Ahead of relief details, OCC calls for inclusion

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce releases statement in advance of more details about the federal relief packages for small business

Photo: Rocco Rossi, president & CEO of Ontario Chamber of Commerce

ON SUNDAY MORNING, Rocco Rossi, president & CEO of Ontario Chamber of Commerce, released the following statement in anticipation of the Government of Canada releasing more details about the federal relief packages for small business:

“Ontario business is eager for the details. We need to see firm qualifiers, so that neither business owners nor workers are left behind. We hope Canada follows the lead of other countries that have not limited their wage subsidy to the small business tax threshold, to ensure medium-sized businesses are also supported.

“We have asked the federal government to not leave out charities and not-for-profits in their increased wage subsidy. They are important economic drivers and were included in the 10 per cent subsidy qualification process.

“We call on the federal government to provide clarity on what they will do for businesses that have already terminated employees or invested significant expense to wind down operations. While we sincerely appreciate that the Government of Canada continues to listen and adapt to the many measures that we and other business organizations have been calling for, we cannot forget that difficult decisions have already been made.”