Dear Chief Medical Officer Moore,

We are writing on behalf of Ontario’s tourism and hospitality industry to express our concern with the government’s plan to pause the province’s exit from the Roadmap to Reopen. The sectors we represent across all regions of Ontario include hotels and accommodations, resorts, restaurants, food and beverage vendors, live events, attractions, recreation, transport operators, and culture and heritage

More recently, Ontario launched its 3-step Roadmap to Reopening and, in early June 2021, our coalition united to seek clarity and regulatory fairness.

While we were gladdened to have Step 2 modifications that enabled our businesses to prepare for reopening, as other sectors have been afforded for months, we write today to draw your attention to three areas that require urgent attention in the short- and long-term and, most urgently, request a clear and consistent response from the Province of Ontario.

#FairnessForArtsON is a plea for regulatory fairness and action to support our artists, performers, and arts workers that connect Ontario and Canada with extraordinary music and performing arts experiences. There are 3 key recommendations.

Ontario’s musicians and performing artists have spent almost all of 2021 locked out of venues large and small—bars, clubs, theatres, concert halls, and stadiums—unable even to stream or record for a digital audience. They are excited to get back to work, and bring joy to their audiences and fans through live streaming, drive-in concerts, and eventually, in-person shows.