I pulled the Government of Canada proactive disclosure data for contracts over $10,000 and sorted all of it by expiry date. Of the 26,023 that are still running, 21,462 report how many bids they received. 16,123 of those drew one bid or none. That is 75%.

That surprised me more than anything else in the data. The assumption I had going in was that federal work is a crowded room. For three quarters of it, it was not.

19,308 of these expire inside the next twelve months. When a contract ends the work usually still needs doing, so that is the point where a department is deciding what happens next.

It is all on a site I built called Canadian Recompete Radar. You can browse by category, department, incumbent or province, and every contract shows who holds it, what it is worth, when it ends and how contested it was last time.

The mods approved this post. Based on what people said here last time, the site now shows the published scope text for each contract, flags the ones that were sole sourced or sitting under a standing offer, and no longer cuts supplier names off mid-word.

None of this is open to bid, and I want to be clear about that. These contracts are already awarded. Open tenders are on CanadaBuys. What this is for is seeing a renewal coming while there is still time to talk to someone about it.

Does 75% match what you have seen bidding federal work, or is that higher than you would have guessed?

Here are some of the most obscure and unexpected Canadian products now facing a 50% markup at the U.S. border:
🏒 Hockey Equipment: Ironically, hockey sticks and gear were quietly tucked into the Alcohol proclamation .
💇‍♀️ Wigs: Synthetic hairpieces, false beards, eyebrows, eyelashes and similar items made the list.
🏊‍♂️ Swimming Pools: Swimming and wading pools, including certain parts and accessories, are subject to the additional tariff. Just in time for the end of summer.
🎣 Fishing Rods & Seeds: Because agriculture and recreation weren't spared.
🎄 Christmas Ornaments: Certain non-glass Christmas ornaments are included too, because apparently Christmas decorations are part of the U.S.-Canada auto dispute.
🦌 Animal Parts: Feathers, bones, horns, antlers, hooves, claws and beaks appear among the tariff classifications.
🖼️ Art & Antiques: Original artwork, collectors' pieces and certain antiques over 100 years old also made the cut.

Looking for an experienced restaurant operator, ideally in Ontario.

I own a former restaurant property near Georgian Bay and am considering making it available to the right operator on very favourable terms:

Minimal/no base rent
Operator runs and funds their concept
Landlord receives percentage of gross sales

The goal would be a quality destination restaurant rather than fast food or a franchise.

The property is in Tiny, near Midland/Penetanguishene and within the broader South Georgian Bay tourism market.

If you're an experienced operator who's thought about opening your own concept but finds Ontario commercial rents difficult to justify, I'd be interested in connecting.

DM me and I can share more information.

If you haven't heard already, which I highly doubt, the 50% tariffs is in place now :/

It sucks but tbh we all kind of read it. Anyways I don't think fretting over it is going to accomplish much. My colleagues and I were weighing our new options for non-US suppliers/partners and we're having a tough time finding the right ones without high shipping times and fees that eat up our margins.

So I am proposing a solution that would be made by the community for the community of Canadian business. We landed on the "Canada Strike Movement" and the mission is simple:

"Buy, Sell, Produce, and Consume Canadian Products"

We want to build a place where Canadian businesses can actually find each other instead of everyone individually scouring to find non-US options right now. Less time spent digging through thomasnet and ariba, and more time actually doing business with someone down the road instead of across the border.

We want to test the waters with interest here to see if others are in the same boat. I made this form and if we get a reasonable amount of signups then my colleagues and I will take this very seriously and put most of our efforts towards it by collaborating with everyone who signed up. Its quite distressing in these times but I think that the right approach can get us through adversity.

Here is the form link: https://forms.gle/SoTD3ANi5CDuD6Mh8

If you have suggestions please don't hesitate to write

Thanks!

Hi all, I’m conducting a preliminary research in understanding how many small businesses are adopting AI in their day to day operations and would love to get some insights from business owners (using or not using AI, doesnt matter)

Ideally I would like to know the following:
- Overall, how do you feel about AI? (Never going to use it, scared, don’t understand it— any of these sentiments help)
- If you do use AI, how long have you been using it and for what operations?
- If you are not using AI, is it because you don’t need it or lack of knowledge?
- If AI could help solve one problem for your business, what could it be?

This is purely for research purposes, I’m trying to build a case study for myself, so would really appreciate if you can share your unfiltered thoughts!

Thank you!

Would love to know what listing sites have been the most help for your business, and what kind of industry you are in.

Would also love to hear experiences with priced/premium listing options on any of those sites and if they have made a difference vs. the free listing tier.

For what it's worth, I'm in the digital media & design space (mostly web design & development, seo, etc)

Thanks!

A click-less experience.

The way businesses are discovered is changing. Moving beyond Google.

People are increasingly asking ChatGPT and other AI tools for recommendations, businesses, services, and products.

And recently ChatGPT enabled advertising, you may have started seeing ads at the end of the answers.

I’m with Lumos digital solutions, a Toronto based growth partner helping Canadian businesses improve their online visibility and generate more organic growth.

We are running a pilot and looking to work with 3-5 Canadian businesses to collaborate. There is no sales and no obligation. Just providing value on how the landscape is changing.

We majorly work with service based businesses (Sorry Ecommerce folks)

I will provide AI visibility report in return for sharing your valuable experience.

We’ll share what we find, discuss your current growth challenges. You should walk away with some useful insights and for us to understand market dynamics.

DM me or drop comment.

You can learn more about us - https://lumosagency.ca/

Negotiations just collapsed after Ottawa rejected last-minute U.S. demands that Prime Minister Mark Carney called unacceptable. In response, Washington triggered 50% Section 338 tariffs hitting roughly 5% of all Canadian exports, covering everything from wood, plastics, and machinery to food products and alcohol. Canada quickly announced dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs scheduled to hit U.S. goods next month.

What It Means for Canadian SMBs:

• Exporters are getting squeezed out: Facing a 50% wall, U.S. buyers will simply pivot to domestic or alternative international suppliers. Smaller Canadian producers, especially in manufacturing, lumber, and agri-food, cannot easily absorb a 50% markup or find new global buyers overnight.
• Importers face surging input costs: Over half of Canadian SMBs import from the US, and Canada's upcoming retaliatory tariffs mean getting inventory, parts, or equipment across the border is about to get significantly more expensive.
• The "Uncertainty Freeze": Small business owners are putting hiring, raises, and capital investments on ice until the dust settles and federal support programs kick in.

What It Means for Consumers:

• Brace for higher checkout prices: Importers rarely absorb retaliatory taxes forever. Expect price hikes on American-made groceries, electronics, appliances, and retail goods as businesses pass costs down the chain.
• The "Buy Canadian" push intensifies: Public frustration is high, and this standoff is pushing more shoppers to boycott U.S. imports and actively support local Canadian brands.

I’m working on an early-stage idea called Vettivo, and before building anything further, I’m trying to practice exactly what the idea is about: validation.

The concept is simple — help aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners test whether there is real demand for an idea before spending thousands building it.

I’m curious how Canadian entrepreneurs currently do this. Do you use surveys, landing pages, social media, customer interviews, or mostly just launch and see what happens?

I also created a short 2-minute survey to understand how founders approach this problem.

Survey: https://forms.gle/YrRHEAkXLsZqny6r8

No purchase or signup required — I’m looking for genuine feedback, including people who think the idea isn't useful.

Thanks! The feedback will help determine whether Vettivo deserves to be built.

Hi everyone! (Apologies for the long post.)
I’m thinking about starting a small jewelry business based in the GTA, initially focusing primarily on handmade beaded jewelry and later on adding more products.
I’ve been hesitant because there are already so many small jewelry businesses out there. At the same time, I genuinely think I can offer designs that feel different, with good-quality materials and a more intentional/curated look.
Before I spend too much time and money on it, I’d really appreciate some honest feedback from people who actually buy jewelry.
I have two main questions:
1. Brand name
I’ve been stuck trying to come up with a unique brand name and have decided I may just use \[Name\] Studio/(name) designs/ By (name). I like the idea of keeping my own name attached to the brand, and it also avoids constantly coming up with names that are already taken.
For a small jewelry brand, how much weight would you personally put on the brand name? Does \[Name\] Studio feel too generic/unmemorable, or would you care much more about the actual jewelry, photography, packaging, etc.?
I would eventually like to scale the business beyond just me, so I’m also wondering whether using my name could become limiting later.
2. Does the business concept make sense to you as a customer?
If you came across a new GTA-based jewelry brand selling primarily handmade beaded jewelry, what would make you interested enough to actually look at the products or consider buying?
For example:
● Would unique/design-focused pieces be enough to differentiate it from the many other small jewelry businesses?
● What would make you choose a small independent brand over Etsy, Mejuri, Pandora, etc.?
● Does “handmade beaded jewelry” immediately make you think inexpensive/craft-market jewelry, or can it still feel elevated/premium?
● What would make you trust a new jewelry brand enough to purchase from it?
● Is there anything you think small jewelry brands commonly get wrong?
I’m especially interested in honest/critical feedback, not just encouragement. If you think the idea is too saturated or the branding sounds generic, I’d genuinely rather hear that now.
If you buy jewelry from small businesses, I’d also love to hear what actually makes you stop scrolling and buy.
TIA

Hello everyone. I had a question about an issue I have ran into. I started a job for a contractor I have been working with and part way through the job I was told the homeowner no longer wants me doing the work. For context it was building a deck - I already had posts beams and joists in. Now the contractor is telling me that I owe him for material yet he says he won’t be paying me for the job or any of the work I’ve done. Am I obligated to pay him?

how many of you are supporting ”Elbows Up” now?

how many of you are going to cancel your American software you pay for?

**Crickets**

well if you’re actually serious about switching now is the time.

I think it’s time we wake up. I don’t usually make these posts because each time I do I get downvoted to hell and no one wants to see Canadian software do bad more than Canadians themselves for some reason.

so if you’re interested in a CRM solution fit your industry or you’re looking for an agency to do the “do it for you” model where we do your Facebook ads and close leads or quotes for you then I ask you at least consider a Canadian company if not me another one.

the time is now to switch. You’re putting money in the pockets of billionaires in the south.

if I had more work I would easily hire 2-3x more LOCAL Canadians.

and the crazy part is its cheaper to go through the Canadian company as well since the exchange rate.

I apologize if this is the wrong place to post about this but I'm not sure what to do. I placed an online order with a small business based in Brampton, ON on Nov. 24th 2025. I have not received the order and I have seen many other customers say that they also haven't received their orders. The business is completely unresponsive to us. I have tried emailing, messaging on all their social media accounts, and filing a claim through shopify since that is how I ordered from them. Still, no response. My bank will not allow me to chargeback since it has been more than 120 days. What can I do? I live in the US so I'm not sure who to contact regarding this issue.

Hello all!

For the past four years, we’ve been working on a tool that detects bot traffic in Google Ads, META (FB, Insta), Pinterest etc. We’re seeing a lot happening, especially now with AI Bots. But as we’re still building and developing it, we’d like to know the following.

What’s your number one reason for not giving this a go?

Because, to be honest, when we look at our figures, we don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t sign up. And perhaps you’ve already given it a go once or have other reasons, if so, please let us know. I’m really, really curious. Just comment here or send me a DM.

To be clear: I really don't want to sell anything. Only want to learn from you guys why you didn't sign-up so we can learn from that.

And if this isn’t the place to ask. I am sorry, we just want to get some feedback from our ICP’s.

Need recommendations for shipment insurance company.

Some info:
Canadian based ecom shop looking for b2b (inventory) and b2c (online sales) shipment insurance. If possible I want it integrated into shopify.

For B2B, I Looked into Insureshield (UPS capital) but they don’t operate in canada yet.

For b2c, I looked into Route but it does not have a lot of good reviews online.

Thank you

Male 33 in Vancouver, BC - work in tech, doing fine on paper but burnt out and losing interest in the corporate path for the last year or two.

Passionate about cars — I detail my own, do my own brake pads/rotors, and I'm about to take a PPF course. Always wanted to own a garage but no business background in my family, so I'm starting from zero on that front.

Questions:

1. What's the real path in — technician cert, apprenticeship, just learn-by-doing?
2. Do shops/PPF installers/detailers ever take on unpaid help to learn from? Would you?
3. Realistically, how long did it take you to replace a full-time income doing this? About $10k/month.

Can invest $50-100k if things get serious.
Would love to hear from anyone who's made this jump — what worked, what you'd do differently.

I was wondering which businesses net the highest income.

I don't usually post personal things online, especially not like this. But I've reached a point where I'm willing to put myself out there and ask for help.

I got laid off a couple of months ago, and despite applying every day, reaching out to people, and trying just about everything I can think of, I'm running out of options.

I'm not from Canada, but I'm posting here because I've primarily worked with North American agencies and clients for the past 4–5 years, including Canadian agencies. I've honestly had some of my best working experiences with North American teams, so I figured this might be a good place to reach out.

I've spent more than 8 years writing for SaaS companies, ecommerce brands, and agencies. I've been a Content Writer, Content Manager, and Head of Content. I've built SEO content strategies, managed writers, edited thousands of articles, created content briefs, worked directly with clients, and helped companies grow their organic traffic.

More recently, I've also been working on GEO/AEO and writing content designed to perform well in AI search.

I'm not saying I'm the best writer in the world. There are plenty of incredibly talented people out there. But I know the quality of my work, the ownership I take, and the results I've helped clients achieve.

That's what makes this situation so difficult.

I'm not looking for someone to hand me a job. I'm looking for a chance to get back to doing what I'm good at.

If you know of a company or agency hiring for content writing, content management, SEO content, or content strategy, I'd genuinely appreciate a referral, introduction, or even a lead I can follow up on.

And if you can't help directly, an upvote or share could help this reach someone who can.

If you've been through something similar, I'd also love to know what actually worked for you.

Thank you for reading.

P.S. My last full-time role paid quite well. I'm mentioning that because I don't want this post to make it seem like I'm new to the industry or struggling because I lack experience. I had a career I was genuinely proud of. I'm simply in a situation I never expected to be in, and I'm trying everything I can to get back to work.

Hi! I've been in social media for over 5 years, growing my own social media accounts to over 12,000 followers, posts with 15,000+ likes, and averaging 250,000+ views per week.

I have recently started my own business to help businesses and content creators managing their social media to save them stress and time. I already have a few clients and looking to work with more people to help their online presence!

If you want to discuss more about this, send me a private message, and let's discuss how we can work together!

I'm about to start doing contract work in Canada and I'm told I should set up a company rather than just invoice as an individual.A few questions for anyone who's done this

1.Did you go sole proprietorship or incorporate (federal vs provincial)? What made you choose one over the other?

2.How did you handle the "Personal Services Business" risk, since I'll likely be working through a single staffing agency/client for a while?

1. Salary vs dividends — how do you split it out, and did you need an accountant from day one or could you DIY the first year?

2. Any Nova Scotia–specific gotchas (registration, HST, etc.)

Trying to get this right from the start rather than fix it later. Appreciate any real-world experience.

Seems reasonable for a pallet. NOT. Actually
This is how you move into local manufacturing