CFIB demands tax relief ahead of October's municipal vote
· Toronto Sun
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OTTAWA — With Ontarians heading to the polls in a little over a month, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is urging municipal candidates to make small business a key plank in their campaigns.
To that end, the federation released its 2026 Ontario Small Business Municipal Platform — a wide-ranging series of relief measures that it says will help business owners already at the end of their rope.
“With such a strong voter turnout expected from the small business community, we’re hoping candidates in communities across the province will openly support our platform ideas,” said Julie Kwiecinski, the federation’s director of provincial affairs for Ontario.
“Our fiscally prudent recommendations would help Ontario’s 444 urban and rural municipalities create the right climate to attract and keep small businesses, in both good and bad economic times.”
The recommendations are based on the results of an August 2026 CFIB survey, which indicates that 88% of small business owners in the province plan to vote on Oct. 26.
Property taxes top list
Topping the list of concerns is fairness in property taxes, with the federation urging municipalities to ensure business owners don’t pay more than their fair share.
They also want cities and towns to take the Ontario government up on its offer to create a small business property tax subclass, which would save small businesses up to 35%, matched by the Ontario government.
So far, only Toronto and Ottawa have taken advantage of this.
The federation is also calling for municipalities to dedicate staff members to cutting red tape by eliminating permit delays and duplicative bylaws, deferring property taxes and waiving interest fees for business owners impacted by lengthy road work projects, capping municipal budget growth at inflation plus population growth, and waiving licensing and commercial parking fees for businesses impacted by cross-border tariffs.
“Our members keep telling us that unnecessary, excessive, and duplicative rules take precious time away from running a business,” said Angela Drennan, the CFIB’s vice-president of legislative affairs for Ontario.
“As they try to navigate an unpredictable economy and ever-rising costs from all fronts, small businesses look everywhere for savings, so they expect governments to do the same.”