The Downtown Barrie Business Association (BIA) is currently laser focused on “supporting our membership through these unprecedented times and ensuring the health and safety of our community,” the BIA’s new executive director Kelly McKenna said in a statement.
“The encouragement to support local has been and will always be the steady heartbeat from which extends every action made by the organization and its Board of Directors.
Only a week ago McKenna was encouraging people to shop and eat downtown as construction on Dunlop Street impacted business at local shops and restaurants.
The Dunlop Streetscape Construction Project was the catalyst for messaging encouraging support for local businesses and the message was “a downtown that beats with strength as the heart of a city ultimately means the city, too, pulses with strength.”
This week, with the advancement of COVID-19, McKenna says the downtown community, needs more attention, compassion and support than ever before.
The BIA is now looking for ways to create safe and responsible initiatives for customers to continue their support.
“While our Prime Minister is restricting travel and encouraging Canadians abroad to come home, we want to remind everyone that they will always be welcome to enjoy our fresh waterfront air, to walk through our downtown and to support our local businesses safely and responsibly,” she said.
The Downtown Barrie Business Association (BIA) will continue to monitor the situation with COVID-19 and immediately share official notifications through the Public Health Agency of Canada and local public health units to determine if rescheduling or cancellation of any Downtown Barrie (BIA) events is necessary.
“The health and well-being of our community is our number one priority,” Mckenna said. “We encourage you to stay informed by regularly reviewing credible information on the Ontario government’s dedicated COVID-19 webpage: www.ontario.ca/page/2019-novel-coronavirus#section-11.”