Ottawans Are Being Urged Not To Cross The Quebec Border In Search Of A Haircut
Ottawa residents won't be able to head across the border for a quick trim any time soon. With Quebec starting the next phase of its reopening plan on June 1, a minister is urging people not to cross over from Ottawa to Quebec hair salons for a cut. So, those increasingly shaggy-haired Canadians in the capital might want to go ahead and give themselves a snip for now.
Although Ottawa residents are now able to head to their cottages in Gatineau, it seems the same doesn't apply for personal grooming.
Quebec has had the idea in the works for a little while and has now decided to open hair salons along with other personal services and private health-care businesses everywhere in the province except for Montreal, as of Monday, June 1.
But Mathieu Lacombe, Quebec's minister of the Outaouais region, is urging Ontarians to be sensible and not try to make non-essential trips.
The MNA for Papineau and minister of the Outaouais region told CBC that Ottawa residents should not take the risk.
"The idea is not to take unnecessary risks. Crossing the border to get your hair cut is not an essential need," said Lacombe.
Lacombe added that he will be asking business owners "to play the role of investigators."
But he said those employers shouldn't be left to make the decision themselves as to whether or not they should offer or deny service to people who have crossed the border.
Lacombe stressed that the idea of reopenings is not at all aimed to encourage cross-border trips.
"It can happen, but we rely on the goodwill of everyone, both on the Ontario and Quebec sides, to ensure that only essential trips are made between the two provinces," Lacombe said.
Meanwhile, in Toronto, hair cutting services are already open again. For dogs, that is.
As for human hair salons in the 6ix and across Ontario, they might not open any time soon.
Some Toronto hairstylists are already reporting being booked solid. One even said it won't see a break in its schedule for the next four to six months.
But even for that to start, we'll have to wait for Ford to give the all-clear.
For now, it sounds like the province's state of emergency will be extended until July but there hasn't been any official confirmation as of Monday afternoon.