CFIB Report Card: Most Canadian Cities Failing Small Businesses
Event summary
- CFIB's first-ever Municipal Report Card assessed 66 Canadian municipalities, finding 39 (59%) failing to support small businesses.
- Red Deer (AB) ranked highest with a C+, while Coquitlam (BC), Saguenay (QC), and Mission (BC) scored F grades.
- Only 22% of CFIB members believe their city is looking out for small businesses.
- Top-performing municipalities combined fairer property taxes, simpler permitting, and business-friendly online services.
- CFIB calls for municipal action on property tax fairness, red tape reduction, and construction mitigation policies.
The big picture
The CFIB report highlights a systemic failure of Canadian municipalities to create supportive environments for small businesses, despite their significant day-to-day impact. This comes at a critical time as small businesses face economic uncertainty and tariff threats. The findings suggest a need for immediate policy action to reduce regulatory burdens and improve business friendliness at the local level. With 103,000 members, CFIB's report carries substantial weight in advocating for small business interests across Canada.
What we're watching
- Policy Implementation
- Whether municipalities will adopt CFIB's recommended actions to improve small business conditions.
- Economic Impact
- How ongoing tariff threats and economic uncertainty will affect small businesses in failing municipalities.
- Benchmarking Progress
- The pace at which future Municipal Report Cards will show improvement in small business support.