Ninety per cent of Saskatchewan’s small businesses have backed the federal government’s announcement about the feds' objective to work with the provinces to assist with rent, according to a survey taken from April 17-19 by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).
Rent relief for the province’s small businesses is urgently needed, as only one in five businesses have remained fully opened during the pandemic.
Declines in revenue have so far been intense for the majority of Saskatchewan’s smaller firms. Over half of the province’s small businesses have said they won’t be able to pay the rent in May without assistance, which is up from a quarter of those businesses who were concerned about making April’s rent.
Many small businesses are apprehensive about having to encounter lasting closures for their enterprises.Â
“Last week the federal government announced a new rent program, I know many business owners are anxiously waiting for the details as the stress of having bills mount with no revenue is getting more intense,” said Laura Jones, CFIB’s executive vice-president. “This would be an important complement to Saskatchewan’s Small Business Emergency Payment, which started accepting applications on April 13."
“It is important to get enough government relief in place fast to prevent May 1 from being a nightmare,” added Marilyn Braun-Pollon, CFIB vice-president, Western Canada and Agri-business.
Significant results from the CFIB survey highlighted the anxieties of small business owners in Saskatchewan. For example, 87 per cent of those surveyed thought the provincial government should afford protection to commercial tenants to prevent evictions during the COVID-19 crisis. A total of 88 per cent of respondents agreed rent assistance must have meaningful and lasting consequences and should be arranged as grants or rent forgiveness, rather than loans and deferrals.Â
“Across Canada deferring rent isn’t going to cut it, businesses desperately need rent forgiveness to help pay bills. Provincial governments have ordered many small businesses to close and while Saskatchewan’s one-time grant is a step in the right direction, we know many owners are still paying more for rent on a location they cannot open,” Jones said.
The outcomes of the CIFB survey were derived from 6,881 responses and given by CFIB members through a controlled-access web survey.
