Regina, November 25, 2020 – The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is pleased to see the Saskatchewan government avoid a blanket lockdown in the new restrictions and public health measures announced today. Although these new restrictions will hurt some small businesses (particularly in the hospitality sector), they are preferable to blanket lockdowns as seen in other provinces.
“We know Saskatchewan small businesses are in a fragile position with 35 per cent losing money every day they are open,” said Marilyn Braun-Pollon, CFIB’s Vice-President, Western Canada and Agri-business. “A blanket lockdown would have pushed some small businesses to the brink of closure. The new limited measures will give many small businesses a fighting chance to surviving the holiday season. It’s now up to all Saskatchewan residents to follow these new orders and do our part to slow the spread.”
“While we appreciate the province has taken a limited and targeted approach in its restrictions, we cannot ask small businesses to cover the costs of protecting society alone,” added Braun-Pollon. “We know the hospitality sector will be among the hardest hit by the measures introduced today and that’s why we need the provincial government to introduce full, immediate and ongoing support for this sector.”
“The new restrictions in Saskatchewan will certainly have a negative impact on struggling small businesses. A full 43 per cent of Saskatchewan firms said they will not survive a second lockdown. But the new rules allow most small firms to maintain some economic activity and do not tip the scales in favour of big box stores,” said CFIB president, Dan Kelly. “We are particularly pleased that Saskatchewan has adopted a “small business first” retail strategy which will place capacity controls on busy big box stores, but allow far quieter small retailers to remain open. We feel this is a far more sensible approach than the ones used in Manitoba and Ontario.”
To arrange an interview with Marilyn Braun-Pollon, CFIB’s Vice-President, Western Canada and Agri-business, please call (306) 539-6302 or email mssask@cfib.ca. You may follow CFIB Saskatchewan on Twitter at @cfibsk.
About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 110,000 members (5,250 in Saskatchewan) across every industry and region. 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.
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