Prairie Small Businesses Tap Personal Funds at 49% Rate as 54% Consider Closing

1 articles · Updated · SaskToday.ca · Aug 17

49% of small business owners in Manitoba and Saskatchewan used personal credit cards or home equity to keep operations running, the highest share in Canada, according to Zensurance’s latest survey.
69% reported higher operating expenses and 39% lower revenue than in the first half of 2025, with inflation cited as the main pressure squeezing cash flow.
54% said they had considered closing permanently at some point in 2026, while 70% of respondents in the two provinces reported low confidence.
68% of Prairie businesses were operating without insurance coverage—the highest regional share—raising the risk for owners already personally financing their firms.
Nationally, small-business confidence fell to a three-year low of 49% from 70% in 2024, though 68% of owners said they are planning changes or restructuring to adapt.