Surviving the pandemic as a new black-owned business; Ontario needs to do better!

BY JANIECE CAMPBELL

“I’m a working-class citizen in Brampton. I’ve taken a four-year-old building that’s been sitting here, vacant and collecting dust. I’ve changed it into something huge and created jobs in my community. I’m not going to let anyone take that away from me. It’s time to apply pressure.”
Mimi, owner of Doll House 905

Near to the heart of downtown Brampton stands a bright blue building, a noticeable contrast to the drab neighbourhood, Doll House 905. Originally intended to open in Spring 2020, the full-service beauty parlour was delayed by three months due to pandemic restrictions. On August 1st, it opened its doors, offering over 100 different services by a diverse team of women.

Anticipations heightened at the thought of a black-owned woman-led beauty shop in the city, but the excitement was short-lived when reality settled in – the beauty industry is no match for COVID-19. As Peel Region and many other municipalities are being forced to revert back to a modified Stage 2, plenty of the technicians employed by Doll House 905 are directly affected.

Amidst the pandemic, the Canadian government has created an abundance of assistance benefits to provide relief for businesses experiencing financial hardships. Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA), Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA), and Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) are a few of the interest-free loan programs put in place to counteract loss of income. The problem with all of these? Doll House 905 does not qualify for any.

“I haven’t received any government support and the only reason why is solely because I opened in 2020. No one knew COVID was going to happen. If you had already signed your lease agreement, if you had prior commitments and you paid for all these tools to be used for your construction, you’re kind of stuck now.” says Mimi, the owner of Doll House 905. “[Doll House 905] is paid for out of pocket, it all came from my private investments. Everything that I’ve put in this building has come from myself. As much as they say, “there’s so much funding out there,” it’s really limited. If you’re in the seed process of your building, the government doesn’t want to support things where there is no financial history or backing.”

Due to the beauty shop opening in late summer, they weren’t given the opportunity to apply for any financial assistance, as most of the programs required businesses to be open prior to March 1st, 2020. It comes as a bit of a surprise, as the government promised to invest millions and billions of dollars to alleviate financial stress for businesses. A province that claims to be ‘open for business’ is displaying a significant lack of support, and Mimi is searching for answers.

“Currently, I’ve reached out to my MP, the premier, as well as the mayor. I’ve written emails and I’m waiting to hear back from them. My team and I have exhausted every possibility. Now, it’s just a waiting game,” she says. “It’s all so upsetting. I have a lot of people in my space that depend on me to keep my doors open, and this is making things very difficult. I understand that the government is taking as many precautions as they can to keep people safe, but if that’s the case, then there shouldn’t be any exclusion as to who can qualify for support if they’re being affected in the same way as a business that’s been open for three years.”

In early September, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a new initiative to support black entrepreneurs and business owners, as a response to the pandemic highlighting the inequality and systemic barriers in the black community. In partnership with Canadian financial institutions, Canada’s first-ever Black Entrepreneurship Program will distribute up to $221 million to black business owners across the country. Mimi worries this will be yet another fund that will be inaccessible to business owners stuck in situations alike her own.

“I feel as if they should make all these programs accessible to everyone and if not, create a program that’s specifically for people who have opened up in the last year. I feel like I’m being punished for following through with opening. I’m employing 15 people. I’m paying taxes. I’m putting money back into the government, but I can’t get any support. That’s questionable to me.”

She continues.

“These benefits are very exclusionary to new businesses. That new black business grant, who’s going to be left to qualify for these things? Who’s going to be left standing to actually gain access to it? As a young black business owner, I’ve seen the obstacles that have been presented to me as a result of who I am; my identity, my gender, and my age. I want there to be support for people who look like me in positions such as mine.”