covid-19 business impact survey results -...

COVID-19 Business Impact Survey Results - Jasper

1 | P a g e

Executive Summary

Community Futures West Yellowhead, in partnership with economic development partners

throughout the region, surveyed 220 businesses throughout the West Yellowhead region in

week 4 of the COVID-19 economic crisis. For simplicity, CFWY is considering the declaration of

a State of Emergency on March 17, 2020 in Alberta the start of the economic crisis. This data

was collected during week 4 of the economic crisis (Friday, April 3 to Saturday, April 11).

Businesses were contacted through various partner agencies throughout the West Yellowhead

region; in Jasper, this included the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce, Jasper Employment

and Education Centre, Tourism Jasper and Municipality of Jasper.

Question 1 – What community in the West Yellowhead is your business located?

A total of 73 businesses in Jasper completed the survey.

Question 2 – What kind of business do you operate? (n=73)

Respondents were asked to describe their businesses and for simplicity as well as keeping resources anonymous, businesses were classified by NAICS codes.

* Notes: Arts, Entertainment & Recreation includes tourism attractions and operators

Other services include personal care services (i.e. massage therapists, homeopaths, etc.)

Public administration includes those who identified as “non-profit”


2 | P a g e

Question 3 – What best describes the current state of your business operations under the COVID-19 crisis? (n=73)

Question 4 – What is the total number of employees who are no longer employed by your business due to the COVID-19 crisis? (n=69)


3 | P a g e

Question 5 – What is the current state of your employees at the present time? (n=72)

Question 6 – Compared to your sales in 2019, how much has your revenue decreased in the COVID-19 crisis? (n=72)

Average response is 78%


4 | P a g e

Question 7 – Please list your top three concerns for your business during the COVID- 19 crisis: (n=207)

Respondents were asked their top three concerns for their business during the COVID-19 crisis.

Responses were open ended and coded into the top three concerns:

1. Concerns about reopening and/or economic recovery after COVID-19

2. Challenges to businesses during COVID-19 crisis

3. Employee retention and/or attraction and staff concerns

Concerns about reopening and/or economic recovery after COVID-19 (n=90)

Listed as #1 concern (n=32)

• When can I reopen?

• Slow recovery

• Regional market getting back to work; oil prices

• Time to resume operating and re-employment

• Seasonal property - not being able to open until July

• Health and Safety of everyone once the business opens (i.e. COVID transfer within our hotel rooms)

• Closing permanently

• Re-opening

• Timeline stretching into the "off season" - being down for a year

• Health & Safety for all

• Duration of closure

• Safety for my patients now and in the future

• No international inbound travel (it's 85% of our demographic)

• Safety of myself and staff and whether I can remain open at all

• Slow operation due to border closings and no international travelers which make up 90% of customers

• Length of time being closed

• Tourist town

• Not being able to open before we run out of finances

• Ability to open and have visitors

• Staying in business

• How long

• The other side of Covid-19

• Impact of Covid-19 on tourism - business is mainly tourist dependent

• Loss of momentum

• The health of all the people around us and the world


5 | P a g e

• Not being able to re-open for the busy summer months

• More clients will do the work themselves

• No revenue for 2020 as the summer season is affected

• Length of economic recovery

• Speedy resolution of crisis

• Will we be able to reopen for June/July?

• Reopening capital

Listed as #2 concern (n= 23)

• Length of travel restrictions

• What will business be like when this is over?

• International travel

• Status of demand for essential summer season

• How busy will Jasper be this summer

• Interruption in services to the community

• Health

• What are our suppliers plans?

• Re-opening and start-up costs

• Lack of clients when we can open

• We depend on seasonal tourists, if we cannot resume sales, we will not survive the winter

• Not enough work to keep my business going

• Had to promptly end treatment plans that may affect patient daily activity, physical comfort, sleep and mental well being

• Being able to reopen again

• How many weeks?

• Getting people to spend money again

• Loss of clients

• How to return to safe and profitable operations when governments allow return to business

• May slow future business

• Missing the summer money

• Corporate spending will be reduced

• Timeline on re-opening

• Strength of recovery


• Even if we return to regular operations, the effect on tourism is drastically handicapped

• Figuring out how to rebuild occupancy and market share

• Parks Canada opening the parks

• Reduce product offerings


6 | P a g e

• Lack of summer sales will make next winter excruciating

• Start up when it’s over

• Loan payment deferrals

• How long this will go on for?

• Parks development permit time frame

• Missing out on our busy season (spring/summer)

• When can we start business again?

• Effect on travel into the area

• Future business recovery or new reality?

• Uncertain future

• No tourists

• Construction will be listed a non-essential business.

• Time until future ability to treat patients as it is close contact

• The very slow tourism rebound, major economic depression

• Uncertainty of the duration of the virus and am unsure of purchasing rental product

• Supporting the community

• Future of my business. When can I re-open and when will tourism rebound?

• The complete or nearly complete collapse of the tourism industry

• How long before business can return?

• To be able to remain in business after the isolation

• Will I still have a business?

• Long term recovery plan needed to be implemented by the government and commercial landlords, particularly in the heavy tourist dependent areas. Otherwise many businesses will not survive. Loans on top of loans will just compound the debt situation, not relieve it

• The unbelievable lack of leadership and common sense of the people running the governments

• Be able to ever reopen

• Competition cutting rates and potential new businesses start up if they can no longer work

• Having to close permanently

• How to pay all the payments after Covid-19 as revenue is lost. Mortgage and utilities, municipalities will get their revenue once we start paying deferred payments but revenue in 2020 is lost for <edited for name> business and is not deferred

• Fewer traders and investors

• Closing permanently

• Accumulated debt


7 | P a g e

• Recovery

Challenges to business operations during COVID-19 crisis (n=88) Listed as #1 concern (n= 34)

• Burning through cash, no revenue, moving towards default

• Covering my lease payments - $3500 /month

• Cash flow

• No summer revenue

• Rent (x3)

• Paying my rent

• Enough cash flow to continue

• Tenants unable to pay their rent in the future

• Financial

• Need specific online training for tools to help me continue services and activities online

• Do we have enough cash to survive until it is safe for us to open?

• My products have a shelf life and much of my stock may become garbage/oxidized

• No more work at some point

• Paying bills

• Loss of entire seasonal revenue

• Paying our outstanding bills and ongoing fixed costs

• Paying rent and other fixed costs while closed

• Projects this summer will be canceled

• Rent and equipment leases

• The ability to financially function as a family with zero income coming in

• Having enough revenue to get through the winter

• Loss of income and zero revenue

• Rent payments

• Lack of revenue

• No income

• No way to recoup costs

• Too much debt

• Available credit

• Cashflow


8 | P a g e


• Revenue, salary

• Seasonal operation must make our money in the summer to sustain the winter

• Paying insurance on vehicles - $21,000

• Being able to pay our bills especially propane bills. Natural gas bills can be deferred – propane in remote locations cannot!

• Bankruptcy

• Cash to maintain our closed business

• Affordability of rent

• Paying overhead

• Bankruptcy

• Paying myself

• Insurance

• Rent (x2)

• Company that was building my website in India seems to have closed and has no contact, my $9000 plus time may be wasted

• Financial security for all

• Trades workers have stopped working

• Paying suppliers for orders as spring payments come due

• Income recovery

• Having to source more capital for cash flow going into debt for operating costs while sales are down

• Payables

• Not getting financial government support

• Insurance and utility payments coming due

• Cash flow to keep business open

• Due to rent and other bills to catch up on (including payments to new government support loans) not sure we'll survive our quiet winter season with only a very short and likely weak tourist season under our belts. We will have likely lost half, if not more, of our crucial season.

• Operational overhead

• The financial health of the middle class and lower – BIG companies will be just fine

• Loss of revenue

• Going into debt when I never had one

• No revenue for 2020 to pay all deferred rent and all other payment including mortgage

• Government assistance through crisis


9 | P a g e

• Stay afloat until it's over


• Cashflow

• Hope to not have to borrow money

• Paying utilities, phone

• Surviving shut down period

• Cost of financing my operation while under closure

• Being able to pay our mortgage

• Paying utilities

• Bankruptcy

• I am unable to attend markets/festivals to make sales

• Spotty work some here some there and people drive prices down

• Operating costs to stay closed, dead inventory

• Most of my inventory for the year has arrived and I have no sales to pay my vendors

• Not having to file for bankruptcy and losing everything

• Ability to pay bills and employees

• Cash flow to pay for inventory

• Loss of product

• How to live through it

• Business expenses such as rent and utilities

• Increasing debt service coverage ratio is scary

• Loan and credit payments

• Not having the cash flow

• Will have to close permanently if nothing is done to help

• Obtaining funding from provincial and federal government

Employee attraction and retention and/or staffing concerns (n=32) Listed as #1 concern (n=10)

• Staff rehiring when reopening

• Continuing to pay our employees

• Ensuring my laid off employees can meet basic needs

• Possible and likely layoffs

• Well-being of laid off staff

• Concerns for employees

• Staff getting sick

• Our employees


10 | P a g e

• Staff getting Covid-19

• The health and well-being of my staff and customers


• Retaining my employees so that we have them back when the time comes to reopen

• Employees staying

• Health concerns for staff when we can open

• Catching the virus as we are an essential service

• Employees

• How will our employees manage?

• Ability to recruit seasonal staff upon reopening

• Safety of myself and others around me

• Keeping (and caring for) staff

• Our staff all live and work at <location edited>. One large shared kitchen, food storage all shared etc. While we'll have less staff if we do open, what happens if one gets sick... do we all quarantine?

• Not being able to employ anyone

• Safety of employees and guests

• To make sure my temporary laid off employees are okay

• Losing reliable staff

• Employee compensation


• Employees

• Not being able to find employees to work when we can open

• Losing employees after laying them off

• Retaining coworkers due to reduced business levels

• Our staff while no longer employed

• Maintaining key staff for reopen

• My employee’s safety when we open again because our business is direct contact with customers


11 | P a g e

Question 8 – What kind of support do you require immediately in the COVID-19 crisis? (n=61)

Responses were open-ended and are grouped according to top responses with comments after each grouping. There were 12 respondents who stated “none” or “no response”

Government support through financial programming (i.e. CERB, CEWS, emergency loan programming, tax deferrals) (n=19)

• CERB and CEWS HAVE not solved my current problem. I understand that the Canadian government is doing lots stuff and I think doing a good job. I am caring for and keeping my employees for a long winter (no revenue, keep stay open and pay to employees) and coming busy month start from March spring break. I lost more than 65% of revenue compare to last year and 100% would be lost this month and more months. I would like to receive revenue recovery funds. For example, 70-80% of lost revenue?

• Government subsidies

• We are looking forward to the federal governments help with wages and if necessary, a loan

• Hoping to use the wage subsidies if and when they come through

• Government to revisit the guidelines on the 75% wage subsidy

• Financial support for laid off employees

• Financial aid to pay bills and eat

• Continued government support, legislate deferrals or rental breaks, customers to pay what is possible so I can also pay employees and survive too

• Flexibly from government programs to understand issues specific to different small businesses. - Cash flow (credit) to cover the cost of inventory until business can resume in a near normal state

• Grants or government funded loans, wage subsidies, credit/payment relief, deferred payment or in-kind resources for marketing

• Financial support to keep employees remaining

• Wage subsidy was welcome. worried how long this may last, as summer is what floats us through the winter. If you break even in the winter, that's successful

• Zero interest loan program. Rent deferral. Wage subsidy

• We require financial support, we are a tourism-based town, without that we have nothing

• Government assistance to pay rent at least

• I think more should be done for the tourism industry. Everything the government has done only helps those businesses that have been able to stay open with reduced sales. For those of us that had to close, although it is something, all we have been given is a line of credit to go into debt to be able to re-open and not close permanently

• Grants not more debt like loans with or without interest.


12 | P a g e

• Funding

• Revenue, or cash aid package

Loans and/or other financial assistance (n=18)

• Immediate access to business loan, little to no interest, government backed relief with employee subsidies and intervention with landlords, rent decrease

• Financial support to cover taxes, mortgage, operating costs like insurance, utilities, rentals, leases, and other routine monthly liabilities

• Financial support

• Financial (x9)

• Small business impact grant

• Financial. As I am still able to check in and have a line open for my clients, I do not charge as my work is hands on

• I believe we need loans to survive a summer of not opening. We are looking into that

• Line of credit for the business

• Credit line

• Financial assistance

Help with cash flow and/or operational obligations (n=18)

• I need these basic bills covered. Then when it's safe I can re-open and hopefully make enough at least to cover the monthly bills

• Self-employment income

• Rent abatement, payroll support, access to operating funds

• Cash flow

• We really need rent deferral and reduction. Something needs to be legislated and applied consistently across the board. It cannot be left to landlords to decide themselves, there needs to be a clear policy at the federal or provincial level. I'm not saying businesses shouldn't have to pay rent, but all parties involved need to absorb the financial impact of this pandemic on small business. Government, banks, the landlords and the business owners. Loans and deferrals are not good enough, because it means the business owner has to burden the entire loss themselves. This does not seem fair.

• Break on rent and bills.

• Rent deferred

• Reduction in rent, halt rental increase, interest free loan to pay my vendors and complete project that were suspended on March 15. 40k interest free is not enough and a strong wage subsidy until spring 2021. All with immediate access

• Rent relief

• Some sort of monthly payment so we can keep paying our bills and buy food.

• Rent

• Monetary and more representation for seasonal operations


13 | P a g e

• Both personal (my husband and I) and business financial support

• Commercial lease break and injection of operating capital, ideally in the form of a grant. Debt on top of debt just compounds the issue. While it may help in the immediate, doesn't really help in the long term.

• Give the middle and lower-class financial help to allow them to support their families so they can pay for the basics like food, rent, phones, internet. Just talking doesn't help. Thinking about big companies increasing the basic prices for items needed to keep our health care workers safe makes me sick.

• Cash

• We have lost some revenue. Most of our revenue has been postponed. As a result, cash flow coming in is on pause which strains us for month to month costs. For the immediate need we will be okay, longer term will be worrisome.

• Authorities should forgive rent, taxes utilities and mortgage interest for next 4 months. Banks are deferring payments but are charging interest for this period

Communication on COVID-19 (n=5)

• Simplified and timely information

• It would be great to have a consultant that could help us through all the different programs so that we don't miss any

• Information and all other businesses to respect the crisis. I am livid that hotels are still accepting leisure travelers. Totally irresponsible and unacceptable

• Would love predictions for when the non-essential travel ban will be lifted and how many people are expected to travel to Jasper National Park this summer in comparison to the normal 2 million a year. Would like to know when parks offices will re-open. Happy to see the government directly pay Canadians with the emergency response benefit so when this is over, they have money to spend on travel. I could use a grant to start additional products and services that don’t require direct customer contact in order to make money in the meantime.

• Transparent communication from our Town Manager (CAO), Parks Superintendent and Hospital Administrator would be appreciated. As there has been zero communication with the business and residential community

Business Training (n=1)

• Training. (What the best platform to stream, how to stream, planification of the content of social media, etc)

Question 9 – What kind of tools do you need to help you re-open your business after the COVID-19 crisis is over? (n=70)

Responses were open-ended and are grouped according to top responses with comments after each grouping.

Financial support and business support (n=33)

• Money (x2)


14 | P a g e

• Loans

• Line of credit (x2)

• Working capital and an ongoing commercial rent break would be helpful

• Financial to purchase product to replace my expired product

• Cash flow

• We will need a financial bailout, if loans, a no interest loan of lost revenue, to pay back over three years interest free for two years

• Perhaps our rent could be covered for those businesses that were forced to close

• Interest free business loans

• Training and skill development. Business strategy focused

• Access to start up cash

• A loan, hopefully interest-free

• Just enough money to get restarted

• I don’t think I’ll be able to reopen and operate the same way

• I need to be able to pay my operating costs

• Bankruptcy protection

• I am currently still technically able to do business as <edited for location> shops are considered an essential business. However, my staff are not comfortable working with public at this time and I’m home with my kids during the day so I can only work a couple of hours a day. I believe that small low interest loans would be a great help for myself and other small businesses

• Access to strong titles

• Depending on length of the crisis, I may need money to restock expired materials

• Financing first, we are also finding new online ways to operate

• Have everything I need so far. Maybe I would still buy some more equipment if I have the work and there could be some great deals on heavy equipment out there

• As much information as far out as possible about what restaurant dining will look like

• Cash

• Depending on time, further financial aid to carry through the "off season"

• We are continuing to work and will resume full-service delivery once this is over

• Rent forgiveness, loans, and wage subsidies for the business owners

• Just a line of credit or financial stability to restock product and supplies and expanded line of credit and debt relief

• Credit from suppliers and cash flow to pay for start-up

• I have kept all long-term staff working, with the wage subsidy. I need local promotion and co-operation with my landlord.


15 | P a g e

• Some funding

• Accurate data on recovery timelines, financial aid package to manage cash flow

Marketing (n=15)

• Ramped up local Tourism DMO. They need government funding to survive and support the community moving forward

• Marketing assistance

• Encourage tourism and support from municipalities by helping with taxes and other fees

• Business

• Marketing dollars

• Promotion, promotion, promotion - financial assistance to "get through the first few months" - partnerships to create awareness and drive sales - media exposure that we are open

• Assistance with marketing this area for tourists to return

• We'll need Travel Alberta to push Jasper Travel

• Marketing and advertising - Jasper Tourism

• Advertising. Understanding the uncertainty regarding the future as it relates to this virus. Financial resources

• I need to be able to reach customers through marketing

• Marketing support

• Support from locals

• Bring the tourists

• Hopefully people will travel and bring business to Jasper

Health and Safety Protocols post COVID-19 (n=8)

• As soon as the social distancing rules ease up, we can operate with heightened protocol to operate our tours

• Guidance on what is required to clean a hotel room in a checkout for the safety of our next guests

• Slow the influx of tourists into town so we can prevent a second wave and closing down

• Our business is focused on social gatherings in a tourist town. So, we need more clarity on public health and (international and domestic) tourism

• PPE and better direction from the province on how to continue business with new directions

• I just really need it open, and if that means sanitary stations and masks and anything else. I would need help sourcing those supplies

• Access to safety gear, masks, gloves and possibly equipment to facilitate the safe flow of customers. Such as temperature screening equipment, clear instructions from the health authority for how to act and behave in public settings


16 | P a g e

• Planning for operation of hospitality in a post Covid-19 world (or a continuing Covid-19 world with relaxed distancing measures). Changes to reassure the customer of safety & hygiene. Marketing of this message. Data analysis of consumer concerns in a post/relaxed Covid-19 world - likelihood to travel, domestic vs international, key concerns etc.

Employee Attraction and Retention (n=5)

• Assistance for employees

• As we are seasonal, we do it every year. It will really depend on our capacity to get staff, and staff that have money to travel to work in the Rockies

• Hiring and training will be a challenge as laid off staff may not return

• Staff

covid-19 business impact survey results -...

Documents