Is it time to put our trust in small businesses?

Small businesses are the backbone of Canadian society. According to Dan Kelly, president and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, up to 60 per cent of Canada’s jobs are created by small and mediumsized enterprises.

So their forced closure in this time of COVID-19 has affected every corner of our population. While bigger businesses and chain stores can afford to pack up shop for a couple of months, the pause in business for these smaller enterprises, many of which do not have the resources to move to delivery systems, could be detrimental.

Data from CFIB reveals some frightening statistics. Up to three per cent of small business owners are certain that their business won’t survive if they cannot reopen by the end of May. This might not sound like a huge number, but a mere three per cent equals the loss of 30,000 local businesses. Then there are the 35 per cent of business owners who believe their chances of survival are slim, and the 38 per cent who believe that long-term shutting down is inevitable.

To some, the phrase “small businesses” sounds impersonal, a distant and pitiful group fighting for their survival. But each of these small businesses is an entire ecosystem, where the existence of everyone is inextricably linked — employers who have spent every last dime on their new business, employees who rely on their income, landlords who rent out their space, customers who have come to know and love their product.

Most, if not all, of us are part of this ecosystem, in one way or another. My husband, a forestry worker, lost his job even before the global pandemic hit, when Northern Pulp was forced into closure. Since then, my daughter has been helping us get back on our feet … that is, until she lost her job at one of these “small businesses.” So, to me, this matter could not be more personal. My family is part of this ecosystem.

Despite the aid given to small businesses from the government, many are deciding to close for good rather than wait out imposed shutdowns. This is a clear sign of the long-term economic damage that will occur as a sideeffect of measures to halt the spread of the virus.

Could it be time for the Canadian government to put more trust in these small but vital businesses? To have faith that these entrepreneurs will enforce social distancing measures and scheduled cleaning of their workplaces, as they have been doing with essential services?

Considering the slow easing of restrictions worldwide, the critical role small businesses play in our economy and the newfound understanding society has of social distancing and the importance of hygiene, I would say indeed it is.