Published: March 30, 2020
The money that normally flows into Gordon Bohlmann’s small physiotherapy business in south Vancouver stopped dead last week, after he became one of the many businesses forced to close because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, he’s facing a $10,000 rent payment in less than a week with no money to pay it. He can’t reach his landlord in person and he’s heard no word from any level of government about any help for people like him – small, independent business owners that can no longer operate because of increasingly restrictive policies aimed at reducing person-to-person contact.
“They’re going to have to provide some relief and it has to be done quickly,” said Mr. Bohlmann, who has operated Marpole Physiotherapy for 20 years. “Our bank account just doesn’t have the money.”
He is one of thousands of small and medium-sized business owners across the country who feel as though they are invisible, as governments scramble to provide help for renters, employees and, it seems at times, almost everyone else.
Source: Small businesses say they need rent relief – and quickly – The Globe and Mail