Alberta small business confidence takes slight dip in July

Alberta’s economy may be slowly recovering but there’s still some angst among the province’s small business owners.According to the latest Business Barometer by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the optimism levels of entrepreneurs took a bit of a dip in July declining 0.7 points to 55.8, one point below the national index of 56.8.The CFIB index is measured on a scale between zero and 100. The CFIB says an index level between 65 and 75 normally indicates that the economy is growing at its potential and a majority of owners expect their business’s performance to be stronger in the next year.“Although small business confidence has taken a slight hit this month, it is encouraging to see other key indicators tick upwards like the intention to hire,” said Muriel Protzer, policy analyst for B.C. and Alberta, in a statement. “Business owners in Alberta already face a long list of operating and competitive challenges in the market. On top of all that, they also face ever-increasing taxes, regulations and red tape from government, all of which can weigh heavily on their outlook.”