Thank you so much.
We've heard from a number of industry organizations about the increasing debt load of businesses—small businesses, tourism and tourism-related businesses. Just one quote that I'll give you here is from a representative of Maple Leaf Adventures in Vancouver, who was quoted as saying, “Although the tourism industry...is recovering, the businesses are really hurting.” She went on, “I think all of us are carrying the highest debt loads we've ever had.” Of course, if a business is trying to make debt service payments, they have less money for hiring more employees.
Have you heard from some of the tourism operators you speak with? Are they carrying higher debt loads, and is this a concern?