Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canadian Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC)-owned small businesses showed greater resiliency amid the pandemic and their owners report feeling more optimistic about the future than non-BIPOC small business owners, according to a recent Scotiabank report.
The second annual Path to Impact Report, which surveyed over 900 businesses across the country, found 69 per cent of BIPOC business owners feel extremely or very optimistic about their business’ future, compared to 55 per cent of non-BIPOC small business owners.
Thirty-one per cent of BIPOC business owners reported an improvement in their pre-pandemic performance, compared to 14 per cent of non-BIPOC businesses, thanks to BIPOC businesses offering a greater selection of online services and products and improving their digital capabilities to a greater degree than their peers.
"Canadian small business owners have found ways to adapt their business, investing heavily in digital and prioritizing flexibility to meet the expectations of customers,” Jason Charlebois, senior vice president of small business at Scotiabank, said in a press release.
"BIPOC small business owners have demonstrated their adaptability and fortitude by reaching new markets and incorporating new technologies to grow their businesses. While uncertainty remains, small business owners can benefit from seeking qualified advice, taking advantage of the various tools and supports, and looking broadly for new talent and customers as they pivot to succeed in the new normal.”
Still, 47 per cent of BIPOC small businesses say they are disproportionately faced with systemic barriers that put their businesses at a disadvantage.
Despite ongoing uncertainty about COVID-19 case rates heading into the winter, the Scotiabank report found that business optimism is on the rise as vaccination rates rise and economies begin to reopen.
More than half (54 per cent) of small business owners surveyed reported doing the same or better than they were pre-pandemic and 77 per cent say they are well equipped to survive a future wave.
Despite that optimism, 51 per cent of small businesses expect they will need additional financial support in the future, especially as many of the federal government's key pandemic supports are set to expire soon.
Programs like the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS) and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) are scheduled to terminate on Oct. 23, after being extended several times since their launch in 2020, despite acknowledgments from the government that the pandemic continues to pose a challenge to businesses.
“Only 40 per cent of small businesses are at normal levels of sales, 60 per cent are not there yet. I think a lot of people see businesses open and they just assume that we’re back to normal, but it’s definitely not the case,” Canadian Federation of Independent Business president Dan Kelly told CTVNews.ca last week.
“January to March is already just a terrible season for most businesses and so having at least a little bit of assurance that they’re going to have programs to rely upon will allow them to plan.”
With files from Sarah Turnbull
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Police are searching for a suspect in a homicide investigation after a man was slashed in downtown Toronto on Sunday.
This Mother's Day Weekend, take a look at some of the most emotional movies inspired by moms.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.