China News Service, January 27. According to the Canadian "Sing Tao Daily" report, the results of a survey published by the Canadian Independent Business Federation (CFIB) show that only 37% of Ontario small businesses have fully resumed operations.
The alliance urges the Ontario government to formulate a prudent plan to reactivate small businesses in the province and expand the eligibility for small business support grants in Ontario to benefit more industries.
Some Chinese businessmen expressed their support for this proposal.
The results of an alliance survey with 110,000 SME members in all walks of life across the country show that as of mid-January 2021, 47% of domestic small enterprises have fully resumed operations.
However, the vast majority of small businesses that have fully resumed operations are still in operational difficulties, and only 22% of them can return to normal business volume.
Ontario is the province with the least number of small businesses reopening, and currently only 37% of small businesses have reopened.
The president of the alliance said that the alliance hopes that the provincial government can consult on ways to allow small companies to resume business safely, and urges the provincial government to fix loopholes in the support funding plan and other related items, including property tax and electricity rebates and personal protective equipment spending subsidies.
The Union's Ontario Affairs Director stated that although support funding is welcomed by many small companies, this plan only covers companies that are affected by the new lockdown and anti-epidemic regulations on December 26, 2020.
Companies that have ceased operations due to the anti-epidemic measures since last spring, and companies that are still in business but have suffered a significant loss of customer business due to the provincial government’s “stay at home” order are not eligible to apply for this support grant.
According to estimates by the Alliance, the epidemic may put 75,000 Ontario companies at risk of bankruptcy.
The alliance recommends that the Ontario government increase the amount of subsidies for personal protective equipment spending, and provide another round of funding for all aid projects to assist companies that are still subject to lockdown measures and cease operations in the future.
Chen Yongyi, director of the Toronto Chinatown Business Promotion District, said that he agreed with the proposal made by the alliance to the Ontario government.
He said that the provincial government set up support funds to help small businesses in the province alleviate their business difficulties and prevent them from going bankrupt. This is a good thing, but the requirements on eligibility to apply have annoyed many small business owners who need assistance.
Chen Yongyi believes that the federal government has launched a number of major aid projects as early as April last year. The amount of subsidy received by merchants is determined by business conditions. The Ontario government can refer to the federal aid application criteria and conditions. This is the simplest and most A way to directly improve this plan.