Toronto, April 28, 2021 – We appreciate that today’s announcement does not place an additional, permanent new cost on Ontario small businesses who are barely surviving. On average, Ontario small businesses are carrying $208,000 of COVID-related debt. Some have been fully closed since November, while their bills have continued to mount. At a time when only 43 per cent of businesses are fully open and a mere 25 per cent are at normal revenue levels across the province, consistent cash flow is essential.
Small business owners’ experiences with the Ontario Small Business Support Grant leave very little confidence that government can reimburse businesses quickly. For this sick days program to work effectively for everyone, the Ontario government must reimburse small employers within a few days, instead of several months, as many are still experiencing for the grant.
-Dan Kelly, President, Canadian Federation of Independent Business
-Ryan Mallough, Director of Provincial Affairs for Ontario
-Julie Kwiecinski, Director of Provincial Affairs for Ontario
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 95,000 members across every industry and region, including 38,000 in Ontario. 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.