Red tape reduction tops municipal priorities list as 88% of small business owners plan to vote
Toronto, September 22, 2026 – The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) today released its Ontario Small Business Municipal Platform that includes 11 Things Ontario Municipalities Should Do for Small Businesses to reduce red tape, alleviate construction impacts, offer tariff relief, make business property taxes affordable, and protect business tax dollars.
The recommendations in the document are based on the results of an August 2026 CFIB survey. Dominating the list of recommendations candidates should embrace on the campaign trail (with 78% support) is reducing municipal red tape related to such requirements as building and renovation permits, business licensing, and sign approvals. Running a distant second (with 48% support) is finding municipal savings by conducting value-for-money audits of all departments annually as part of the budget process.
“These survey results aren’t surprising,” said Angela Drennan, CFIB’s Vice-President, Legislative Affairs, Ontario. “Our members keep telling us that unnecessary, excessive, and duplicative rules take precious time away from running a business. As they try to navigate an unpredictable economy and ever-rising costs from all fronts, small businesses look everywhere for savings, so they expect governments to do the same.”
An overwhelming 88% of small business owners surveyed by CFIB say they will vote in the Ontario municipal elections on October 26.
“With such a strong voter turnout expected from the small business community, we’re hoping candidates in communities across the province will openly support our platform ideas,” said Julie Kwiecinski, CFIB’s Director of Provincial Affairs, Ontario. “Our fiscally prudent recommendations would help Ontario’s 444 urban and rural municipalities create the right climate to attract and keep small businesses, in both good and bad economic times.”
Ontario business owners can sign CFIB’s petition here to make municipal red tape reduction a priority.
For information on CFIB’s first-ever Open for Business: Canada's 2026 Municipal Report Card released last week, click here. The report card evaluates 66 municipalities across the country (including 24 in Ontario) on cost burden, regulatory burden, and small business friendliness.
For media inquiries or interviews, please contact:
Dariya Baiguzhiyeva, CFIB
647-464-2814
public.affairs@cfib.ca
About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small- and medium-sized businesses with 103,000 members across every industry and region, including 40,000 in Ontario. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners’ chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.
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