Yes, you're absolutely right. Of the tools that the federal government has put in place, I think CEBA is the most logical one to allow some support of payments for rent and other fixed costs. My specific suggestion for CEBA is that the government eliminate immediately the wage thresholds, at least the bottom four, so those who pay themselves with dividends or microsized businesses can access it, and raise the top threshold to something a lot more meaningful than $1 million, because it's cutting out way too many small companies—not even medium-sized firms but still very small employers.
We need to make sure that the upfront.... The $10,000 forgivable loan portion, which I think is one of the most attractive features of the CEBA account, in my view should be an immediate grant from government to allow businesses to use those dollars to pay some of their fixed costs. I would further suggest that banks and provincial governments contribute to that.
As this drags on, that $10,000 should be revisited and perhaps become $20,000, because businesses are going to have additional fixed costs as this COVID effect continues.