On 12 May the Meaford Chamber of Commerce hosted a Zoom Town Hall with our local Member of Parliament, Alex Ruff, and Member of Provincial Parliament, Bill Walker. Conducted for Chamber of Commerce members in the Municipalities of Meaford, Grey Highlands, and West Grey, this event presented all our members an excellent opportunity to be heard, to ask their questions, and to have their concerns about the impact of COVID-19 on their businesses addressed by their elected representatives.

Our three municipalities are dominated by micro business – those with 10 or less employees. Because these businesses do not employ large numbers of Canadians individually, most of the assistance programmes announced to date had failed to address their needs. Collectively, however, Canadian micro-businesses employ an enormous number of people and, because of their small size and limited capital reserves, are most at risk during financial stressors such as COVID-19.

Through this Town Hall it became apparent that both Alex and Bill were well aware of our needs and were working hard to bring us help. The time they dedicated to us and to address our concerns was greatly appreciated.