A Message From CFA President and CEO Sherry McNeil

The Canadian economy has come a long way over the past few months since we published the Spring Issue of The Franchise Voice. In that issue, CFA members and franchising professionals, ranging from franchise lawyers and consultants to marketing and communications experts, embraced the power of community by providing insight to help the Canadian franchising community navigate the barriers to business caused by COVID-19.

Since then, the economy has started moving forward on the road towards recovery. Here in Ontario, one of the provinces hit hardest by COVID-19, we are methodically entering “Stage 3” of reopening to ensure we restart the economy safely. Restrictions on dine-in restaurants, bars, movie theatres, fitness centres, and other impacted businesses are cautiously being lifted. We  are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. While the economic engine slowly warms up, many businesses have since reopened across Canada and franchisees are adapting to operate under physical distancing guidelines, PPE regulations, and cleaning requirements.

Throughout this COVID-19 crisis, Canadian franchises have proven their resiliency. Faced with unprecedented challenges, including complete business shutdowns for months, Canadian franchises   are emerging eager to provide products and services for Canadians in a safe environment.

Franchises have taken time throughout this crisis to learn, grow, and adapt. Over the summer, we have been celebrating the outstanding achievements of CFA members through our awards program on social media and a series of virtual events. A very prestigious award that the CFA presents on an annual basis is The Hall of Fame Award, which is presented to a franchise company in recognition of outstanding performance. Winners typically have high brand recognition, solid business performance, exhibit leadership within the franchise community, help and encourage franchise excellence by sharing best practices and participating in speaking engagements, mentor other members of the franchise community, and actively work to raise the profile of the franchise business model.

The challenges presented to COVID-19 continue to have an impact on the entire franchise community, but if the past few months are any indication, we are well on the right track to get through it. The CFA has been delivering support to our members through education, government advocacy, and connecting with the community. Through this, we have seen franchising’s strength shine very brightly. At its core, franchising is about people helping other people achieve their goals  – franchisees and franchisors growing together through collaboration and mutual support. Our members have been working incredibly hard to support their franchisees and reaching beyond their own business to help other members of the franchising community. This is why this year, we decided to present a special Hall of Fame award to all CFA franchise system members and brands.

They deserve it. Getting to this point in the recovery process cannot be attributed to an individual franchise brand. It took a strong community of Canadian franchise business professionals, brands, and systems within the CFA to reach a point where we can begin to reopen franchises across all sectors safely.

In the wake of COVID-19, our members have demonstrated outstanding leadership within their systems and innovations within their business models to adapt to the situation and effectively lead their teams. Our members have been generous in spirit and with their time by sharing their knowledge and experiences to help others through these difficult times. They have been hosting webinars, writing informative articles, participating in events, and providing fellow CFA members with peer-to-peer support.  In addition,  our members have been actively participating and engaging in our government advocacy and social media throughout this time. This support has strengthened our advocacy position, raising the profile of franchising in this country, and together, as a community, we continue to grow stronger and more powerful.

Congratulations to all of our special Hall of Fame award winners. Thank you for all that you do to support your own systems, fellow CFA members, your Canadian Franchise Association, and the entire Canadian franchising industry. Let’s keep it up, let’s keep moving forward, let’s continue to forge forward, let’s continue to grow the strength of our community!