Circuit-breaker measures in New Brunswick raise concerns for businesses over crucial Christmas season
While leaves are still falling off the trees, the circuit-breaker extension has some regions of New Brunswick concerned for the holiday season.
"Enough is enough. If we want a Christmas, if we want to see our families at Christmas, stay home,” said Campbellton Mayor Ian Comeau.
That's the response to the extension of a circuit-breaker in some New Brunswick regions, Zone 5, the Campbellton region, has been extended for 14 days.
"The thing that's going to happen is that these rules, these new restrictions is going to be followed by the people that believe strongly that there is COVID, and the people that think this is just a hoax are not going to follow it," Comeau said.
In the Moncton region as far north as Sainte-Anne-de-Kent and including Havelock in Zone 2; and parts of Zone 3 including Deerville and Florenceville-Bristol, and all of the Edmundston region, has had the circuit-breaker extended for seven days.
"A lot of smaller business are really relying on a robust holiday shopping season and the later we go into the fall with the circuit-breaker the more damage that can potentially be done to them at this time of year, so that's why it's so important that we try to get this under control," said John Wishart, CEO of Moncton Chamber of Commerce.
If the circuit-breaker extension doesn't do its job, it has people concerned.
"With the holidays approaching it is becoming more increasing in challenge trying to shop around. A lot of stores have things picked over already now and the option of trying to go to neighbouring communities like Fredericton or Saint John or even an hour down the road to Amherst is impossible right now," said Greg Campbell, who lives in Moncton.
According to the premier, the circuit-breaker has been effective so far.
"The case counts are high per capita and we've seen an impact from the other areas that we've put the circuit-breaker in place. We've seen a positive kind of trend reversal which is encouraging," said Premier Blaine Higgs.
Yet, with recent the case counts and deaths, including five reported today, only time will tell.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Some customers steaming after McDonald's ends free hot drink sticker program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Biden scores endorsements from Kennedy family, looking to shore up support against Trump and RFK Jr.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Party's over: Coyotes play final game as Arizona franchise before move to Salt Lake City
Mullett Arena buzzed like few times in the two years since the Arizona Coyotes moved in, the fans amped for one last desert hurrah.