Ontario begins province-wide stay-at-home order as of April 8th

Effective Thursday, April 8 at 12:01 am, the Government of Ontario issued a province-wide Stay-at-Home order requiring everyone to stay at home except for essential purposes. These new measures are the most stringent and are expected to be strictly enforced.

Restrictions relevant to the aftermarket industry:

• The following is permitted to operate for in-person retail by appointment only and subject to a 25% capacity limit and restricting allowable hours of operation to between 7 am and 8 pm with the delivery of goods to patrons permitted between 6 am and 9 pm:

Vehicle and equipment repair, essential maintenance, and vehicle and equipment rental services

• The majority of non-essential retailers can only operate for curbside pick-up and delivery, via appointment, between the hours of 7 am and 8 pm, with the delivery of goods to patrons permitted between 6 am and 9 pm.
• Businesses can remain open by appointment only and with capacity restrictions in place if they supply businesses or places that are permitted to remain open and/or supply businesses or services that have been declared essential in a jurisdiction outside of Ontario.

PLEASE NOTE: AIA Canada has been advised to recommend to members that sell automotive parts and supplies to follow the curbside pick-up and delivery restrictions. The spirit of the law is to keep people at home; operating a retail store goes against the nature of the restrictions. The recommendation to limit sales to curbside pick-up and delivery is intended to keep members following the restrictions set forth, particularly when restrictions are expected to be heavily enforced.