Federal Gov't Urged to Forgive Pandemic Loans

Thursday, 3 August 2023 18:01

By Linda Morgan

Frontier Duty Free Association says duty stores still haven't recovered from border closures

Duty free stores in border communities are asking the federal government to forgive loans taken out as part of the Canada Emergency Business Account.

The account was created to support businesses that were hit hard by the pandemic.

The Frontier Duty Free Association says stores have still not recovered from the the pandemic and border closures.

Restrictions along the Canada - U.S. border were initially set in March 2020, and the US dropped vaccination requirements this past May.

The agency says sales are 33 percent lower than pre-pandemic levels, and some stores may not survive without loan forgiveness.

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