Fewer Canadians are starting and keeping businesses than at any point in a generation.
Business owners need a new social contract
This includes greater access to capital and economic stability that make the risks of business ownership worth taking. We have the ideas for a new contract. Dive in.
A generation ago, more than one in six working Canadians worked for themselves. Today it is closer to one in eight.
The sharpest decline is among micro-business owners. Regular businesses that hire people and hold up local economies. Peer nations like the U.S. and France keep generating new main street businesses. Canada has flatlined.
The businesses that survive face harsh headwinds like spiking fixed costs and rent. The barista and the cafe owner are facing the same challenges, expensive housing and global instability that leave less for personal investment. Neither can get ahead in today's environment alone. Which is why we're calling for systemic fixes to Canada's entrepreneurship crisis.
Business owners, non-profits, and workers all benefit from modernizing SME supports. The recommendations below form a cohesive pathway, from starting a business to the jobs they create. Filter by level of government to see what action they can take, or visit commercialrent.ca to dive into our commercial real estate reforms.
Capital, planning, and recognition, so starting a business doesn't take luck or family money. Canada's business start rate has fallen for a generation. Fixing access to capital and recognition will help reverse this.
Once a business opens, it needs a fair shot at staying open. Canada's small business economy has become high-risk and low-reward, squeezed by consolidation, oligopoly, and rules written for the biggest player in the room. The playing field can be levelled.
The cost of staying open, made predictable. Rent, insurance, and utilities have climbed far faster than inflation over the last decade, and they are closing businesses that are otherwise working. Governments can write rules so one landlord's letter cannot end a decade of work.
Good jobs are where the Better Way Alliance started, and remain at the core of our economic development framework. A business steady enough to pay a fair wage and grant a sick day keeps its people, and a worker paid enough to spend locally is the customer keeping the business next door open.
A sample of our advocacy wins and momentum building. Tap through below on the stylish yellow button to see the full portfolio.
We were the lead business voice making the economic case for the increase, reframing a higher wage as a stronger customer base.
City Council voted 21 to 1 to ask Ontario for commercial rent control, a dispute tribunal, and standardized leases. The basis for a Commercial Renter Bill of Rights.
Read the motion ›New Westminster Council asked B.C. for the power to enable commercial rent controls in designated zones, a resolution later endorsed by the Union of BC Municipalities.
We were granted leave to intervene in Aphria Inc. v. Canada Life Assurance Company and argued before the Court on whether commercial landlords must mitigate damages when a tenant leaves. Decision pending.
View the case ›