As Companies Reopen, ‘Main Street’ Stores in Urban Cores Need Help, Joly Says

As Companies Reopen, ‘Main Street’ Stores in Urban Cores Need Help, Joly Says
Canadian Minister of Economic Development Melanie Joly during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Jan. 31, 2020. Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
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OTTAWA—The federal minister in charge of regional economic development says more needs to be done to help companies in the center of Canada’s biggest cities so they can stay open through and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Melanie Joly says cities like Toronto and Montreal continue to bear the brunt of the pandemic, with case numbers fueling restrictions that have kept workers home and businesses closed.