#SupportFredLocal campaign aims to help local businesses struggling with pandemic restrictions
Level 3 restrictions have been hard on businesses across New Brunswick - many have had to close, reduce capacity, or turn to take out only.
"The first lockdown was horrible of course but we'd come off a normal winter time, this one is doubly bad, we've come off a very poor showing in November, December into a very bad January," said Ted Jones, co-owner of Kitchen 540.
Businesses affected by the lockdown are worried what empty streets, and empty seats could mean for their employees and the bottom line.
"The streets are empty, you can park anywhere, I just don't know what more could be done,” said Jones.
"We have a lot not working right now but we're very hopeful that it's temporary, well we know it's temporary but we don't know how long it'll be, we hope it'll be short," said Krista Touesnard, co-owner of The Tipsy Muse.
Fredericton Tourism says they hope businesses can get over the hump of the current lockdown.
“A lot of them are constantly being forced to pivot and how can they survive because it's not just to be able to keep the lights on it's the livelihood of their employees to be able to make sure that they still have a job and how to protect them, so there's a lot at stake," said Stacey Russell, manager of Fredericton Tourism.
Supporting local doesn't seem to have the same appetite it did in the beginning of the pandemic, but Fredericton Tourism is hoping a new contest called Support Fred Local might take a bite out of the problem.
"When we knew we had to cancel Frostival and postpone Dine Around Freddy, we spoke to a number of restaurants to see what the vibe was and what the temperature is, everything we were hearing from restaurants was this has been the hardest time ever through the pandemic so we knew the moment Premier Higgs made the announcement to go into lockdown we had to move very fast," Russell.
Fredericton Tourism's #SupportFredLocal contest goes until Monday, Jan. 31.
As it stands right now, Level 3 restrictions are slated to end Jan. 30 at 11:59 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.