Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner held a press conference at Queen’s Park, calling on the Premier to take immediate action to prevent small business eviction.

Watch press conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGjOmDQrGsI&feature=youtu.be. Statement below.

“The Premier is continuing to ignore the plight of small businesses left out of the rent relief program. His refusal to protect small business owners and their employees will only worsen the economic turmoil after the FAO projected a bleak 9% drop in Ontario’s GDP.

It will also hurt women more than men, who are disproportionately impacted by job losses in the service, retail and hospitality sectors. If restaurants, daycares and retail stores lose the roof over their heads, it will be women in the workforce who suffer the brunt of it.

Today, I am repeating my call for a ban on commercial rent evictions, hoping that the province will finally end its inaction to protect small businesses.

The Premier’s passive approach to this problem is allowing thousands of local, independent businesses to fall through the cracks. We must help save small businesses and the workers they employ with a ban on evictions.”

source: media release, Green Party of Ontario