COVID in Canada: Lockdowns, Vax Delays Hurt Business

Canadian laundry operators at TRSA’s recent Canadian Town Hall meeting voiced concerns about limited progress against COVID-19. The virus is keeping virtually all of Canada locked down, while vaccine distribution lags behind the U.S. At the same time, COVID-19 caseloads in densely populated Ontario are nearing crisis levels as coronavirus “variants” infect large numbers of people.

In contrast to a series of five online TRSA Town Halls held last week in various U.S. regions, the April 7 gathering of 35 Canadian operators and supplier partners made scant mention of recruitment/retention issues. Instead, the more immediate concern of ensuring business solvency dominated the discussion. Co-moderating the 90-minute Town Hall session were TRSA President and CEO Joseph Ricci and Vice President of Government Relations Kevin Schwalb.

Several attendees spoke about efforts to keep their businesses going amid reduced sales. Food-and- beverage (F&B) operators – like their U.S. counterparts – have had perhaps the toughest time, along with hotel launderers who’ve seen a dramatic falloff in business and leisure travel.

Healthcare, for its part, is down somewhat due to a backlog of elective surgeries. Industrial operators, again like those in the U.S., have felt the least impact from COVID. However, supply-chain concerns have posed issues such as shortages of hand sanitizer. One operator from central Canada quipped that he’s advised customers to improvise to deal with the shortfalls. “Grab a bottle of vodka and mix it up and see what you can do,” he said. “They drink half of it and stay sane, and the rest of it they smear on their hands. It’s been really tough up here. I think we got our first shipment of dispensers the other day since last March.”

Another executive from a large company with extensive operations in Canada participated in the Zoom call from his basement in Minnesota – where he’s been running the business since February 2020. With a large portfolio of F&B customers, most of which are closed or operating at 50% capacity, it’s difficult to manage, he said. The downturn has placed “a huge stress on the team.” It’s especially distressing when staff see baseball games televised in the U.S. with crowds of fans in attendance (even if at less than capacity). “The U.S. has stadiums full of people,” he said. “Canada has patios closed.”

A shift to reusable personal protective equipment (PPE) has provided a rare bright spot for some healthcare and other operators who’ve pivoted to provide reusable isolation gowns and similar goods to help make up for lost business in other sectors. The general view is that reusable PPE are likely to achieve long-term growth in Canada due to their cost-effectiveness and appeal to environmental sensibilities vs. disposables. For example, many dental offices have made the switch to reusable isolation gowns during the pandemic. However, a supplier-partner executive cautioned that in recent weeks, he’s seen some backsliding back to disposable PPE, a phenomenon reported in the U.S. as well. “We did see a lot of disposables come back in – much to our displeasure,” he said.

A machinery supplier offered a rare upbeat assessment for Canada, noting a significant increase in business in the past year. “Our team has been busy,” he said, adding that getting flights between major Canadian cities is far more difficult than before the pandemic.

Several operators remarked that Canada is lagging behind countries such as the U.S., the United Kingdom and Israel in terms of COVID-19 vaccinations. A recent New York Times report citing government reports noted that the U.S. has inoculated roughly 33% of its eligible population, while Canada has provided shots to 17% of its people.

While TRSA is limited in its ability to address Canada’s inoculation challenges, there is a proposal in the works for the association to expand its educational and advocacy efforts north of the U.S. border.

TRSA Treasurer Randy Bartsch, CEO of Ecotex Healthcare Linen Service Corp., Vancouver, outlined TRSA’s plan to expand its footprint in Canada. The project was slated for rollout last year but was delayed by (what else?) COVID-19. “As we do more programming in Canada, there will be an opportunity to find out what the common challenges are and be able to organize that under TRSA’s initiatives in Canada,” said Bartsch, whose company operates plants in both Canada and the U.S. “The next step, which was started this time last year, was for TRSA to create a separate legal organization in Canada that can provide advocacy. I know steps are now underway to move that agenda forward. We certainly look forward to being a part of it.”