June 17th, 2020

Conservatives, Liberals, Greens exclude thousands of small businesses from eviction ban

Ford should protect all small businesses, not just those who qualify for federal program: NDP

QUEEN’S PARK — The NDP believes no businesses should face eviction during the pandemic, but the Ford government has worked with the Greens and Liberals to pass a bill that excludes hundreds of thousands of businesses, leaving them vulnerable to eviction.

“Supporting small business is supporting Ontario. I’m shocked and disappointed that the Liberals, Greens and Conservatives have cut a deal to exclude so many businesses who need help from Queen’s Park,” said Catherine Fife, NDP critic for Economic Growth and Job Creation.

The Ford government’s commercial eviction ban, which passed Wednesday evening, only covers businesses which qualify for the deeply flawed, very narrow Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA).

“After dragging his feet for months, Ford also refuses to extend these protections back to the beginning of the pandemic, which excludes even more businesses, and may just encourage bad actors to backdate eviction notices,” said Fife.

“The NDP worked until the final moments to secure amendments to include all Ontario’s small- and medium-sized businesses — and we’re going to keep fighting to make sure that every small business owner gets the help they need during this crisis. Small businesses are the engines of our local economies, and they’re job creators that keep food on the tables for millions of Ontarians. They need more than a thank you — they need support.”