Many small business owners across B.C. say they can’t afford to pay for a permanent sick leave program right now.
That’s according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses.
Senior Policy Analyst, Seth Scott told Vista Radio with many businesses still struggling to get by during the pandemic, the timing of this couldn’t be worse.
“In BC right now, small businesses, only 46% of them are making normal revenue. That is coupled with very high debt levels, over $129,000 on average when it comes to COVID-related debt.”
“Continuing to add costs to businesses that are suffering is not the right way to keep them open, and allow them to provide that service. It’s eventually going to lead to them shutting down temporarily or permanently.”
According to a recent poll, 64%-percent of entrepreneurs don’t support an employer-paid sick leave program with cost being the main reason why.
Three options of three, five, or 10 days of paid sick leave have been tabled by the province during an online survey.
The options paper has been posted on the government’s engagement site and is available for comment until Monday (October 25th).