And right now, with small businesses facing ongoing economic uncertainty, their relationships with their customers are as important as ever. People may not always think about how their choices can help local owners, but now would be a great time to start, says Sarah Terpstra, co-owner of Russell\u2019s Butcher and Deli in Toronto\u2019s Roncesvalles Village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis whole shop local and being more aware of where you’re putting your money is awesome. Anything that will help small businesses survive this super tumultuous climate is super important,\u201d Sarah says, calling small businesses the secret to making neighbourhoods that are \u201cunique and an awesome place to live.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The good news? According to research commissioned by Interac<\/a>, nearly eight in 10 Canadians (79 per cent) agree that supporting local businesses feels more important than it did before recent trade disruptions. One way they can show their support is helping small businesses deal with a big headache: the high fees they often get charged for payment processing, depending on the payment method customers choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Out of all the challenges\u202ffacing small-business owners, high transaction fees can be among the most harmful. Just ask Leandro Baldassarre, founder and owner of Famiglia Baldassarre, which is famous around Toronto for the fresh pasta it sells to restaurants and the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leandro tallied up his transaction fees for one year and realized he was paying far more than he thought. He complained (\u201cranted,\u2019\u2019 in his words) about other payment methods\u2019 high fees on social media. Now, he says, \u201cIf they know me, they pull out their card and say, \u2018I know, you like debit.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf we\u2019re talking about supporting Canadian businesses, Interac Debit is the way to go. Interac Debit is immensely more supportive to the business\u201d than some other forms of payment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Interac Debit offers merchants a low fee \u2014 often a flat fee, depending on the small business\u2019s payment processing package \u2014\u00a0regardless of the price of the purchase. This helps limit the amount of transaction fees that a business has to pay. According to an eye-opening example from the Retail Council of Canada, a hypothetical $500 transaction can leave the merchant with a $10 fee to cover if the customer pays by credit card, versus 10 cents if they choose debit.2<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The cumulative effect of more customers choosing Interac Debit can make a massive difference to a business\u2019s bottom line, says Akim Acacia, who co-owns the Haitian restaurant Pikl\u00edz with his brother Abdel. \u201cLet\u2019s say everybody would pay by Interac Debit. It would have a big impact on our business \u2014 any small business,\u201d says Akim, who also worries about his and his employees\u2019 safety when handling cash. \u201cWe much prefer you pay by Interac [because] the fee is much cheaper for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Akim notes that with Interac Debit, \u201cWe get paid faster as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s great for cash flow, which small business owners have to think about all the time \u2014\u202fbecause it can be make-or-break for their survival. Sarah thinks about cash flow \u201calmost every waking hour of the day. And sometimes I wake up at night thinking about it too. That’s really fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sarah realizes most people don\u2019t know how much lower the transaction fees can be for some forms of payment over others. (She admits that even she forgets in the midst of all the other things she needs to keep on top of.) But one thing is clear: Choosing Interac Debit, with its low fees \u2014\u202foften a flat fee, depending on the small business\u2019s payment processing package \u2014 can be a big help to a local business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, she says, Russell\u2019s needs the proceeds from the previous day\u2019s sales to pay for something essential, like wages or a repair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Leandro puts it, getting paid quickly \u201cis peace of mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When cash is flowing well and businesses are financially healthy, they contribute to neighbourhoods that are economically strong and vibrant. According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), for every dollar that Canadians spend at a local small business, 66 cents of every dollar stays in the local economy \u2014\u202fa much higher amount than for other types of businesses, according to the CFIB\u2019s research.3<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n For customers, choosing the low fees and fast payments of Interac Debit doesn\u2019t just mean they\u2019re contributing to the business\u2019s bottom line and cash flow, they\u2019re also potentially helping to circulate money within their home provinces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To understand how this creates a positive economic impact, ask a local business owner what they would do if they had more cash on hand. Leandro says it often goes into boosting Famiglia Baldassarre\u2019s productivity and its staff. “If I see a decent net at the end of a month or at the end of the year, I start to say, \u2018OK, I could afford to upgrade this machine. We could afford a new staff member.\u201d For many businesses, the inputs they spend money on are produced locally \u2014 Russell\u2019s sources its meats predominantly from Ontario suppliers, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Financially healthy small businesses also help fuel a healthy job market. As of 2023, small businesses employed 5.8 million Canadians \u2014 that\u2019s 47 per cent of the private-sector labour force;4<\/sup><\/a> it\u2019s no exaggeration to say small businesses are the engine of job creation in Canada. To look at their impact another way, they\u2019re responsible for almost 35 per cent of Canada’s GDP.5<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond their economic impact, small businesses contribute opportunities for their customers to enjoy unique experiences, services and products. If Sarah Terpstra and her husband Christoper hadn\u2019t been able to make payroll thanks to the quick reimbursement they get from their Interac Debit sales, they may never have survived to provide Roncesvalles residents with top-quality meats from Ontario-raised animals. Without Interac Debit, the Acacia brothers may not have grown from a restaurant inside a caf\u00e9 to a standalone restaurant providing Montreal\u2019s Saint-Henri area with some of the most delicious Haitian griot and pikliz this side of Port-au-Prince. And Leandro Baldassarre\u2019s pasta business is still benefiting from the improvement to his bottom line from convincing more of his customers to pay by Interac Debit, helping to ensure the noodles keep flowing for Toronto pasta lovers who line up for lunch at Famiglia Baldassarre on weekday afternoons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All that helps explain why Interac, as a 100 per cent Canadian company, is committed to creating low-cost solutions for small businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor over 40 years, Interac has been committed to delivering payment solutions that are intuitive and help small businesses manage their bottom line\u201d says Ted Bowman, Interac. \u201cThis dedication is reflected in the low transaction fees associated with Interac Debit and in the evolution of the Interac e-Transfer platform, which has been enhanced to better support the needs of small businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sarah says the important thing to remember is that a small choice like your payment method can contribute to a huge difference for a local business \u2014\u202fand for your local economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNext time you go to shop at your local small businesses, think about what card you use. Think about the effect on the business and their cash flow and their ability to pay their staff more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s your money, Canada. Choose Interac Debit when shopping at your favourite small businesses.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nInterac Debit means support for small business<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Leandro](\"https:\/\/www.interac.ca\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2025\/08\/INT_DebitMidsize_TapCanadian_InArticleAssets_Option-A-01-1024x1024.png.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Akim](\"https:\/\/www.interac.ca\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2025\/08\/INT_DebitMidsize_TapCanadian_InArticleAssets_Option-A-02-1024x1024.png.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nStrong businesses support resilient neighbourhoods<\/h3>\n\n\n\n