The Canadian Federation of Independant Business is encouraging everyone to consider compassion over convenience and shop local.

For every dollar spent at a small business, about 66 cents are recirculated back into the community. However, CFIB Prairie Director Brianna Solberg says when a dollar is spent at a large retailer, only 11 cents stay local.

Solberg says although small businesses make much less revenue than large retailers, they use that money to support an entire ecosystem of local activity. Some source their goods and services from other local businesses. They employ local labour, support local sports teams, and make local, charitable donations.

CFIB launched a campaign in 2020 that can be found under the hashtag Small Business Every Day. It was created to urge Canadian to ‘keep their loonies local.’ Although CFIB isn’t asking people to shift completely away from large chains, they are looking for people to pause and check the business around the corner first before making a purchase.