COVID-19 pandemic.Melanie Joly says cities like Toronto and Montreal continue to bear the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic, with case numbers fuelling restrictions that have kept workers home and businesses closed.Usually, the economic development agencies Joly oversees are meant to support smaller communities that struggle more than urban centres.
But she says downtown cores will need more attention as the restrictions ease and economic activity resumes, part of what Joly describes as more targeted regional help during what is expected to be an uneven rebound across Canada.The Bank of Canada has warned the desired economic recovery in the second half of the calendar year won’t be as sharp or sustained as the downturn the pandemic.