Hundreds of Small Businesses Across Canada Plan to Reopen This Week Despite Local Lockdown Orders

Founder of We Are All Essential Vladislav Sobolev (C) leads a march during an anti-lockdown protest in Vancouver on Dec. 27, 2020. Courtesy of Vladislav Sobolev

As small businesses continue to grapple with the loss of income and the possibility of closing for good due to being deemed non-essential during COVID-19 lockdowns, hundreds of businesses have joined a push to take a stand against such measures under the banner of “we are all essential.”

“The government has no right to identify one group of people or one group of businesses or one group of religious establishments essential and non-essential,” said Vladislav Sobolev, founder of We Are All Essential, an initiative that supports the rights of small businesses, in a Feb. 1 Facebook video.