiding company which guests sign a
locking down. Watch the statistics coming out declaration of health in regards to covid before
of Florida. they arrive. Our transportation division follows
• No restrictions! No mandates! all regulation in regards to transport and
• Take time out of your day to read and covid/masking
understand the Charter of Rights and • Please cut down the staff that you have hired
Freedom, the Prov. Personal Information to do walk arounds. It is very frustrating to see
Protection Act and the Canadian Constitution our tax money given to people just walking
of 1982. around town and not beneficial to us locals at
all.
Miscellaneous • We should have more support and leadership
• Tough for many to put staff at the door to from our provincial government so that you
request vacc. Paperwork. Perhaps the QR code would not be required to make these decisions
will speed up things. about public health…so thank you!
• Get Vaccinated!! • This response represents the XXXX Restaurant
• I believe in vaccinations, I am happy to see the management. We have had one irate
vaccine passport, that said I believe it would be individual. They happened to have been
crossing the line for the town of Banff not to vaccinated, they just didn't want to show proof,
admit people into the municipality without a they did show it in the end.
vaccine passport. • Advocate for the Federal/Provincial
• Thanks for taking action :) Government to recognize Natural Immunity
• Given the new Alberta restrictions (permitting through Antibody Testing as an alternative to
only outdoor dining) that aligned with the Vaccination and added to complete Immunity
closure of outdoor seating on Banff Passport. Immunity Antibody Testing could be
Oct. 4, 2021 COVID survey of Banff Businesses Page 5 of 6
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valid for 90 days then re-tested to maintain
Natural Immunity status.
Oct. 4, 2021 COVID survey of Banff Businesses Page 6 of 6
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