Impact of COVID-19 on Small Businesses in Canada, third quarter 2020

As a result of the widespread measures taken to contain the spread of COVID-19, the Canadian economy contracted. By the end of May, the Canadian economy had been transformed by COVID-19 and many businesses had begun to adapt to the new reality by shifting to teleworking, reducing hours, laying off staff, applying for government funding or seeking rent relief. As parts of Canada were exposed to a second wave of COVID-19 and other parts were in recovery, Statistics Canada ran the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions to better understand the ongoing impacts on businesses. Based on the results of the survey, while the majority of businesses in Canada were impacted, smaller businesses with 1 to 99 employees were slightly more affected.