Update on ACTA’s involvement in the Small Business Matters Coalition

Small Business Matters Coalition
ACTA has reported on occasion our participation in a national coalition known as the Small Business Matters (SBM) Coalition. The main issue that brought this coalition of associations of small businesses (including the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, Canadian Independent Petroleum Marketers Association, Canadian Convenience Stores Association, Retail Merchants Association, Canadian Independent Bicycle Retailers Association, Baking Association, Hotel Association of Canada, Canadian Propane Association and Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association, to name a few) was to address the need for fairer credit card fees for independent businesses. With the exorbitant credit card fees we have in Canada (unlike other jurisdictions including the European Community, Australia and Spain) eroding the profitability of many small and independent businesses, this is an issue that ACTA needs to be involved. The “ask” of government is not to pass on the credit card fees to consumers but rather make the charges more fair, especially in comparison to other jurisdictions where regulatory intervention has proven successful. 

At a recent meeting of the SBM Coalition, there was a discussion about the ‘way forward’ with the new Liberal government.  To that, it was agreed that we need to expand on our current ‘story’ by soliciting information from all members of the coalition on a number of metrics:

  •  Number of outlets
  • Employment
  • Revenues
  • Credit Card Fees paid
  • Evidence on whether members have seen any reductions in credit card fees since April 2015 when the credit card companies were supposed to have reduced the fees.

ACTA will be sending out a survey in the coming weeks to ask questions on the metrics mentioned above. The survey will be anonymous and the information collected is strictly for the purpose of presenting overall small business numbers to the government. We appreciate your cooperation in this initiative. 

Another agenda item was a presentation from a law firm on the class action suit originally started in BC but now more national in scope. It is based on the uncompetitive behaviour in interchange fees pre 2010.  We expect to be sending out a summary of the case in the near future on outlining where this case is heading and how it may impact you.  

Finally, the Coalition is looking into other relevant issues to the group such as the ORPP, the new provincial retirement pension plan that is being imposed by the Ontario government, and the impact to businesses.

In the meantime, feel free to comment on any one of these topics to hcraig-peddie@acta.ca.