New COVID-19 measures could spell the end of thousands of Ontario businesses, CFIB warns
CBC
Thousands of small Ontario businesses may not survive restrictions that the province is rolling out this week to slow the spread of COVID-19, a business leader says.
Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said the restrictions that take effect on Wednesday at 12:01 a.m. will likely have serious consequences. The federation, a non-profit organization, has 95,000 members across Canada.
"This is absolutely devastating news for small business owners," Kelly told CBC News on Monday.
"We've had nearly two years of lockdowns and restrictions. Sadly, we are going backwards and not forwards. Any little glimpse of hope that was out there on the horizon seems to be snuffed out at this stage," Kelly said.
"It's oh so depressing. Thousands of businesses are just not going to survive this additional round of lockdowns. Many of them are just not going to make it."
Any restrictions should come with immediate support in the form of grant funding, and if not, the measures will lead to financial ruin, he added.
The latest public health measures announced by Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Monday require restaurants and bars to halt indoor dining and cease selling alcohol after 10 p.m. starting on Wednesday.
Retail settings, including shopping malls and personal care services, must reduce their capacity to 50 per cent, while indoor concert venues, theatres, cinemas, museums, galleries and other attractions are required to close.
The measures will be in place until at least Jan. 26, the Ontario government said in a news release on Monday.
In a tweet hours later, Kelly said Ontario's finance ministry has contacted the federation to say a small business grant program is coming, but the ministry has yet to confirm such a program and respond to a request from CBC News for details.
The Ontario government, for its part, announced on Monday an expanded rebate program for businesses affected by the restrictions.
Certain businesses ordered to close will be reimbursed for 100 per cent of property tax and energy costs, it said, while ones required to reduce capacity to 50 per cent will receive a rebate payment for half those expenses.
Business owners, meanwhile, say the latest restrictions are disappointing. The new measures mean some businesses will have to close their doors, while others will have to limit capacity.
The owners said they fear the three weeks of closures will result in lost income and layoffs and exacerbate existing labour shortages and mounting costs.
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