This weekend is Small Business Saturday. It is positioned in the middle of Black Friday and Cyber Monday to remind Canadians to choose small independent businesses in their community for shopping during the holiday season.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says as the second wave of the pandemic threatens the critical holiday shopping season, it has never been so important to their survival to get out their and support them.

The CFIB is urging consumers to think beyond big box stores and online giants and make an extra effort to support small business. According to CFIB’s latest data, only 38 per cent of retail businesses are making normal sales and one in seven is at risk of permanently closing.