Canada's Entrepreneurial Drought: Steel & Needle Bucks Trend

0:00It's April 16. From your city to your ears, this is Calgary News today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. Canada's stuck in an entrepreneurial drought, according to a fresh report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. For six straight quarters, more small businesses have shut down than opened up nationwide. Clojus hit 5.6 percent, while New Starts lag at 4.8 percent. These owners face a triple threat of street crime, sky-high taxes, and endless red tape from all government levels. In Alberta, more than half of small business folks say they wouldn't recommend launching anything right now. That said, not everyone's waving the wife flag. In Calgary's mission neighborhood, Catley and Ella Pinkowski just opened their tattoo in piercing studio, steel and needle, bucking the trend with. Pure grit. The CFIB is pushing Alberta to slash the gas tax before July, and ease up on property taxes. Meanwhile, the province's government fires back, boasting twice the national small business

1:02growth rate and over 100,000 new jobs added. From March 2025 to March 2026, steel and needle's grand opening hits this Saturday on Forestry Southwest, a bright spot proving that bold moves can still cut through the noise.