Courtenay-Alberni MP Pushing Federal Government To Extend The Repayment Deadline And Loan Forgiveness For Canadian Business Owners

Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns is pushing the federal government to extend the repayment deadline and loan forgiveness for Canadian business owners who took advantage of the Canada Emergency Business Account.

In a release, Johns said that for many local businesses, the CEBA loan was the difference between closing their doors or staying open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He says now though, the cost-of-living crisis is driving up costs for shops and stores in Courtenay-Alberni.

Johns says small businesses have been doing everything right for months, from cutting back to saving up for the repayment, but they can’t keep up.

North Island-Powell River MP Rachel Blaney echoed those sentiments, saying heading into the holidays, many business owners are having to consider if they’ll close shop in the New Year, and their workers are worried about if they’ll have a job to return to.

The deadline for businesses to repay their loans is coming up January 18th.