Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses have had to close their doors. Half of the country ‘s small businesses have already seen a big drop in sales and a recent report done by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) says small firms will be pushed to the limit if the crisis continues to grow.
BY THE NUMBERS
8,730+ BUSINESSES SURVEYED
48% HAVE ALREADY SEEN A DROP IN SALES
63% REDUCED HOURS OR LAID OFF EMPLOYEES
WHY IS SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESS IMPORTANT?
Small businesses are community members. They’re run by our neighbours and friends. Not only that, shopping local has big socio-economic impacts on our community.
LOCAL ECONOMIC STIMULUS
Money is kept in the community: locally-owned businesses often purchase from other local businesses, service providers and farms. Thus, a multiplier effect.
CREATION OF JOBS
Most new jobs are created by local businesses. From 2003 to 2017, 85.3% of all new jobs were created by small to medium sized business.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Shopping locally reduces CO2 emissions caused by transportation. There’s shorter commutes for employees and customers as well as stock and products.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Order takeout or delivery from family-owned restaurants rather than chains.
Prepare and package old clothes to drop off at a consignment store when they’ve re-opened.
Many businesses offer new features or services like discounts, free shipping, online shopping and delivery.
Avoid getting ticket refunds on cancelled performances or events. Or offer your refund as a donation and get a tax receipt.
Maintain fitness memberships. If this isn’t affordable, many now offer online training at a discounted rate.
Holiday shop in advance: take the time to discover and learn about local shops and art.
ALC TASK FORCE
The purpose of the ALC task force is to help you, our residents, with any support you may need during this difficult time. Some folks may need help walking their dogs. Some may just need a friendly voice to check in with them over the phone.
Whatever the need, our team is dedicated to support you as best we can. We are in it with you.
Should you need anything from us, or alternatively, if you would like to join our ALC Task Force and be our eyes and ears throughout the communities we operate in, please reach out to [email protected].
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
ALBERTA: https://businesslink.ca/covid19/
SASKATCHEWAN: https://squareonesask.ca/resources/covid-19-support-resources/
MANITOBA: https://news.gov.mb.ca/news/index.html?item=47161&posted=2020-03-22
