RE:Moving day Today on MSN:
With most of Canada's movie theatres still closed under COVID-19 restrictions, the head of Cineplex Inc. says federal and provincial leaders need to draft a better plan to help the industry. Cineplex CEO Ellis Jacob says one of his most immediate concerns is the inconsistency playing out in Ontario and Quebec, two neighbouring provinces that are taking divergent approaches. Quebec is already leaps ahead of the rest of Canada. The majority of its movie houses are open and audience capacity limits far exceed what will likely be allowed elsewhere. The province has also injected $3.9 million into Quebec-owned movie theatres for the 2021-22 financial year. None of that money goes to Cineplex since it's not based in the province. In Ontario, support for movie theatres is far more tepid. Stay-at-home orders are in effect until June 2 and there's virtually no clarity around when cinemas might be allowed to open their doors under limited capacity restrictions. Jacob said federal leaders were fast to speak about preserving Cineplex from foreign investment less than two years ago when U.K.-based giant Cineworld planned to acquire the business. He'd like to see them keep that enthusiasm for cinemas in the pandemic.