‘He needs a haircut’: Doug Ford visits Vaughan salon to show support to small businesses

Premier visits Vaughan salon but couldn't cut his long hair

Yorkregion.com
March 3, 2021
Dina Al-Shibeeb

Premier Doug Ford’s visit to Vaughan hair salon Tuesday, March 2 probably doesn’t gel with COVID-19 rules, which shuns border-hopping. But Emma Greco, owner of Studio Salon E in Kleinburg, believes her high-esteemed guest needs a haircut.

“His hair is so long, he needs a haircut but he can’t because he is from Toronto,” said Greco, who sold the premiere hair gel from her Kleinburg salon in Vaughan.

“I can’t cut his hair,” she said, highlighting how Toronto residents, who are still under lockdown, can’t cross the border to get grooming services in York Region.

Ford’s visit to Geco’s salon is to showcase his government’s support to small businesses and comes a week after York Region moved from total lockdown to strict red-zone measures to allow businesses a “breathing space.”

"Small businesses are the backbone of Ontario's economy employing local people in communities across the province," said Ford during his visit.

"The sad fact is these business owners have suffered significantly through the pandemic, but we have had their backs with programs like the Ontario Small Business Support Grant,” Ford added. “So far the uptake of these grants has been tremendous, and I strongly encourage all business owners to apply and access this financial relief.”

According to a press release from Ford’s office, Ontario has paid out made more than $1 billion and approved more than 78,600 applications as of Tuesday.  The grant provides a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $20,000 and can be used in whatever way makes sense to the business owners -- to pay wages, offset the cost of rent, or to purchase inventory.

Currently, Greco has another hairdresser by her side but she had to lay off three people from her salon during the first wave. So far, the $11,000 grant she received has helped pay her commercial rent and products, her two biggest expenses.

“I think it took up to 10 days to get the money,” Greco told the officials alongside Ford who attended and were Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction Prabmeet Sarkaria and MPP for King-Vaughan Stephen Lecce.

“I told them that it was easy enough for (to get) the grant, but not for the other expenses,” she said.

Eligible small businesses can also apply for additional financial supports including the newly expanded Main Street Relief Grant, which provides up to $1,000 to help offset the costs of purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE). The grant is now available to main street businesses with two to 19 employees in all eligible sectors, helping up to 60,000 small businesses in the retail trade, accommodation and food services, repair and maintenance, personal and laundry services, gyms and yoga studios, and arts, entertainment and recreation.

“So I also applied for the PPE (grant), I applied for everything that I could. I also had a very difficult time with their website when it came to the bills. So like the hydro in that it wasn't as easy to hook up to that. But we eventually did figure it out,” she added.

Opening businesses once again in a time of COVID-19 has created a split in the public opinion.

A virtual video of people not social distancing at checkout of a Winners/HomeSense in Vaughan went viral. While some people deemed HomeSense, a store specialized in home decor, as non-essential, there are others who believe it’s needed to keep people’s mental health in check.

When asking Greco about York Region opening up once again unlike Toronto and Peel, she said, “I am extremely happy.”

“I want the rest of Ontario to open,” she said, describing how her colleagues’ businesses in Toronto and Peel are still shut down.

“I encourage that we get this going. We need the economy going.”