Garrison Automotive owner concerned as pandemic loan deadlines loom
An urgent request from a Fort Erie business owner that the federal government help with the payback of pandemic loans.
Bill Marr runs Garrison Automotive, and tells us he's written local MP Vance Badawey that payback of the loans be extended beyond this December's deadline, as well as enabling businesses to pay back part of the loans, with the rest set up as grants.
He says not only are businesses fighting tough hydro, gas and labour costs, but the government's monetary policies don't help. "The amount of spending they're doing, the amount of deficit we're up against, has driven interests rates up... when we drive interest rates up, when we add carbon taxes to our costs, then it automatically gets put on the backs of businesses that use those services."
He adds the economy has not bounced back enough for most small businesses to meet December's deadline.
He questions government helping big corporations.
"The whole CEBA program was worth $49-billion to small businesses, and if you look at the money they've given to those larger corporations, they've actually given more money to a few larger corporations. Can they help small businesses, and in my opinion they can do a little bit better," he says.
He says other levels of government as well as Chambers of Commerce are asking the Prime Minister the same.
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