Premier Doug Ford is facing an unprecedented backlash from small and independent business owners who feel they’ve been unfairly targeted in the pandemic…

Lockdowns in Toronto and Peel Region took effect Monday.
Ford expressed sympathy for small business owners, acknowledging that its unfair that large retailers like Walmart and Costco can remain open selling their full inventories while mom-and-pop shops are limited to curbside pickup and delivery.
Ford has so far resisted calls to force the larger retailers to sell only essentials like food, pharmaceuticals and hardware.
Ill be very frank, its not fair, a lot of these things arent fair, Ford said. But how do you square that, do you shut down every single second aisle at a Walmart or a Costco? Its just not realistic.
As a business owner, he hates closing down businesses, he said.
Kelly argued that shutting down thousands of little stores, while funneling all customers through a few big chains, isnt a smart strategy for preventing COVID-19.
Allowing a few customers at a time into a wide number of stores seems like a more common-sense approach, he said.
aartuso@postmedia.com