Hamilton small business owner likens Ford’s mixed-messaging to ‘doublespeak’

Jim Watts has trouble reconciling the province's messaging of stay home" with their policy of keeping non-essential businesses - like his own, a tattoo lounge and spa - open.

He calls it doublespeak."

Premier Doug Ford pleaded last week with Ontarians, particularly those now in the red zone, including Hamiltonians, to only leave home for essential reasons - work, medical appointments, school, to get groceries.

But his messaging left many a conscientious non-essential business owner stuck between a rock and a hard place: Do they shut down and potentially lose their business? Or do they stay open and cater to those who aren't heeding the province's advice?

It really hurts that Ford's saying: Yes, you have to stay open.' Also: Nobody go here because it's not essential,'" said Watts, co-owner of Vagabond Saints tattoo lounge and spa, located downtown. This hurts, this doublespeak."

Watts took to Twitter to vent his frustration over the weekend.

We are a non-essential service. We are well aware of this and daily we question why we should be open and possibly exposing ourselves to the pandemic," Watts wrote in a thread Sunday. So our choices are to either close up and risk permanent closure or continue to stay open and have to make ends meet by providing non-essential services to those who willfully will defy the conditions of the red zone? This won't bode well for the personal service industry."

A lockdown would be better for everyone, he said.

The tweets touched a nerve, garnering more than 300 likes in just over 24 hours.

Watts said he was surprised by the response, but it only bolstered his resolve in speaking out about the province's oxymoronic" messaging. He indeed would rather shut down and have the province provide non-essential businesses with subsidies than stay open for those who ignore provincial guidance. He's already had six cancellations, one for a $600 service, anyways.

Why not shut down voluntarily? I would lose my business," he said.

The conflicting messaging was brought up at meetings and press conferences across several levels of government Monday.

At his daily media update, Ford was asked if he was keeping stores open specifically for Christmas shoppers. He responded by saying he wouldn't hesitate to implement lockdown measures if needed, though he didn't answer the question.

At the end of the day, we need to follow the protocols," Ford said. We meed to make sure that we social distance, we've gotta stay at home, leave when you have to to get groceries. Don't bring your family on a shopping excursion."

Health Minister Christine Elliott echoed his words and cautioned: busy malls could become superspreader events.

Still, they remain open. And busy.

During a Monday media briefing, even Hamilton's mayor even remarked on how busy Costco was over the weekend. He called his visit to the superstore intense" but added physical distancing and mask-wearing was dutifully enforced.

The messaging also seems to put local public health units in a tough spot: they too have to reconcile the province's messaging with its actions.

I do understand that some of the messaging can cause some confusion for members of the public or for the business community, particularly when you do still see that we are trying to keep some settings open," said Hamilton's medical officer of health Dr. Elizabeth Richardson at the Monday briefing. That's why it's so very important that we define for ourselves what we consider to be essential."

Richardson said public health is trying to balance supporting people's mental health with keeping businesses in business while managing COVID. Still, she said, people should try to shop via curbside pickup or online as much as possible.

Our advice is don't go out unless it's for essentials but if you need to do those things make sure you're following measures tightly," she said.

The issue came up at Monday's board of health meeting too.

Councillors said they'd fielded calls of frustration and confusion from business owners and residents over the weekend regarding Hamilton's abrupt shift to the province's more stringent red zone.

Coun. Jason Farr noted the operator of a 5,000-square-foot eatery in his downtown ward questioned why larger establishments had to follow the same capacity limits - 10 patrons seated indoors, maximum - as smaller ones.

Richardson told council health officials understand their frustration but noted volumes in places where people gather must be reduced to control the virus.

In Hamilton, most restaurant cases are linked to staff-to-staff transmission, from interactions outside of eateries, but not between workers and patrons, Richardson said.

She said that has not been the scenario elsewhere in Ontario, however, where COVID has spread among patrons and staff. We've been pretty lucky."

As for Watts, he's still taking appointments, following strict health and safety guidelines and just trying to stay afloat until the winds of change blow Hamiltonians and his business in a new direction yet again.

-With files from Teviah Moro.

Katrina Clarke is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: katrinaclarke@thespec.com