The various announcements made by Quebec, Thursday, will again weaken SMEs, worries the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) which urges the government to review its plans.
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As we enter a third year marked by economic restrictions due to the pandemic, the resilience of small business owners who juggle these repeated closures “will sooner or later reach their limits,” the CFIB has warned.
“Before the December restrictions were put in place, it was nearly one in four SMEs that did not expect to go by the end of 2022 due to sub-par revenues. For SME leaders who have to shut down their business or slow down service delivery yet again, it’s the equivalent of running a never-ending marathon, ”said François Vincent, CFIB Vice-President for Quebec, by press release on Friday.
The CFIB stresses that the level of debt contracted due to COVID-19 is “worrying”, reaching $ 200,000 on average for restaurateurs with dining room and $ 100,000 on average for Quebec SMEs.
“For restaurateurs, it will be a difficult blow to pass and it is, along with gyms, cinemas, events and entertainment centers, one of the sectors hardest hit by the restrictions. For retail businesses, we can wonder about the Sunday closing which will generate very high demand on Saturdays. This is why we are asking the Quebec government to allow curbside pickup for Sunday, ”added Mr. Vincent.
The Federation is also concerned about the impact of the postponement of the start of the school year to January 17 for primary and secondary schools. In fact, with nearly two out of three SMEs facing a labor shortage, the absence of employees who must take care of their children will increase the pressure on these SMEs.
“Half of the businesses in Quebec have fewer than five employees. So, for them, losing an employee represents a 20% reduction in the production force, ”said François Vincent.
The Federation, which believes that trade closures should be adopted “as a last resort only”, also asks the government to improve the management of rapid tests to democratize them, and to assess the possibility of reducing the duration of the confinement of people. without symptoms.