9.69°C Vancouver

Apr 21, 2020 10:58 PM -

Survey of nearly 1,300 British Columbia businesses reveals,just over half of those expect to reopen

Share On
survey-of-nearly-1-300-british-columbia-businesses-reveals-just-over-half-of-those-expect-to-reopen
FILE - In this March 16, 2020, file photo, a bread delivery is made to a Shake Shack restaurant in the Brooklyn borough of New York. The burger chain Shake Shack says it will return a small-business loan it got to help weather the coronavirus crisis after topping up its funding. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

A survey of nearly 1,300 British Columbia businesses reveals just over half of those already closed to due COVID-19 restrictions expect to reopen.

The BC Chamber of Commerce and several partners took part in the Mustel survey, which shows a further 38 per cent of businesses are unsure about reopening and eight per cent already know they won't be back.

Of the small businesses still operating, the survey shows 43 per cent estimate they can only survive for a maximum of three more months under current restrictions.

More than half report revenues have plunged 75 per cent or more and almost eight in 10 are not confident they will be able to attract enough customers or revenue to stay alive when normal operations resume.

Latest news

CanadaSep 25, 2026

Canada, Germany Sign Intelligence-Sharing Agreement

Canada has announced a significant intelligence-sharing agreement with Germany aimed at strengthening cooperation in defence, security, trade and advanced technologies. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and German Foreign Affairs Minister Johann Wadephul signed the agreement in Ottawa on Friday. The deal will enable the secure exchange of intelligence not only on sensitive defence and security matters but also in areas such as trade and advanced technologies. Referring to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech to the European Parliament last week, Anand said Germany plays an important role i
CanadaSep 25, 2026

Canada-U.S. Air Travel Rebounds, Passenger Numbers Rise 5.9% in August

The decline in air travel from Canada to the United States, which had continued year over year for 18 consecutive months, has now come to an end. According to August data from Statistics Canada, the significant slowdown in Canadian travel to the U.S. caused by trade and political tensions between the two countries earlier in 2025 appears to be easing. The number of Canadian air passengers travelling to the U.S. increased by 5.9% year over year in August, compared with a 0.9% decline in July. Statistics Canada said Toronto Pearson and Montréal-Trudeau airports recorded double-digit growth in a
eby-announces-new-tax-on-empty-condos-in-b-c
BCSep 25, 2026

Eby Announces New Tax on Empty Condos in B.C.

B.C. NDP Leader David Eby announced during a campaign stop in Burnaby that, if re-elected, his government would introduce a new empty condo tax targeting developers who leave completed condo units unsold and vacant for more than a year. Under the proposed measure, the tax would increase by one percentage point for each additional year a unit remains vacant. Eby said just 10 developers are holding more than $2 billion worth of completed condos that they are unwilling to sell at what he described as reasonable prices. He warned developers that they would have to either sell the units or pay the
canada-u-s-trade-deal-could-take-time-as-trump-administration-shows-no-urgency
CanadaSep 25, 2026

Canada-U.S. Trade Deal Could Take Time as Trump Administration Shows No Urgency

Resolving the trade dispute between Canada and the United States could take considerable time, as the Trump administration says it is in no rush to reach a new trade agreement with Canada. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told CNBC in an interview Friday that significant trade is still taking place between the two countries and that the Trump administration is satisfied with the current situation. Greer said the U.S. trade policy is global in scope and applies equally to countries including Canada, China, the U.K. and Brazil. He also confirmed that his team remains in contact with Cana
45-year-old-man-arrested-over-alleged-threats-against-pm-mark-carney-on-social-media
CanadaSep 25, 2026

45-Year-Old Man Arrested Over Alleged Threats Against PM Mark Carney on Social Media

RCMP have arrested and charged a 45-year-old Quebec City man for allegedly making threats against Prime Minister Mark Carney on social media. Police identified the accused as Ousmane Bah, who allegedly used his Facebook account to make death threats against the prime minister. The investigation began on July 6, and Bah appeared in court on September 24. He faces charges related to threats to cause death or bodily harm and promoting hatred against a public figure. According to the court’s decision, Bah will remain in police custody until his next court appearance on October 1. This is reporte

Related News