Rent subsidy still freezing out SMEs: CFIB

The federal government’s revamped rent relief program for small and medium-sized enterprises has failed to correct all the problems of its precursor, says the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Notably, businesses that opened in March can’t apply for the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy since they have no previous revenues as a point of comparison and so can’t establish that revenues have declined. Others have seen declines vary across multiple locations and tell the CFIB they have also had difficulty accessing the program. These concerns are among those the lobby group will address this week in a letter to finance minister Chrystia Freeland.