Restaurants Canada welcomes extension of CEBA loan repayment deadline

Today the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, announced the following changes to the federal government’s Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) program:

• The repayment deadline for CEBA loans to qualify for partial loan forgiveness is being extended from Dec. 31, 2022, to Dec. 31, 2023, for all eligible borrowers in good standing.
• Repayment on or before the new deadline of Dec. 31, 2023, will result in loan forgiveness of up to a third of the value of the loans (meaning up to $20,000).
• Outstanding loans would subsequently convert to two-year term loans with interest of 5% per annum commencing on Jan. 1, 2024, with the loans fully due by Dec. 31, 2025.
• The government is also announcing that the repayment deadline to qualify for partial forgiveness for CEBA-equivalent lending through the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund is extended to Dec. 31, 2023.

Restaurants Canada welcomes this change in policy, as it responds to one of our key recommendations to the federal government to help hard-hit foodservice businesses survive and recover from the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

With most restaurants across the country now taking on even further debt in the face of the Omicron wave, ensuring they will have enough cash flow to continue their operations will become increasingly critical.

Restaurants Canada will continue to work with the federal government toward measures such as:

• Permanently extending the current temporary amendments to the eligibility requirements for the rent and wage subsidies under the Local Lockdown Program.
• Expanding the eligibility threshold for funds through the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program for businesses not subject to lockdown or capacity restrictions, starting at 10% (instead of 40%) revenue decline, with a wage subsidy rate that is calculated as 1.2x the percentage decline in sales up to a maximum of 75%.
• Tax credits or other sources of funding to defray the exorbitant costs incurred from pandemic safety expenditures.

For more information on what Canada’s restaurants need to stay in the picture as they continue to navigate the ongoing pandemic, visit: SupportRestaurants.ca