Advocacy in Action
Small business
Small businesses are the backbone of Niagara’s economy, representing 98% of all establishments with employees, and more than half are micro-businesses with less than 5 staff. Supporting them is central to our mission and to Niagara’s economic success.
Top Initiatives
Maintain Blue Box business service
The Government of Ontario is transitioning the Blue Box Program to full producer responsibility by January 1, 2026. Most businesses and not-for-profits (non-eligible sources, or NESs) will no longer be eligible for municipal blue box service.
Create a Canadian Free Trade Portal
While both federal and provincial governments continue to chip away at Canada’s internal trade barriers, Canadian firms still face a morass of regulations which often makes trading within Canada more difficult than trading with foreign countries. Without access to a centralized, easy-to-use data portal, this issue will continue for years.
Develop the Niagara Wine Supercluster
As Canada’s largest wine region, Niagara has the potential to develop a “supercluster” of industries that revolve around the wine sector – if given the proper supports to grow.