38 per cent of Canada’s small businesses now fully open; more than half open in New Brunswick, PEI and Saskatchewan

Toronto, May 26, 2020 – The share of businesses that are fully open continued to rise this week, with 38 per cent of small firms reporting they are fully open in the latest survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). 

New Brunswick and PEI now have the largest share of local businesses fully open at 54 per cent, followed by Saskatchewan at 51 per cent. Nova Scotia, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador remain as the least open economies.

% fully reopen by province

“Importantly, the number of firms reporting they are fully closed has dropped to 17 per cent, with 44 per cent reporting they are partially open,” said Dan Kelly, CFIB president. “Sadly, many business sectors remain largely closed. Arts and recreation, social services and restaurants/hospitality were the least likely to be fully open.”

As restrictions lift and economies open, small businesses are concerned with maintaining safe social distancing for staff and customers (58 per cent), making customers feel comfortable (51 per cent), keeping up with cleaning/disinfecting requirements (51 per cent), knowing what the rules are (49 per cent), accessing personal protective equipment (39 per cent) and having enough staff (29 per cent).

To assist small firms with these concerns, CFIB has developed a number of tools and resources for all small business owners, including:

• Free access to CFIB’s team of experts for one-on-one advice on all government support programs 
• A downloadable “Back to Business” kit, including information on provincial guidelines, a customizable “We’re open” poster and workplace safety templates
• A “PPEs for SMEs” Facebook group, where small businesses looking to buy PPE can connect with those that produce it 

For media enquiries or interviews, please contact:
Milena Stanoeva, CFIB
647-464-2814
public.affairs@cfib.ca 

About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 110,000 members across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners’ chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.