CFIB presenting to the City of Moose Jaw’s Executive Committee on impact of delayed Water Main replacement on High Street West business owners and how the City can fix the problem

Regina, May 14, 2018 – Jennifer Henshaw, CFIB’s Senior Policy Analyst for the Prairie region will be presenting to the City of Moose Jaw’s Executive Committee this evening to provide local business owners’ serious concerns regarding the impact of road construction delays on High Street West. CFIB is urging the City of Moose Jaw to fix the problem by improving communications, and implementing a comprehensive construction mitigation policy, which features a compensation program for those severely impacted.

CFIB will present findings from its recent report, Paving a Smooth Road: Helping small businesses survive infrastructure work, which is the first to evaluate the overall impact of road work on Canadian small businesses. 

Angry business owners have told the CFIB that the ongoing construction delays have resulted in: customers having trouble accessing their business, significant loss of sales, damage to their sewer lines and premises, and added stress and anxiety. “The City’s lack of communication with the businesses located on High Street West have left them completely frustrated and looking for answers,” stated Jennifer Henshaw, CFIB’s Senior Policy Analyst, Prairie. “These businesses are not looking for special treatment; they simply want to be treated fairly and be compensated for their loss of sales.”

The CFIB acknowledges the City of Moose Jaw’s May 11th news release announcing that “The City of Moose will take over the completion of unfinished road construction on High Street.” “While this is a step in the right direction, now is the time for the City to take decisive action and implement a comprehensive construction mitigation policy as soon as possible to ensure those High Street West business owners who have been the most severely impacted by the delayed water main replacement project are fairly compensated for their losses,” concluded Henshaw.  

To arrange an interview with Jennifer Henshaw, CFIB’s Senior Policy Analyst for the Prairie region please call (306) 757-0000, 888 234-2232 or email mssask@cfib.ca. You may follow CFIB Saskatchewan on Twitter @cfibsk.
 
About CFIB
CFIB is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 110,000 members (5,250 in Saskatchewan) across every sector and region. Learn more at cfib.ca.