‘All businesses are essential’: Hatters rally to end shutdowns and support small businesses

“I am here today because we as an industry are going into our fourth month of being unable to work, and right before the second shutdown Premier Kenney had actually commended the industry on how well we had done controlling the virus with zero percent transmission, only to turn around a number of days later and to shut us down,”Tracey said.

For Tracey, the move by the provincial government to shut the beauty industry down even with high praises was disappointing to say the least.

“It was like being taken out at the knees. I never ever in a million years thought we would have to face another shutdown because we literally had been commended so it feels like betrayal,” she said.

“ We have proved ever since the first reopening that we are 100 per cent capable of keeping ourselves, our clients, and our staff safe. And even though we have spent thousands of dollars on PPE, dividers, signage, staggering our clients and we have proved that we have zero cases of transmission we are still shut down,” she said.

For Tracey, and much of the beauty industry the shutdowns have been hard.

“We are applying for every grant and loan that we can. You know you make a lot of cutbacks. You are not spending as much as you used to, and you just have to tighten the ropes and unfortunately for a lot of people I don’t think they have savings,” she said.

The shutdowns, Tracey said can be especially challenging for those just starting out.

“When you are starting out in this industry, you almost start out minimum wage, and you rely on your tips. Tips for a lot of people in this industry is what fills their car with gas and helps top up those groceries,” she said.

Stylist Candace Mastelloto said the quality person-to-person interaction that stylists offer cannot be ignored and is important for people’s well being.

“ I have a client that says stylists aren’t just stylists they are therapists, so we have so many clients that we are in contact with that, they are struggling and they literally look forward to coming into the salon to pour their guts out to us, and we listen. They don’t even have that anymore” she said.

Masetelloto rents a chair at a local salon. She said applying for relief from the provincial and federal government hasn’t exactly been easy.

“A lot of us fall through the cracks as renters because we don’t have employees so we don’t qualify for some different assistance because you have to be a small business. Well, I am a small business, and then it comes to the part where it says how many employees do you have. I don’t. I don’t have people so then we fall through the cracks,” she said.

The province has indicated that the restrictions will be in place for a minimum of two weeks.

Two weeks that the protesters say is far too long.

by Tiffany Goodwein

‘All businesses are essential’: Hatters rally to end shutdowns and support small businesses

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