Frustration is growing for small businesses owners in Kingsville and Leamington as they remain in Stage 1 of the province's reopening plan.
Windsor and other parts of Essex County advanced to Stage 2 on Thursday, but there's still no date for reopening Kingsville and Leamington due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in the local agri-farm sector.
A rally was held Tuesday in Kingsville.
Trevor Loop tells CTV Windsor small businesses have had enough.
"We're really at a point where we can't take no for an answer; farm operations have nothing to do with small business in town and yet we can't open," he says.
Business owner Heather Brown says it might be too little too late if the province doesn't hurry.
"The summer is great if we get to open, but we're heading into October, November ... January February, March," says Brown.
Loop says if something isn't done now, Stage 2 won't matter.
"Stage 2 to be perfectly honest is just a stepping stone to the next stages and most of our businesses will barley pay the bill with Stage 2," says Loop.
Kingsville Mayor Nelson Santos has no delusions as to how bad things can get if the area stays in Stage 1.
"The small businesses, the lifeline for our community they'll know what kind base they'll have when they come back from Stage 1," he says. "Stage 2 isn't a huge move from stage one."
Essex MP Chris Lewis was on hand and is ready to speak up for the region.
"Next week I am going to Ottawa, I am one of the few MP's being recalled back to the House of Commons and I will be taking the federal side of these requests directly to the House of Commons," says Lewis.
Lewis adds, at the onset of the pandemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said no business and no individual shall be left behind.
— with files from CTV Windsor's Chris Campbell