FFAW Says Owner-Operators Need CEBA Extension

The FFAW says enterprise owners are still hoping the federal government will reverse course on the deadline to repay Canadian Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loans until December 31, 2024.

Thousands of EI claimants will be receiving a significant reduction in benefits due to anomalies in the unemployment rate that affected eligibility criteria at the end of the fishing season.

“Extending the CEBA repayment deadline was the low hanging fruit in our Economic Support Proposal,” says Greg Pretty, FFAW-Unifor President.

Thousands of independent owner-operators applied for and received a CEBA loan during the COVID-19 pandemic with an initial repayment deadline of December 31, 2023.

On September 14, 2023, the Prime Minister announced that up to one third of the loans can be forgiven if businesses pay back the outstanding amount by January 18, 2024.