The President and CEO of the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce believes it will still be some time before some of Niagara's key industries really begin to recover from the pandemic.
CEO and President Mishka Balsom says the tourism and hospitality industry may not start to recover until later 2021.
She says despite the grants and other programs available, some sector specific support is necessary.
"When we look at accommodation it's most definitely one of those areas. Worldwide it's been indicated that it will not recover until another 2 and a half years from now until they are maybe back, optimistically, to the 2019 numbers."
She also says when people do start travelling again it will be necessary to encourage only local tourism to start and gradually appeal to wider areas.
"I think there's stages to it, but a lot of those stages are not until six months - twelve months down the road. And I think much of it is driven by the vaccine, the availability, the uptake of the vaccine that is there, and overall to see how we are going to handle the curve in the months to come."
When it comes to the positive business news of the year, she is encouraged by businesses expanding to digital customers and seeing collaboration and communication between the private sector, the public sector, and governments.
"It's the rapid policy decision making that we never thought of beforehand. Who ever thought that I could buy a bottle of wine at a restaurant and then take it home?" She says, "If you would have asked for that to be put in place it would have taken years!"