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MEDIA RELEASE
Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce joins Ontario Chamber Network to Release a Blueprint to Bolster Ontario’s Prosperity
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 11, 2022
Sault Ste. Marie, ON / Toronto, ON - The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce (SSMCOC) and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) welcome the return of Ontario’s Legislature and look forward to working with Premier Ford, his new cabinet, and all parties to champion the province’s competitiveness, productivity, and growth. To put Chamber of Commerce members’ concerns’ front and centre as the Legislature returns, the OCC and its network have released a Blueprint to Bolster Ontario’s Prosperity, which provides a letter to each provincial cabinet minister outlining key policy priorities.
“Businesses across Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma are looking to the government to develop policies that will spur local and regional economic growth and job creation,” said Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce President, Patricia Porco. “The government must create the right conditions to support business stability, predictability, and confidence. There must be a balance between short-and long-term solutions to address our current and future challenges.”
Some key highlights in OCC’s Blueprint to Bolster Ontario’s Prosperity include:-
Addressing Ontario’s labour market challenges by boosting immigration, removing barriers to labour mobility and introducing workforce development strategies for key sectors such as construction, health care, tourism, and hospitality, and transportation.
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Bolstering our health care system by developing a health human resources strategy, delivering on digital health, and addressing backlogs in routine vaccines, diagnostics, and cancer screenings.
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Continuing to prioritize lowering the administrative burden on business and ensuring that regulation is streamlined and effective.
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Planning for Ontario’s long-term energy needs to ensure businesses and residents continue to have access to reliable, clean, and affordable energy for generations to come.
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Propelling housing affordability through increased supply and regulatory reforms to fuel the industry and help organizations attract and retain talent.
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Advancing regional transportation connectivity and fare integration as well as broadband infrastructure projects in collaboration with the private sector.
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Modernizing public procurement to support small businesses and equity seeking entrepreneurs to diversify the supply chain.
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Seizing Ontario’s opportunity to lead in the global green economy by minimizing uncertainty, supporting cleantech, mobilizing clean energy solutions, and strengthening climate adaptation.
“The past few years have been characterized by tremendous uncertainty: a prolonged pandemic, record-high inflation, supply chain disruptions, labour shortages, and geopolitical turmoil. If we want our economy and people to emerge stronger amid so much uncertainty, Ontario must focus on creating the right conditions to support competitiveness, productivity, and growth,” said Rocco Rossi, President and CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “We are providing all Ministers with a blueprint for steps that can be taken to ensure we are bolstering Ontario’s prosperity – we look forward to continued collaboration with the Government of Ontario and all parties over the next four years.”
The OCC’s blueprint letters includes both policy asks where immediate action is required to support business and foundational recommendations for long-term prosperity and were informed by OCC’s diverse membership.
READ THE LETTERS.
About the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce
The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit organization comprised of 700 plus businesses and agencies in Sault Ste. Marie and has been serving the needs of this community since 1889. The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce will lead the way as the voice of business, advancing economic prosperity for its membership and the business community. Learn more about the SSMCOC at www.ssmcoc.com
About the Ontario Chamber of Commerce
For more than a century, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has been the independent, non-partisan, indispensable partner of Ontario business. The OCC’s mission is to support economic growth in Ontario by defending business priorities at Queen’s Park on behalf of its network’s diverse 60,000 members.
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SSMCOC Media Contact:
Rory Ring
Chief Executive Officer
Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce
E-mail: rory@ssmcoc.com
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