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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le W at er lo o C hr on ic le W | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 26 ,2 02 0 | 4 As more of us are prac- tising social distancing or self-isolation, huge num- bers of small businesses in our local communities are feeling the impact. Restaurants have been forced to close and many other local businesses are shutting down or drastical- ly reducing their operating hours because of a lack of customers associated with the COVID-19 outbreak. The newspapers and news websites owned by Torstar Corporation have long been supportive of lo- cal businesses in all the communities they serve. We believe small business- es are critical to the suc- cess, strength and econom- ic vitality of communities large and small. And so, in these increas- ingly uncertain times we're urging our readers to offer their help - to show their love - for their favourite shops and stores. There are ways you can help - even if you are stuck at home: Shop locally: Many small stores are still open. If you can leave your home to buy some goods, think of your nearby stores. And if you can't get outside, many local shops have part of their inventory online and they will deliver to your door. Buy gift cards: Pur- chasing a gift card from a local business is a way of getting money to storeown- ers now, when they need it the most. Order takeout or de- livery: Some restaurants and shops are offering op- tions like home delivery or easy pick-up service. Con- sider ordering at least one meal a week this way. Urge government ac- tion: Email your local may- or, provincial MPP and fed- eral MP and request they consider reasonable assis- tance for small businesses. Say thanks: At a time when all of us are stressed, it may ease the anxiety of local business owners just a bit if they know their cus- tomers appreciate all they have done for their com- munity. Such signs of help - and others that you can likely think of - are needed more than ever now. Please show your support. John Boynton is Torstar Corporation's president and chief executive officer. HOW YOU CAN HELP YOUR LOCAL BUSINESSES NEWS BUY GIFT CARDS, ORDER TAKEOUT OR DELIVERY AND SAY THANKS, WRITES BOYNTON JOHN BOYNTON Column Source: Toronto Public Health HOW TO WASH HANDS TO CURB SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS People need to wash their hands often, especially after sneezing, coughing, blowing their nose, using a washroom, handling garbage, changing diapers, handling raw food and being outdoors. If clear water is not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Wet hands. Apply soap. Lather for 15 seconds. Rub between fingers, back of hands, fingertips and under nails. Rinse well under running water. Dry hands well with paper towel or a hot air blower. Turn off taps with paper towel, if available. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Torstar graphic It's about trust. Our rela-It's about trust. Our rela-I tionship with our readers is built on transparency, hon- esty and integrity. As such,esty and integrity. As such,e we have launched a trust initiative to tell you who we are and how and why we do what we do. This article is part of that project. They say it takes a vil- lage to raise a child, well the same could be said about covering a pandemic. In the span of a matter of days, coronavirus brought many aspects of life in On- tario to a grinding halt: school was suspended, mu- nicipal facilities were shut down, Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergen- cy and Prime Minister Jus- tin Trudeau closed the country's borders. It was a lot and it was happening all at once. As Ontarians were left to reconcile how these devel- opments affected them and their lives, reporters in newsrooms across the province were doing the same while also trying to report on the decisions, pro- vide important context and find answers to the ques-find answers to the ques-f tions many people had. Torstar has 164 commu- nity journalists working in newsrooms across in Onta- rio. From the Ottawa Valley to Kitchener-Waterloo Re- gion, Muskoka down to Ni- agara, and everywhere in between, our journalists cover a lot of ground. Harkening back to the village metaphor, when covering this pandemic our newsrooms came together to ensure we were able to provide strong, quality con- tent that will help to guide our readers through this difficult time by keeping them informed with accu- rate, reliable journalism. As coronavirus made its way to North America, our newsrooms began covering the potential impact it would have on our lives here. Working together - much like we did in the lead up to the 2019 Federal Elec- tion - reporters examined every aspect of the virus and what it means to our readers. And as COVID-19 has reached our communities, with confirmed cases, we continue that coverage with a focus not just on how many cases there are and who has it, but rather by taking a deeper look at the economic and health impli- cations of coronavirus on our communities and how it's impacting our lives and our relationships. We've also been focusingWe've also been focusingW on the good. The people who are helping during these times of uncertainty, the #caremongering crowd who have stepped up to as- sist neighbours and strang- ers, and the front-line work- ers who are providing es- sential services to our com- munities. Collaboration has been key in making this a reality. We've been sharing storiesWe've been sharing storiesW between newsrooms and working together with our sister papers the Toronto Star, Hamilton Spectator, St. Catharines Standard and other daily publica- tions to ensure there is little duplication - rather than have multiple reporters working on the same story, by sharing copy we're able to divvy up resources, cover more ground and tell more stories. One thing is for certain, there is no 'business as usu- al' happening anywhere in the province at the moment and that is especially true in our newsrooms. Our newspapers are now being assigned, edited and slotted not in the traditional bricks and mortar newsrooms we're all used to working from, but instead from thefrom, but instead from thef work-from-home stations reporters and editors have set up in their kitchens, liv- ing rooms and, for some I'm sure, bedrooms and base- ments. Our industry, like many others, has seen significant disruption to how it oper- ates but that hasn't stopped us from publishing the news. We are committed to keeping our readers in- formed, even as we navigateformed, even as we navigatef through these challenges ourselves. Remember, news is available at your fingertipsavailable at your fingertipsa online -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We welcome your ques-We welcome your ques-W tions and value your com- ments. Email our trust com- mittee at trust@metro- land.com. Melinda Cheevers is managing editor of Niaga- ra this Week. OPINION BEHIND THE COVERAGE: HOW WE ARE COVERING COVID-19 COLLABORATION HAS BEEN KEY TO COMPREHENSIVE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE, WRITES MELINDA CHEEVERS MELINDA CHEEVERS Column