We are starting this petition on behalf of all members of the Ontario Body Art Alliance; a province-wide ambition to have a single and powerful voice for all of our tattoo artists, body piercers and permanent cosmetic artists. Since the beginning of this pandemic the majority of us have lost the entirety of our income. We do not have alternative options like online shopping or curbside pickup. And a lot of the government funding has strict prerequisites such as the requirement to have employees that leave most of our industry incapable of accessing these funds. Most studios work on commission rates or chair rentals so workers are not employees, they are contractors and file their taxes as their own separate business.

But that’s where you come to our rescue! Signing this petition shows that you, as a member of the public, supports our safe reopening. The body art industry has and always will be equipped with the proper safety protocols and guidelines to ensure the safety of our clients. The data is also on our side. Out of 100+ members we have had 14,345 client visits since the beginning of the pandemic with 0 cases of transmission related to any of our studios.

So think about it - we have been closed with 0 income for months and no end in sight; yet we have 0 cases of workplace transmission to justify these closures. It’s not a fluke either, the body art industry has always followed protocols governed and enforced by the Health Protection and Promotions Act of Ontario. We are routinely inspected and sent any new additional health information and guidelines. Our current COVID-19 guidelines are on the same level as many health practitioners who remain open. These protocols include, but are not limited to:

- mandatory masks

- reduced capacity with close monitoring

- contact tracing and symptom checklists

- rigorous cleaning schedules

- physical distancing signage and barriers

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We have our full COVID-19 guidelines available on our website at www.ontariobodyartalliance.com

If you agree that the body art industry is ready to safely open again then please sign this petition and join us in showing that we have the right to open safely and promptly. We are not just business owners and it’s not just a tattoo or a piercing - it’s our income that supports our families, our pets, our mortgages and our food. 

These signatures are crucial to showing the government and health boards that we have the public’s support in reopening. We need to get back to work.

We miss all of you and can’t wait to see all of your faces (at least the unmasked portion) again!

Thank you.

The OBAA team