UCP MANY DAYS LATE, MANY DOLLARS SHORT ON COMMERCIAL BUSINESS SUPPORT

EDMONTON--NDP Service Alberta Critic Jon Carson and NDP Municipal Affairs Critic Joe Ceci issued the following statements following the tabling of Bill 23, The Commercial Tenancies Protection Act:

“The Alberta NDP Caucus has been asking Jason Kenney and the UCP government to protect commercial businesses from eviction for weeks. In typical UCP-style, this government waited until the 11th hour to take action and provide some temporary relief. Bill 23 sets up business owners for a lot of pain down the road. Businesses still aren’t earning enough revenue to pay the rent and those that have taken advantage of deferral programs will soon face substantial bills. Meanwhile, the federal-provincial Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program is still broken. Commercial property owners still have no incentive to apply, and the eligibility criteria is so narrow, many businesses still don’t even qualify. This bill changes none of that. In fact, Bill 23 asks commercial landlords and tenants to sit down and negotiate to the same impasse they’ve been at for weeks. Everyone is still stuck in the same place they started. Good legislation solves a problem. That is not what Bill 23 does.”

• Jon Carson, MLA for Edmonton-West Henday

“Once again, the UCP is many days late and many, many dollars short. The time the UCP has wasted has already left many businesses either closed or on the edge of closing. We have presented the government with a number of ideas for programs to help small businesses weather the storm, including providing grants of up to $10,000 dollars to help offset costs, direct support to cover utility bills and a freeze on business insurance premiums to the end of the year. The UCP has not accepted these ideas and instead chose to run out the clock. Today in Question Period, when the Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism was asked about the things she has done to support businesses that were closing, she repeatedly referred to federal programs. Instead of showing leadership and supporting businesses, they are sending them to Justin Trudeau. Alberta business owners are tired of being told to look to Ottawa for help. It’s time this government stepped up.”

• Joe Ceci, MLA for Calgary-Buffalo