I don’t generally come out and tell it like it is when it comes to business, but I think folks need to know this straight from a small business owner. Our federal government is doing nothing to help the “spine of our country” right now.
Our small businesses are run by good-hearted, hardworking folks. We show up every day — not unlike farmers — and put in the long hours planning, researching and running our businesses. We are there for our customers’ every request, and try to fill that request the best we can.
Time was, we would open up every day and look forward to another good day of new faces and new customers, along with our returning regular clients who knew we would look after them with a smile and a laugh. It’s changed now — it’s not the same at all — you can feel it, as it’s almost palpable, and the stress is on everyone, to some extent.
Small business owners who import products are really feeling it, like we are. The costs have shot up twofold. Our Canadian dollar is worth less against the U.S. dollar, so our buying power is reduced.
Add to that our government’s importation tariffs on the goods we sell — over 25 per cent on most items — that were never there before, and it becomes even more expensive to keep our stocking levels up.
Add taxation rates to those new costs and the small business is now bleeding money.
Add to that the civic expenses locally — business taxation from the municipality — and the trickle-down effect that sees one’s storefront lease rates climb up to rates you should only be seeing in Vancouver or Victoria.
The flip side of the coin — our customers are also seeing the same cost increases applied to their lives.
What was never a consideration in purchasing has now become something that needs to be thought about twice.
Yeah, our federal government has dropped the ball hard. They are not “protecting” the business community or the general public.
They are screwing Canadians — one at a time, bit by bit, family by family. I can’t even import materials from another country without being screwed by our dollar value or excise taxation, because almost all trade is done in U.S. dollars.
There is a fine line in what you can charge a customer for a product or service.
So, I have a question for our “elbows up” (what a stupid phrase) prime minister: When are you actually going to do something for the millions of Canadians you are supposed to represent? Over 100 days in the big chair, and all I hear is more costs downloaded on Canadians and more money being spent on crap that has nothing to do with Canada or Canadians.
You have done nothing to improve our dollar’s buying power, cost us more to do business (implementation of trade tariffs), and did nothing to stir economic growth. You are just as useless as the clown you replaced. Now, to be perfectly clear, I respect the office of the prime minister — however, “that respect must be earned” — and clearly you’re doing absolutely nothing to earn it.
When small businesses die, the community starts to die — little by little, area by area — we descend into what we are seeing now: boarded-up storefronts, closed shops, graffiti and filth on our streets, crime, vandalism and open drug use around almost every corner. Zero has been done to turn the bail system around for repeat offenders — criminals are back out in a heartbeat.
Business owners attacked for attempting to protect their property from theft. Oh brother, mark my words — elbows up is the least of our worries — as all it will take is for one good person, pushed a bit too far, to lose it with some individual who thinks it’s their right to break into a business, steal from a shelf, shoot up at a back door or set a fire for the sake of watching it burn.
We are on a path that I am fearful of seeing. Leadership is nonexistent on so many levels — federally, provincially and civically. I am almost certain now we are being led by a “charlatan” acting as prime minister.
No law and order, no effective judicial system, no leadership. Rocks are on the horizon — and the helm isn’t answering our call.
John Zukowski is a Prince George business owner.
