Page - 236 - in VULNERABLE - The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19

VULNERABLE236 be operated safely. Still others have been expected to transform—very quickly—most or all of their operations to a virtual/distance setting for an indeterminate period. Each of these situations has forced cor- porate managers to make decisions with important consequences, not just for their traditional stakeholders, but for the public at large. In being asked to put the collective public welfare at the cen- tre of their decision-making, corporate managers are being pushed into uncharted and uncomfortable territory. Some are handling it better than others. The following two contrasting stories of pan- demic response highlight how corporate risk assessment decisions can have significant impacts beyond the conventional confines of the corporation. A Tale of Two Companies Dollarama Dollarama is a family-run Canadian public company traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange.2 It operates “dollar” retail stores that specialize in selling low-priced goods across Canada and in Latin America.3 A profitable company, at the end of its fiscal year ending February 2, 2020, it reported $3.8 billion in revenues and net earnings of $564 million.4 Dollarama reacted quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its first press release issued on March 20, 2020, affirmed its decision to keep stores open while adopting several preventive measures such as extra 2. Dollarama, “Annual Information Form—Fiscal Year Ended February 2, 2020” (29 April 2020) at 3, online (pdf): Dollarama <www.dollarama.com/en-CA/corp/ wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2020-Annual-Information-Form-vFINAL.pdf>. Dollarama was founded in 1992 and incorporated in 2004 under the Canada Business Corporations Act, RSC 1985, c C-44 [CBCA]. 3. Dollarama. “About Us: Proudly Serving Customers from Coast to Coast” (last visited 27 May 2020), online: Dollarama <www.dollarama.com/en-CA/corp/ about-us>. 4. Dollarama, “Dollarama Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2020 Results”, News Release (1 April 2020) at 1, online (pdf): Dollarama <www.dollarama.com/ en-CA/corp/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Press-Release-FINAL.pdf>. At the time it released its annual report, Dollarama made the decision not to issue the customary guidance that public companies offer as to expected earnings for the coming year, underscoring that it was impossible to predict the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its business: Susan K Robertson, “Dollarama Suspends Guidance for Expected Performance Amid COVID-19 Pandemic”, The  Globe  and  Mail (1 April 2020), online: <www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-dol- larama-suspends-guidance-for-expected-performance-amid-covid-1/>.