“Common Employer” allows a court to treat separate legal entities (such as franchisors and franchisees) as a single employer for the purposes of attaching liability for such things as wages, overtime, vacation pay, benefits, termination notice, severance pay, wrongful and constructive dismissal, etc.

Employment law can penalize franchisors for establishing control mechanisms to protect their intellectual property and enforce standards that protect the brand to ensure that products/services within the franchise network meet customers’ expectations everywhere. LEARN MORE

We ask that government continue to work with small businesses to find creative solutions to the labour market challenge as quickly as possible, and to remove barriers to accessing labour so franchise small businesses can fully serve their customers and continue to drive the economy. LEARN MORE

CFA seeks to ensure increases are predictable and phased in over a reasonable amount of time. Significant and unpredictable increases in the minimum wage can have a dramatic impact on our members and their businesses, potentially resulting in hiring freezes, price increases, and reduction of employee hours. These are not circumstances in which small businesses can thrive. LEARN MORE

That the Ontario government continues its work to maintain a low corporate income tax rate and enhance tax credits to help small business owners, particularly franchisees, thrive.

Government needs to provide the right economic climate and smart tax structures for entrepreneurs to have the best chance at surviving and succeeding. Keeping corporate and small business tax rates low and exploring additional tax incentives for entrepreneurship, like opening a new franchise location, can provide the best opportunity for small businesses to succeed and resume their role as an economic engine for the province. LEARN MORE

The CFA calls on government to reduce red tape and regulatory burden for small business owners, like franchisees, by streamlining and simplifying the Act and information on its regulatory requirements by:

• Coordinating any changes to the Act or regulatory requirements with the Federal government and providing sufficient notice of changes so that small businesses can appropriately prepare;
• Using plain language in communication and education to small business owners about changes and requirements; and
• Providing better tools to find information and receive guidance on how to comply with the Act in real-world scenarios.

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Ensure franchised businesses are not being unfairly targeted when implementing or revising stewardship legislation.

The CFA proposes that, in jurisdictions where relevant, franchise-specific small business thresholds be set and that the material produced from a franchisor and franchisee be separated. This would help ensure franchises are treated equally to non-franchised small businesses. LEARN MORE