Higgs Says Farmers, Other Businesses Must Be Patient As N.B. Re-Opens Economy
FREDERICTON – In the premier’s press briefing Monday there was a common theme, whether he was discussing how and when more businesses would re-open or his reasons for banning temporary foreign workers from the province right now: public health and safety will come first.
The province will reveal details this week about the next phase of the recovery, including when and how businesses like restaurants and retail stores can re-open, the premier and chief medical officer said Monday.
New Brunswick entered its third week without a new case of Covid-19 on Monday, but in late afternoon, it announced a person who tested positive for the disease passed through the Moncton Airport on Monday, April 27, on West Jet Flight 3456 from Toronto.
The release from the airport said anyone on that flight should immediately self-isolate for 14 days and call 811 if they develop symptoms.
The province is also working with WorkSafe NB “so we can be in a position of advising businesses on their startup requirements,” said Premier Blaine Higgs.
“A lot of the debate and discussion right now is around, ‘okay, what levels can we open, what can we do differently, and how can we move everything forward.’ So, those discussions are underway,” he said.
The government plan, first announced on April 24, featured several stages that gradually loosen restrictions and open up the economy. According to that plan, the next phase could begin Friday, May 8, with more businesses re-opening.
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Given New Brunswick’s good standing with no new cases in 16 consecutive days and all previous cases are considered recovered, Higgs said he recognizes there’s an opportunity to accelerate some of the stages of reopening. But he notes that the schedule of recovery should be one both the government and public health are confident in.
Though talks are ongoing, both Higgs and Dr. Jennifer Russell won’t yet divulge details of the next phase.
“All of the information in terms of what’s happening with the next phase has to go through the [Covid-19] cabinet and the regular cabinet, so all of those decisions will be made then and we will be able to make public announcements about them,” said Higgs.
But Higgs said businesses can start preparing by checking resources on the government’s website.
“Every business should be looking at the public health requirements because that will be the ongoing request. And there will be changes coming this week that Dr. Russell and I will be bringing forward here,” he said.
Farmers say Higgs doesn’t understand their labour needs
Higgs also said border control “is truly going to be the difference for us.”
“It’s going to be working in New Brunswick, by New Brunswickers, wherever possible,” he said.
The need to keep tight border security has recently led Higgs to a decision to restrict temporary foreign workers, to the dismay of farmers who called the move shortsighted and sudden. They said the short notice could jeopardize this year’s crops, with the sector facing nearly $7-million in losses.
In a press release Monday, the Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick, National Farmers Union in New Brunswick and Really Local Harvest said the Premier doesn’t understand “the complexity and level of knowledge required for agricultural work” and presents the industry as a “second-class sector.”
“Our farmers feed the province. Their work is vital to the survival of us all. The simplistic solution put forward by the premier comes at our expense. Citizens are not informed of our reality,” said Kent Coates, president of Really Local Harvest, in the release.
“We will always be happy to welcome more New Brunswickers to our operations and to agriculture. But it must be done in an orderly and organized manner. We are all in this Covid-19 crisis together. For the agricultural sector here to continue to supply the population with food, we need these temporary foreign workers.”
In the press briefing Monday, the Premier said that while he appreciates the concerns of the farming community, he’s asking them to do their part by training people and hiring more people than usual.
“We need their help right now. We’ve said it over and over about how important it is for us to protect our borders,” he said, citing news that four temporary foreign workers in B.C. have tested positive for Covid-19.
“We don’t need to take that risk if we have other options and I’ve outlined the capability of the numbers of people potentially….they won’t all be suited or able or skilled to do the jobs out there, but some of them I’m sure will be.”
“And you know through this process, I would like to spend some time on the farm. We’ll see where that goes,” he added. “I don’t know if anyone would volunteer to take me or not, but I’m a country boy at heart, no stranger to a tractor. I just think that we all have to do our part and stepping up for New Brunswick doesn’t provide any barriers for anyone who’s willing to do so.”
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