Chamber This Week – May 19, 2017

May 19, 2017 | Non-Advocacy

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Rapid Policy Update: Ontario’s Burden Reduction Announcement

May 19, 2017 | Network News

OCC’s Statement regarding today’s announcement on burden reduction for small business
Today the Ontario Government announced their new measures to help small businesses and cut unnecessary Red Tape. The proposed measures will be introduced this fall, they include:

  • Reducing regulatory costs: Requiring all ministries to offset every dollar of new administrative costs to business, by removing $1.25 of old and unnecessary costs.
  • Streamlining compliance for small business: Ensuring that undue burdens aren’t placed on small businesses when new or amended regulations are introduced, while maintaining robust environmental, health and safety requirements and other public interest protections.
  • International or national standards alignment: Increasing harmonization with other jurisdictions and adopting international or national standards, where appropriate, when developing or reviewing regulations.
  • Rewarding good actors: Recognizing businesses that have a good compliance record and lowering their costs by reducing the requirements, such as the number of inspections, without compromising the environment health and safety, and other protections.
  • Electronic transmission guarantee: Providing businesses the option to electronically submit any required documentation to the Government of Ontario instead of more costly paper submissions.
  • Government procurement: Introducing a preferred procurement policy for small businesses that would help provide better access to government contracts.
  • One-window service: Developing a new program that would help small businesses access support, information and resources by phone, online and in person.
  • Reducing fees and other costs: Reviewing licence and registration fees paid with a goal of providing relief to small- and medium-sized businesses.

Read Ontario’s news release from the announcement.

OCC Statement:

We are very encouraged by today’s announcement on burden reduction. Cutting red tape for business has been a key component of our advocacy work and we are pleased to see government make meaningful change to reduce the regulatory burden on small business.

The one-window service concept will help save businesses time and money. This approach is something the OCC advocated for in our report Obstacles and Opportunities, which was the culmination of our work during the Small Business Too Big to Ignore campaign. The small business procurement policy is also very encouraging, and we ask the government to consider how they can expand this opportunity for small businesses across the province.

We are pleased to see Ontario adopt the $1 in $1.25 out provision, which will apply to new administrative costs. This is a best practice internationally and will keep the regulatory burden on business in check. We would certainly encourage this government to consider how they can bring costs down for business more broadly, outside of administrative fees.

All of these changes will have meaningful and positive impacts on Ontario’s business community, and especially among small businesses. But to keep Ontario competitive, we need to ensure that any impending changes to the Labour Relations Act and Employment Standards Act are evidence based and fully costed.

* Please feel free to use this statement and attribute it to your own Chamber/BOT.
Read the Globe and Mail’s article on the announcement, with comment from Richard Koroscil.
For more information, please contact Karl Baldauf, Vice President, Policy & Government Relations.
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Cruising on the Q takes Queen Street back to the glory days every Tuesday Night

May 19, 2017 | Members in the News

Celebrate Downtown Niagara Falls with a weekly car show on Queen Street.

On Tuesday nights beautiful Queen Street in Downtown Niagara Falls becomes a car enthusiast’s haven, attracting car owners and dreamers alike. Every Tuesday through to the end of September, Queen Street is closed to regular traffic at 5 pm and becomes a stage for some of the most beautiful and powerful cars in Niagara to showcase their gems. This free event is open to the public and welcomes all car aficionados.

“Cruising on the Q returns Queen Street to the glory days when classic cars, music and people filling the street” says Ron Charbonneau, Cruising on the Q Organizer. “Cruising on the Q has grown annually since the inaugural year in 2014. We are a community and look forward to getting together every week.

The car show is a great way for us [Downtown BIA, COD and Queen Street Business Owners] to build the Queen Street vibe.”

This would not be possible without the tireless support of car enthusiasts The Queen Street Cruisers. Weekly COD volunteers assist in the experience.This is made possible through financial contributions from the merchants and property owners of The Q District through the Niagara Falls Downtown Board of Management, the City of Niagara Falls and our many valuable sponsors.

Event Details:
Queen Street Niagara Falls
Every Tuesday evening from 6pm to 9pm (weather permitting)
Cars, music, prizes and a 50/50 raffle in support of Heart Niagara.

To participate just bring your car down to Queen Street on a Tuesday afternoon and one of the members of The Queen Street Cruisers will guide you to a spot. The street is closed to regular traffic at 5pm and the show starts at 6pm. Arrive early if you wish to have some of the best spots.

Media Contact:
Terra Pasco
COD Secretary
905-358-5552 x118
terra.pasco@heartniagara.com
www.cruisingontheq.com

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The Welland International Flatwater Centre Prepares For 2017 Competition Season

May 19, 2017 | Members in the News

The Welland International Flatwater Centre is scheduled to host over 30 competition events this year, and is becoming the venue of choice to conduct workshops and coaching development programs. City staff are excited to participate in a busy 2017 competition season on the waterway, and have also implemented operational changes to support Council’s direction to integrate on-water activities, and align the management of the Welland Recreational Waterway and WIFC with the strategic focus of the City of Welland.

CanoeKayak Canada’s Western Ontario Division (WOD) recently conducted its annual safety program on the Welland Recreational Waterway to ensure the safety of thousands of athletes scheduled to compete at the WIFC this year.  Officials and watercraft operators gathered at the WIFC on May 6-7 for an on-water course to prepare for the Ontario Team Trials, the North American Indigenous Games, The Western Ontario Canoe Kayak Championships, and the Canadian National Canoe Kayak Championships.

WOD continues to select the WIFC to conduct its safety program because of the ideal amenities and water conditions, also a number of CanoeKayak Canada competitions are hosted there yearly.

“We’re very grateful to Council and the Mayor for supporting us and welcoming CanoeKayak Western Ontario to this amazing facility,” said WOD Chair, Ted Roworth. “This waterway is first-rate and a commodity to international organizations. Teams from all across North America will be travelling here this summer to compete at the North American Indigenous Games.”

“The WIFC is a world class facility, and is gaining attention from sporting organizations as a premier sport development location for training officials, coaches, and safety personnel – along with its status as a top tier competition hosting facility,” said WIFC Interim Manager Richard Dalton. “It’s always been a mandate to improve the technical and safety development aspect of our competitions. It’s great to see that happening.”

-30-                             

 

Contact:

Richard Dalton
Interim Manager, WIFC
Recreation & Culture Division
Corporate Services
Corporation of the City of Welland
145 Lincoln Street, Welland, Ontario L3B 6E1
(905)735-1700 Ext. 4007
richard.dalton@welland.ca
welland.ca

 

Ted Roworth
Chair of CanoeKayak Canada Western Ontario Division
tedroworth@gmail.com

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Updated Growth Plan and Greenbelt Plans released as a result of the Co-ordinated Land Use Planning Review

May 19, 2017 | Network News

Following two years of extensive consultation, including recommendations from an Advisory Panel chaired by former federal cabinet minister and former Mayor of Toronto, David Crombie, we have released four updated land use plans that will help residents in the Greater Golden Horseshoe and the Niagara Escarpment area live, work and play in communities that are healthy, prosperous and sustainable:

  • The Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2017)
  • The Greenbelt Plan (2017)
  • The Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (2017)
  • The Niagara Escarpment Plan (2017)

The four plans are available for review and download at: ontario.ca/greatergoldenhorseshoeplans

These plans will protect our quality of life for generations to come and will help us prepare for a future in which the region is forecast to grow to 13.5 million by 2041. The plans work together to manage growth, build complete communities, curb sprawl, provide a range of housing options, and attract jobs and investments, while addressing climate change, preserving and protecting green spaces, farmland and ecologically sensitive lands and waters.

To develop these updated plans, we met with more than 4,600 attendees at town hall meetings, open houses, and technical briefings, and received more than 42,000 comments. We heard from First Nations and Métis communities, municipalities, farmers, developers, environmental organizations, local residents, the Greenbelt Council, and the Niagara Escarpment Commission. This input has been invaluable in helping to shape the final plans we are releasing today as part of the Co-ordinated Land Use Planning Review.

We would like to sincerely thank all those who participated in the Co-ordinated Review and provided their recommendations and feedback. We look forward to working together to implement the new policies to support a strong, healthy and sustainable future for our growing region.

Sincerely,

Bill Mauro
Minister of Municipal Affairs

Kathryn McGarry
Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry

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BALSOM: Tackle our biggest problems, but use reliable data

May 19, 2017 | Advocacy, Blog, Provincial Advocacy

At Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce, our message has always been that policy needs to be carefully crafted and be based on reliable research, stakeholder consultation and diligent analysis.

Our objection to the recommendations of Ontario’s Changing Workplaces Review is partly about the effects that the recommendations will have upon Ontario’s businesses, labour market and our long-term economic prosperity, and partly about the absence of an economic impact analysis.

Take the $15 an hour minimum wage proposal as an example.

In 2014, the government committed to increasing the minimum wage annually in line with inflation. We applauded this decision. It was fair to employees and employers, it was predictable, and it de-politicized minimum wage.

Now the Changing Workplaces Review is recommending we undo that — despite the fact that they initially stated they would not touch minimum wage, since it was outside the scope of their review. We are now barely a year away from a provincial election, which changes everything.

The 2014 decision was a reasonable, fair and evidence-based approach to minimum wage. We are concerned that these decisions are being made without any thought for the long-term consequences.

A minimum wage increase will increase the wages of many earning above minimum wage, as they will expect a similar bump. This will most likely all be lost in inflation — higher wages across the economy will mean rent increases, utility bill hikes, more expensive food, pricier household goods, and everything else besides.

A wage hike this large and this fast will result in only nominally higher earnings. Nobody will actually be able to buy any more than they could before.

When the government announced a 25 per cent hydro rate cut in Budget 2017, we cautioned that simply paying down hydro bills by adding to the debt is bad business practice. Recent documents indicating that hydro bills will begin to skyrocket again in 2022 proved us right. That policy was a Band-Aid solution designed for short-term gains, but what we needed was a long-term, sustainable plan.

The review recommendations also remove many of the exemptions made for small businesses. These exemptions existed for a reason. Businesses with hundreds of employees may absorb these changes, but most of Niagara’s businesses have fewer than five employees. They don’t have HR or legal departments to help them. What consideration has been given to them in these policies?

The impact of these changes on small businesses will be especially marked. Small businesses do not have the cash reserves or the resources of larger firms to absorb sudden and drastic changes. Almost three-quarters of Ontarians work for a small business, and 88 per cent of new jobs are created by small businesses. As a province, we gamble with the health of small business at the risk of our own prosperity.

Business in Ontario has taken a lot of hits in recent years. Promised reductions in small business taxes from both the provincial and federal governments were cancelled, but what was delivered were sky-high hydro bills, cap-and-trade, new development charges, new excise taxes, maxed-out hikes to EI premiums, more expensive pension contributions, and more.

Government must think long term and commit to planning with evidence, data and sound analysis. We need a prosperous Ontario not just for ourselves, but for our children and our grandchildren.

We do believe in tackling our biggest challenges, and we support forward-thinking reform where reform is needed, as long as it includes a sound and publicly-reported economic impact study. Our worry is what will happen in years to come when, as with hydro rate cuts or the ballooning provincial debt, the short-term solutions run out and we are left with even bigger problems and even fewer tools to deal with them.

— Mishka Balsom is CEO and president of Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce and can be reached at Mishka@gncc.ca 

Original article: http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2017/05/18/balsom-tackle-our-biggest-problems-but-use-reliable-data

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Spring Survey

May 19, 2017 | Network News

Ontario Chamber of Commerce

SPRING SURVEY

Make your voice heard!

Make your voice heard! Complete the Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s (OCC) annual spring survey. This is an easy way to make your voice heard. Your survey responses directly impact the work of the OCC and directly impact what government understands about Ontario’s businesses and economy. Help the OCC advocate for you, it only take five minutes!

Take the OCC’s Spring Survey: www.occ.ca/surveys

 

Take the Spring Survey Now!

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Chamber This Week – May 12, 2017

May 12, 2017 | Non-Advocacy

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Editorial: Binational agreements on the Niagara Frontier offer some protection as Trump’s plans for NAFTA resist focus

May 9, 2017 | Advocacy, In The News, Municipal Advocacy

A new reciprocal agreement between the Buffalo Niagara Partnership and two Canadian chambers of commerce should ease any local tensions surrounding the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Even a little bit and every bit counts.

President Trump has made clear his displeasure with the pact enacted in 1994. He has threatened to tear up what he believes has amounted to the loss of millions in manufacturing jobs. Canadian and Mexican trading partners vehemently disagree and have been working feverishly to keep it in place.

Despite years of critical rhetoric, Trump recently and unexpectedly backed away from abandoning the agreement. Nevertheless, uncertainty overshadows an arrangement that has benefited Western New York for more than two decades.

The dissolution of the NAFTA deal would adversely affect the United States and, in particular, border cities such as Buffalo. But rather than guessing which direction the trade winds are blowing, the partnership has done a good job in setting in place some certainty for local businesses and Canadian interests.

That the new reciprocal agreement was in place long before Trump was a presidential candidate speaks volumes for the leadership here and just across the border.

The partnership announced recently that it had struck the new strategic agreement with the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce. The plan is to extend local members’ reach into Canada.

The idea is to give businesses reciprocal associate memberships in the three organizations as well as access to cross-border events into business networking opportunities. Businesses that will see a high degree of return on this reciprocal agreement include a dozen manufacturing, professional service, logistics and trade industries. All are well-represented here.

Partnership President and CEO Dottie Gallagher-Cohen explained the goal: “creating accidental collisions.” That creates opportunities and avoids the need for an intermediary between U.S.-Canadian counterparts.

Close communication already exists with a number of Canadian companies attending partnership events in the Buffalo Niagara region. This agreement takes it to another level and encourages communication – and business – to flow back and forth.

As uncertainty surrounding the fate of NAFTA continues, it is reassuring to know that this area’s local business group and Canadian chambers have devised their own agreement to benefit both regions.

Original article: http://buffalonews.com/2017/05/05/editorial-binational-agreements-niagara-frontier-offer-protection-trumps-plans-nafta-resist-focus/

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