SPECIAL REPORT — Canadians are taking to social media to spread the word about their local businesses, hoping to give them a fighting chance against major e-retailers during the pandemic. Toronto’s Ali Haberstroh created not-amazon.ca, a shareable Google Docs list of independent retailers, after a positive experience at a vintage store. It’s one of many directories, social media accounts, and documents circulating online with information about small businesses.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has estimated that 225,000 Canadian businesses may permanently close due to COVID-19. It conducted a survey in August that showed 82 percent of Canadians are concerned about the fate of their favourite local businesses.
