Canadian Tire in South Vancouver has remained open as an essential service through the COVID-19 pandemic and has been busy selling cleaning supplies, exercise equipment, home office products, non-medical grade masks and more. "Some Canadian Tire stores in Ontario were closed, but we remained open – it was a blessing," says Carly Ballarin, HR manager at Canadian Tire's South Vancouver store.

The store’s owners and management team helped ensure the health and safety of their staff and customers by installing plexiglass barriers at cashier stations, increasing cleaning schedules of high-touch surfaces, providing masks for employees who choose to wear them, and investing in signage and floor decals to reinforce physical distance protocols. The larger organization also introduced order by phone and curbside pick-up to reduce the number of people in the store.

“Our staff understand the importance of the changes we’ve made and they support them,” says Carly. “My advice to other employers is to listen to your staff and their ideas and concerns. Our first priority is to make sure our staff feel safe, which leads to our customers feeling safe as well.”

The phase 1 industry protocols provide guidance to employers who have continued to operate through the COVID-19 pandemic, and Carly wants to remind employers that it’s okay to go above and beyond the recommendations. She also adds, “It’s been a stressful time for everyone, and I reiterate Dr. Henry’s advice to ‘be kind, be calm, and be safe.’”

Healthy and safe workplaces contribute to a safe and healthy province. As COVID-19 restrictions are lifted and more businesses resume operations in B.C., let's all do our part.