This is the weekly Report on Small Business newsletter. If you’re reading this on the web, or if someone forwarded this e-mail to you, you can sign up for it and all Globe newsletters on our signup page.
Labour shortage has some business owners wishing for pause in booming economic cycle
When Equal Parts Hospitality posts a job at one of its eateries, only half of the applicants scheduled for an interview actually show up. In most cases, the no-shows have already found work, says company co-founder and chief executive Jason Cassis. Story
Small Business Borrowing Guide: Thinking Capital offers an alternative to big bank loans
For more than a decade, Thinking Capital Financial Corp., known as Thinking Capital, has offered small businesses in Canada an alternative option to financing from banks. Story
Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes to step down in wake of leadership concerns
Hootsuite Media Inc.'s founding chief executive officer, Ryan Holmes, will step down in the wake of concerns raised by the company’s board about his leadership after a failed attempt to sell the social media management company. Story
Canadian robo-adviser Planswell shuts down after investors pull planned financing
Canadian robo-adviser Planswell is closing down after losing a $20-million round of funding from a group of investors that included Sun Life Financial Inc. Story
Quebec software titan Louis Têtu marks second $1-billion valuation as Coveo raises milestone financing
Quebec City entrepreneur Louis Têtu has become one of the few Canadians to create two different billion-dollar technology companies after his latest firm, Coveo Solutions Inc., raised $227-million in an equity financing led by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System. Story
Biotech fund Amplitude Venture Capital aiming for investors in drug development
A new Canadian-focused biotech venture fund spun out of Business Development Bank of Canada has raised more than $100-million as it aims to woo reluctant domestic investors to an asset class that has enjoyed one of its strongest years in Canada. Story
Jason Kenney’s budget cuts are bad news for Alberta’s tech sector
Calgary’s growing tech sector has been held up as a way for the city to shift from an energy industry that has been stuck in a downturn for years, but deep funding cuts from the provincial government have put that sentiment in doubt. Story
WHAT WE’RE READING ELSEWHERE
Ontario could close small business tax loophole
The Ontario government is likely to address a tax integration anomaly created by its decision not to match the federal government’s changes to the passive investment income rules affecting small business taxation, tax experts say. Advisor
Toronto businesses should be paid for construction disruptions
The leaves may have just turned colour in the city, but Toronto business owners are already a little sick of seeing orange, as another construction season winds down. The Star