Statistics Canada has been keeping an eye on businesses in Canada and the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on them. Information on monthly business openings and closures has shown a significant increase in closures and a decrease in openings. Across Canada, in April, over 88 thousand business closures were seen which was more than twice the level seen in April 2019. Openings declined by almost one-quarter over the same period.

In Saskatchewan, there were 1,059 opening businesses in December. That fell to 884 in April. There were 1,099 closing businesses last December and that rose to 2,185 in April. In Saskatoon, openings fell from 346 to 295 and closings rose from 321 to 646 over the same time period.