Our entire team is thinking about all those working in the service industry sector and supporting businesses who are feeling the immediate impact of this pandemic. This is an unprecedented time for all of us. Together, we will tackle this day-by-day, looking for opportunities to ensure that when this passes, we are a stronger, more resilient sector. We are working remotely and will continue to post roles on our website and social media channels as soon as they become available to help keep as many Canadians working as we can. We’re available to speak with you about changes in your employment status or your next potential move and discuss if we can add value to your situation.

For job seekers, now is the time to re-evaluate and brush up on your skills, update your resumes and optimize your LinkedIn profile. Find an alternative way to job search – for instance, set up calls or on-line interviews with a JRoss recruiter to prepare for when hiring recommences.

We appreciate the Retail Council of Canada's efforts to keep us up to date and their lobbying efforts for new relief measures and programs to support the Canadian retail sector. We're Canada's largest employment sector and our workforce is vital to our country's economic recovery. We need policy decisions to keep Canadians employed and working, contributing to Canadian businesses and helping recover from the COVID-19 epidemic.

We also believe it is important that the emerging recreational cannabis industry be treated fairly and equally to other retail categories during this time. They are a federally legal industry and they are a key part of the national economy employing thousands of people. They are a significant group of businesses, entrepreneurs, and employees that are facing tough economic stigmatization even during these difficult times and are asking for equitable treatment.

We know that you are focused on stabilizing your organization now and taking care of your most valuable assets – your people and your customers. We are doing the same, and we hope you will stay connected with us and let us know if there is anything we can do to assist you at this time. We’re confident that with a collective and caring mindset, we will overcome this challenging time, and develop new forms of collaboration and strengthen our personal and professional connections. Take care of yourselves so that you can be a support to others. We’re here to help.

The links below will help you connect with other resources for Canada’s retail industry and independent businesses:
Retail Council of Canada
Canadian Federation of Independent Business