Small gym owner in Vaughan feels provincial pandemic restrictions unfair

Dimitri Giankoulas says his boutique facility adheres to safety rules and shouldn’t be closed

Yorkregion.com
October 22, 2020

Like many other businesses, losses during the COVID-19 era have been severe for the Vaughan-based Pure Motivation Fitness Studio.

It has already lost “about 55 to 65 members” due the disruption brought by the pandemic, said Dimitri Giankoulas, the owner of the boutique gym, who is also a fitness, nutrition and lifestyle coach.

“We have about 60 per cent of our members right now (who) are not returning because they're afraid, so they've frozen all their payments,” Giankoulas said.

Staff have been reduced from 17 to two.

For Giankoulas, his “problem” is not only with the government’s abrupt decision to revert to Stage 2 -- it's also the overall rationale over the closure, especially when pertaining to small gyms like his.

“The problem that I'm mad about is the government has no real proof that gyms are causing the problem,” he said. “They have one spin studio in Hamilton that had a bunch of people get the virus because they crammed 40, 50 bikes in one little room.”

Hamilton Public Health Services (HPHS) recently released an infographic showing how one COVID-19 case at a downtown Hamilton spin studio led to at least 74 people being infected.

Dimitri Giankoulas is a personal trainer and owner of Pure Motivation Fitness Studio in Maple. According to him, hundreds of his members are livid, frustrated and disgusted with the way his gym and many others have been targeted by closures alongside the rest of gyms in Ontario, despite the fact they strictly adhere to COVID-19 safety and sanitation procedures and policies. Oct. 20, 2020. Steve Somerville/Torstar

Giankoulas said he has space and there was already a social distancing protocol taking place.

“I have 7,500 square feet, and if I have a class of six people in a 444 (square feet) area and everyone's spaced out, and they're training with one coach, that's not going to affect people in the gym because they're all spaced out,” he said.

“We don't have high volume" like the big gyms, he explained.

Giankoulas says that the big gyms have “80 per cent” of client who just access the facilities and about “20 per cent is personal training.”

“We're the reverse. We're 80 per cent or 90 per cent personal training, 10 per cent access, which means we can control how many people are in the club, we can control where they go. We control what they touch, we control what their workout is like.”

Businesses continue lamenting their losses despite governmental support.

“Millions of dollars are being placed on giving funding to so many areas during COVID-19 but the government is doing nothing to spend time and resources learning what micro gym and restaurant owners are doing to keep themselves socially distanced and safe,” said Giankoulas.

“Giving gym owners, restaurant owners and bar/studio owners two days' notice over a Saturday and Sunday that you will be closed on Monday is unacceptable, and not enough time for owners to be able to find out the proper info on employee terms, employment insurance questions -- even time to plan out a proper closure,” he continued.

The Vaughan Citizen has previously spoken with Brian Shifman, president and CEO of Vaughan Chamber of Commerce, who called on the government to think outside the box, such as extending patio season for restaurants where they can potentially fund “retrofitting” their exteriors with extra heaters so people can sit outside.

Shifman also said that there needs to be sector-specific support, citing how the hospitality and tourism sector has been “hit disproportionately hard,” since they are the ones that will “open last.”

For Giankoulas, fitness is also key for boosting mental health and the immune system to beat COVID-19.

“Families need fitness for proper mental, physical and spiritual health, and should have the choice to decide whether they wish to participate or not,” he said.

For him, putting a blanket, temporary ban on all gyms irrespective of size, will also contribute to the suppression of “the immune system of thousands of people.” He believes this will “only make matters worse and the mental-health issues will surpass the COVID-19 problem.”

He predicts that in the next six to 12 months small business owners will "begin to lose their companies.”