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Quebec promises relaunch guide for restaurants, but it's not ready yet

Quebec restaurants remain in the dark, even after two parliamentary committees heard about their struggles on Friday.

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QUEBEC — Restaurants remain in the dark, even after two parliamentary committees heard about their struggles on Friday.

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Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx promised to send a recovery guide Friday to restaurateurs, who have been among the most affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

But she said later that, in fact, the guide was not ready and would not be sent immediately. Her own staff was confused when she said that “it’s a committee that will present a guide today.” Her press attaché, Sandra O’Connor, said the guide was a sanitary measures guide for the industry that was being prepared by Quebec’s workplace health and safety board, CNESST.

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Proulx said an interministry committee, with the ministers of agriculture, economy, labour and finance, is working on relaunch scenarios. She did not give any dates.

Restaurants across Quebec are still waiting for permission to reopen, and are asking for at least a timeline for reopening this summer.

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Liberal MNA Frantz Benjamin noted that more than half of the jobs in the tourism industry are in restaurants.

Meanwhile, in another committee hearing, Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon noted that about 1,000 restaurants close in Quebec every year, and this year “it will probably be more than that.”

He said he is working on a program for restaurants. “It’s clear that we must do something, but we must also be careful,” he said. “We won’t give $10,000 to each restaurant in Montreal or Quebec — that makes no sense. … People have to do their part, too. … We don’t want to own 22,000 restaurants.”

Proulx insisted there would be a tourism season in Quebec this summer. She said she was surprised to learn that some people are worried that the camping season would not happen.

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“The camping season is not dead,” she said, adding that a sanitary guide prepared by Camping Québec was approved by public health authorities and the government is waiting for the green light to resume its activities.

“People are a little impatient, and that’s understandable.”

Québec solidaire MNA Émilise Lessard-Therrien asked how Quebec can prevent its citizens from spending their tourism dollars in Ontario, which reopens its campsites on Saturday. Proulx answered that Quebecers are not allowed to travel to Ontario, and inter-regional travel in Quebec is also prohibited.

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