GuelphToday received the following letter from the owner of Acqua Salon.
In response to Stacey Hare’s remarks in the Guelph Today article.
It is extremely unfortunate that we have reached a time in our society that our own city staff have forgotten how to have compassion.
The devastating effects of this pandemic have a much broader reach than what is being acknowledged.
It is quite apparent that the small businesses in our community are suffering and holding on by a thread, and the lack of support from our city staff is causing irreparable damage.
Acqua Salon’s position is to raise awareness for these small business’s closures, and addresses the reality of theirs and their employees being on the brink of financial collapse. It is not just about getting a haircut. They too have families to feed , bills to pay and the right to earn a living, like everyone else.
We ask Stacey Hare, and the City of Guelph, respectfully, have you received a change or moderation in your compensation throughout this pandemic?
Sounds like the City of Guelph was proud to suspend a small business’s license … did anyone take the time to ask the disparity of this small business?
Putting the Provincial Offences officers (by-law) in positions of having to go businesses several times a day, due to anonymous phone calls, does not seem just, logical or a good use of our taxpayer’s dollars.
All we ask for, is having the right to explain ourselves and why we have taken this position. Our protest is out of necessity.
We ask that our business, as well as many others, have the consideration of the public and government, to look at the facts and the numbers and see where the spread is happening.
We take care of many frontline and essential workers and the elderly, and we are truly grateful for all they do, and all they’ve endured. We recognize the weight on your shoulders this past year. We salute you!
We must close with one thing: This article used Acqua Salon as an example, however, we do not identify as being defiant. We call it survival.
Thank you for letting us explain how we feel. We love our city, we are passionate about our city.
We want our downtown and our salons to be here when all of this ends.
Pina Marfisi, owner, and the Acqua family
