Automotive retailers in Ontario will be able to open their dealerships on May 4 by appointment only, according to a May 1 announcement from the province’s Premier Doug Ford.
The announcement indicates that certain businesses will be allowed to re-open under strict safety guidelines, and follows an earlier update from the premier about opening up the economy gradually through a three-stage process found in A Framework for Reopening our Province.
It’s welcome news to the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association (TADA) in Ontario, who have been lobbying hard on behalf of dealers in the province.
Frank Notte, TADA Dir. Gov. Relations
“Our initial reaction was certainly a sense of relief, and certainly accomplishment, knowing that we had been speaking to the ministries for quite some time — lobbying that dealerships are a safe work environment, and that we had a protocol system in place to provide a safe environment for people to shop for a new car in the showroom,” said Todd Bourgon, Executive Director, TADA, in an interview with Canadian auto dealer.
Bourgon singled out Frank Notte, the TADA’s Director of Government Relations, as someone who has worked tirelessly during this pandemic to advocate for dealers. He also praised the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) led by Tim Reuss and his team, for working closely with the association to share resources and work collaboratively on behalf of the province’s dealers.
Bourgon said dealers have been waiting for this update for some time. “A lot of dealers have been hurting, as we all know. There is no other nice way to put that. And hopefully that gives them a sense that there is some light at the end of this tunnel,” said Bourgon. “Is it business as usual? Of course not; it’s not business as usual anywhere in this province, but we thank the government for including us and trusting our industry, on this list, and we are certainly all looking forward to getting back to work in Ontario, but certainly in a different way.”
Dealerships will be permitted to begin operations (by appointment only) on Monday, May 4 at 12:01 a.m. (In Quebec, dealers are permitted to reopen sales and service on May 4, and May 11 if on the island of Montreal, so long as they adhere to strict protocols.)
However, dealerships in Ontario must continue to respect the social distancing rules set out by the government. Businesses that do not or cannot adhere to the six-feet rule will have to find a way to do so. “And if it means limiting the number of people that come into the showroom by appointment, they are going to have to figure that out, because the social distancing is still in place in Ontario,” said Bourgon.
He said TADA published protocols for the sales department to reopen, and had done so for service when they were left open as an essential service. “I am hopefully going to see every dealer adhere to them so we can continue to give the government the faith in us that we are a safe environment,” said Bourgon.
The Government of Ontario said it is currently in phase one of the Ontario’s Action Plan in response to COVID-19, Protect and Support, and is attempting to balance economic needs with the health and safety of Ontarians.
