By SooToday.com Staff
SooToday.com
Monday, August 30, 2010

NEWS RELEASE

CANADIAN FEDERATION
OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS

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Sault Ste. Marie local government’s performance barely adequate in the eyes of small businesses

The results of a survey conducted by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) reveal that small businesses in Sault Ste. Marie feel their local government has room for growth in the area of serving their needs.

With municipal elections just around the corner, now is the time for local candidates to speak up about what they would do to support the job-creators in Sault Ste. Marie.

“Small businesses are the backbone of their local communities”, explained CFIB’s vice-president for Ontario, Satinder Chera, adding that “these results are a wakeup call for local leaders who have been accustomed to treating their small business constituents as nothing more than cash cows."

A total of 241 businesses in Sault Ste. Marie took part in CFIB’s face-to-face survey between July 2009 and June 2010.

When asked 'How do you rate the local government where your business is situated on the following issues?' here’s how these business owners responded:

Overall awareness of small business sector

- 2 percent Good
- 34 percent Adequate
- 64 percent Poor

Reasonable property tax levels

– 4 percent Good
- 38 percent Adequate
- 58 percent Poor

Fairness of by-laws and regulations

– 11 percent Good
- 65 percent Adequate
- 24 percent Poor

Control of government wage levels

– 3 percent Good
- 35 percent Adequate
- 62 percent Poor

Value-for-money of public services

– 5 percent Good
- 47 percent Adequate
- 48 percent Poor

“It is important for all levels of government to be attuned to the concerns of small business, especially in the wake of the recent recession”, reasoned Plamen Petkov, a senior policy analyst with CFIB. “The purpose of these results is to bridge that gap.”

To view the results of other municipalities in the region and across the province, please visit www.cfib.ca

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