My fellow small business owners and supporters, this petition is to appeal with the Government of Alberta and Canada to create a Business Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service similar to the Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service in place as the current system of setting all business matters in court, including tenancy disputes, is too expensive, therefore, unachievable for most small businesses. As a small business in downtown Edmonton, I have solid backgrounders for the belief. In 2011, my customers, more than 1,000 office workers in the building, moved out. The landlord convinced the population in the complex would increase as another tenant would occupy by March 2014. Despite having the building's eleven floors with no tenants settled yet for three years, the rental rate stayed the same, placing a hardship on the building's foodservice businesses. The landlord insisted that our sales were "as usual," but my neighbors and I toughed out during a supposedly temporary lack in sales and traffic. In 2014, it was excruciating to discover the new tenant's employees working from home and the traffic permanently unimprovable.

In 2016, the landlord did not compensate for its disruption of my peaceful business, making deafening noise and enormous waterfalls unexpectedly into my store by its exterior renovation during all Summer. I planned to sell my business after the lease renewal at the end of the year 2016. Despite a five-year renewal option set in the contract, the landlord converted the lease to a short-term unilaterally, excusing its interior renovation and sustainability. The landlord abruptly accused me that I had been breaching by selling pizza and Italian food for nine years. Pizza, however, was one of the permitted items stipulated in the agreement from the beginning. The landlord forced me to evict if I disagreed with a month-to-month lease. The landlord reduced the month-to-month rental fees in return, but I could not sell the franchise restaurant in 2017 due to the lease situation, which resulted in my bankruptcy inevitably.

The franchiser caved in the deal to the landlord. There was no place for me to get help to dispute my tenancy except the court, which was too expensive. I could not afford it and realized small businesses lacked bylaw protection and aids when the landlord or the franchiser became a tyrant or a fraud. After the business's twelve-year operation with faithful services to the community, I got terminated amid the pandemic without cause. The landlord tried not to return my security deposit or misuse it after the final walkthrough 100% compliant.

Canada and Alberta's governments must protect small businesses, the Canadian economy's backbone, stand-alone or franchise, to sustain their lives. By creating Commercial Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service and banning threatening, forced deals on leases, evictions without cause, unreasonable raises of rental payments, governments can support small businesses, employees, and their families to rely upon their businesses safely and peacefully regardless of any social crisis.

Thank you for your support on behalf of vulnerable small businesses in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Sincerely,

Sunghee Kim 1227545 Alberta LTD.