ROI hosts webinar on pandemic impact on rural businesses

GUELPH/ERAMOSA –The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural businesses across Canada, with a focus on rural Ontario, is the topic of an upcoming webinar hosted by the Rural Ontario Institute.

In the July 6 webinar, authors Marina Smailes, Andrew Balcom and Haaris Jafri will share data and key findings from a report titled Outlook of Rural Businesses and Impacts Related to COVID-19. The analysis will include a comparison among industry sectors and between rural and urban businesses.

Among the findings in the report is that rural businesses have proven more resilient than their urban counterparts in some facets of operating through the pandemic.

The majority of businesses in both rural and urban areas have either remained partially operational or have had to shut down temporarily due to COVID-19 impacts. However, rural businesses have been able to remain fully operational during the pandemic in a larger proportion (47.7%) than their urban counterparts (38.6%), the report notes.

The study also found rural businesses were less likely to experience a decline in revenue than urban businesses. Overall, 45.8% of rural businesses had a 10% or more decline in revenues in 2020 compared with 2019,  compared to 57.4% of urban businesses. The study is based on the results of the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions (CSBC).

Registration for the event is free through Eventbrite. For information visit the ROI Facebook page.