WATERLOO — On behalf of the Official Opposition, NDP Finance critic Catherine Fife is calling for an eviction moratorium for small businesses, alongside direct grants to prevent the Omicron Wave from taking them under.
“With a new health threat and new restrictions, we need new supports to protect small businesses and working people,” said Fife. “We are calling for an eviction moratorium, and for direct financial grants for any small local business that loses income, so they can continue to pay staff while working under capacity limits.
“We can’t let workers and mom-and-pop businesses pay the price for this wave. An evictions moratorium would be a huge relief to countless small- and medium-sized businesses. We’re calling on Premier Doug Ford, this time, to make decisions for the little guy, not big-box stores.”
For days, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has been calling for a comprehensive package of worker and small business supports be put in place for any person or local business that loses income due to the Omicron wave.
The Ontario NDP says, “Earlier in the pandemic, Ford kept big box stores open while shutting down their small, local competitors — leaving thousands of businesses on the brink of disaster. Many were struggling to recover when the Omicron Wave began. Nearly all federal and provincial COVID programs have ended, leaving small businesses on their own to cope with new restrictions and the rising Omicron threat”.