Ontario’s businesses struggling more than rest of the country

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Published February 12, 2021 at 9:15 pm

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With the pandemic now approaching a full year, many businesses have been forced to close for good due to restrictions implemented to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

The latest data from the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB) indicates many businesses have still not seen their sales return to pre-pandemic levels.

According to the findings, only half of Canadian businesses—51 per cent—are fully open, which is a four-per-cent increase compared to last month’s number.

Additionally, only 39 per cent of businesses are fully staffed, and only 25 are making sales at the levels they would normally make before the pandemic.

“February tends to be a low-sales month, but this February is a real heartbreaker,” Laura Jones, executive vice for CFIB, said in a news release.

“Small businesses are now 11 months into seeing their revenues plummet. Many have been forced to shut down even as Amazon and big box sales soar,” she continued.

When it comes to Canada’s most populous province, Ontario businesses are doing worse than many of those from the rest of the country.

When it comes to businesses fully open, fully staffed, and making sales at their normal levels, Ontario was last in all three categories—only 38 per cent of Ontario businesses are fully open, only 34 per cent are fully staffed, and only 20 per cent are meeting their normal level for sales.

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