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“Times are tough, and there have been significant changes, particularly since the new government came in, that have had a negative impact on business,” he adds.

“When the NDP came to power we expected change. Albertans voted for change. However, there are a number of policies that have come into effect or are about to come into effect that are hurting our members’ bottom lines. We haven’t called for those policies to be reversed, but we’d ask that the government commit to no further dramatic increases to the cost of doing business in Alberta.”

Richard Truscott, vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) for Alberta and British Columbia, echoes that message.

“Small business confidence in Alberta right now is at the lowest point we’ve ever recorded in the 40-plus year history of CFIB, anywhere in the country. It’s right off the cliff and it continues to drop,” he says.

“A lot of our members are feeling very desperate. There’s a lot of despair and a lot of anger that their voices are not being heard. So the government would be wise to listen and to find ways to support the backbone of our economy,” he adds.

“If they don’t, we’re going to see a lot of business failures, a lot of people continuing to lose their jobs, and a bad situation that is going to get a lot worse. I don’t want to be alarmist, but the future is looking awfully bleak right now for small businesses in this province.”

glamphier@postmedia.com