Growth Barrier #1:
Fixed Costs Are Squeezing Out Jobs and Slowing SME Growth

Across Ontario, small and medium-sized businesses are facing steep increases in non-negotiable costs like utilities, insurance, and rent. These fixed costs now consume the very resources businesses need to raise wages, retain staff, and invest in productivity — especially in lower-margin sectors like hospitality, care, and services.

We propose targeted provincial action to reduce fixed costs for SMEs — starting with insurance and utility bills. This doesn’t require new regulation, but it does require leadership: a commitment to ensuring the most entrepreneurial businesses aren’t held back by structural cost pressures. Giving SME owners more room to manage payroll and working conditions is a smarter, more efficient path to business growth than cutting labour standards or driving wages down.

Growth Barrier #2:
Low Wages Are Dragging Down Labour Supply and Business Growth

In Ontario, 76% of business owners plan to retire within a decade — but the next generation of buyers can’t access financing to take over their businesses. As a result, revenue-generating businesses are shutting down, even when there’s strong local interest to keep them going. This hits rural and smaller communities hardest, where there are fewer large employers and fewer buyers with institutional backing.

An Ontario-based NextGen Ownership Fund would make it easier for individuals, partnerships, or co-ops to purchase existing businesses and keep jobs in place. Targeted financing would give younger entrepreneurs a real chance to grow Ontario’s economy while giving retiring owners a viable exit. This is also a smart response to the American tariffs – as we aim to build local capacity and reduce reliance on foreign firms. Business ownership succession is a core part of that strategy.

Growth Barrier #3:
Business Transitions Are Falling Through, Costing Jobs, Wealth, and Local Investment

In Ontario, small business tenants are facing rising and unpredictable costs due to unclear or poorly enforced commercial lease terms. Landlords can pass on expenses that were never included in lease agreements — or delay reimbursing costs they’re contractually responsible for — with little consequence. This creates confusion, cash flow stress, and unnecessary disputes that hurt long-term business stability.

Introducing clear, standard lease guidelines with basic enforcement mechanisms would benefit both tenants and landlords. Tenants would gain predictability in their monthly costs, while landlords would spend less time resolving conflicts and more time securing long-term, reliable tenants. A consistent leasing framework would reduce legal ambiguity, improve cost transparency, and support healthier, more stable commercial relationships across Ontario’s main streets and business corridors.

We propose auditing and restructuring federal financing programs to set clear targets for inclusion. Programs should prioritize access for historically excluded business owners — including newcomers, women, and racialized entrepreneurs — to build a stronger, more resilient economy rooted in fairness, innovation, and opportunity.