Small businesses outline election priorities

Since moving to Winnipeg earlier this year, I have come to know the city through its small businesses. As a new Exchange District resident, grabbing coffee at Little Sister, walking through The Forks Market and stopping at Pho Hoang for lunch have become part of my routine. These are the places that give Winnipeg’s neighbourhoods their character and have helped make a new city feel like home.

That is why an empty storefront never feels like just vacant real estate. It represents someone’s investment and hope. When a small business disappears, the community loses a piece of itself.

On Oct. 28, Manitobans in most municipalities will choose their next mayors, reeves and councillors. While city councils may not set interest rates or negotiate global trade agreements, they do have some control over many of the barriers entrepreneurs encounter day to day, from property tax bills and permit applications to public safety and construction disruptions.

Ahead of the upcoming elections, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) surveyed Manitoba small business owners to get a sense of their municipal priorities and concerns.

In response to this survey, more than three-quarters (77 per cent) said they believe their municipal council has not paid enough attention to small business issues. As one respondent put it: “Make it a competitive place to do business and you ensure the future.”

This sense of frustration comes at a worrying time. Across Manitoba, more businesses have been closing than opening, and more than half of Manitoba small business owners say they would not recommend someone start a small operation today. CFIB has named this an “entrepreneurial drought,” and reversing this troubling trend can start at the municipal level.

Municipal governments cannot end the drought alone, but they can either make it easier or harder to start and grow a business. To make things easier, we need municipalities to start by addressing the rising cost of doing business.

More than half (54 per cent) of CFIB survey respondents said property taxes were harmful to their operations, with 85 per cent reporting an increase in their tax bill over the past year. What looks manageable on a municipal spreadsheet can postpone an investment or wipe out a business’ already-thin margins altogether.

Small businesses cannot be the shock absorbers for every increase in the cost of governing. Before raising taxes, councils should review how existing resources are used and publish multi-year plans so businesses can prepare.

Winnipeg’s separate business tax also deserves scrutiny. It is based on the assessed rental value (ARV) of occupied space, rather than profitability. A Winnipeg business owner explained that rental value “doesn’t necessarily correlate with revenue.” In a separate CFIB survey, 96 per cent of respondents supported reducing and ultimately eliminating this tax. While CFIB appreciates city council’s small business tax credit program, whereby businesses with an ARV of $47,500 or less receive an offsetting credit, there are still many small firms which fall above the ARV threshold.

Owners also told us that municipal red tape consumes time they cannot afford to lose. Almost half (48 per cent) identified red tape as harmful, while the majority (57 per cent) described municipal requirements as burdensome. The costs of delays were summed up in six words: “The long waits cost money every day.”

Municipalities should publish service standards for permits, licences and inspections, and report whether they meet them. The last thing we need is a permit application sitting on a bureaucrat’s desk, while a business’s bills keep piling up.

Construction is another area in which businesses are being treated as an afterthought. Two-thirds (67 per cent) said local projects had disrupted their operations during the past five years. A downtown retailer reported that customers complain about street closures “every day” and may be less likely to return downtown. Closed streets and deterred customers means lost sales for local businesses

Businesses deserve early notice, reliable access, and a project liaison empowered to solve problems during public construction projects. In the case of lost revenues, more than three in five (62 per cent) support financial compensation in the form of property tax breaks or grants. A project undertaken for the public benefit should not force nearby businesses to shoulder the financial burden of the disruption.

CFIB has outlined all of these concerns and priorities in its 2026 Manitoba municipal election platform, which we have shared with municipal candidates across the province. Small businesses want to see candidates introduce plans to control municipal costs, streamline permit approvals, and stop treating businesses as collateral damage during construction projects.

While there are no ribbon-cutting ceremonies for issuing a permit on time, or avoiding exorbitant property tax hikes, these are just the type of actions that determine whether entrepreneurs see a community as a place to invest or a place to avoid.

The entrepreneurial drought will not be solved at city hall, but municipal leaders can help reverse it. Small business owners have told candidates what they need. Now it is up to them to listen and act.

Robin Bezte is the senior policy analyst for the Prairies with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.