The Ontario Health Study (OHS) is an ongoing research study investigating risk factors that cause diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, asthma and Alzheimer’s. Researchers will use this health information to study how our lifestyle, environment and family history affect our health over time and to develop strategies for the prevention, early detection and treatment of diseases. Ontario residents 18 or older can take part in the OHS by filling out health-related questionnaires online.
Your organization can become an OHS Community Ambassador by sharing information about the OHS with your employees and clients. In turn, Community Ambassadors will be acknowledged on the "Community" section of the OHS website.
About the Survey
About Community Ambassadors
Shining Waters Railway Receives Results of Economic Impact Study
The Shining Waters Railway has taken receipt of the results of the Economic Impact Study commissioned to explore the local economic feasibility of restoring Peterborough-Toronto commuter rail Service.
Media Release & Executive Summary
OCC Survey: Help Shape the Economic Vision for Ontario
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce and the Ontario Economic Summit are pleased to present you with the opportunity to add your voice to an Economic Vision for Ontario.
In partnership with Leger Marketing and the University of Toronto's Mowat Centre, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce is gathering the opinions of business leaders regarding Ontario's future.
As a participant in the Economic Vision Survey, you will be part of an influential coalition of business leaders that will play a defining role in shaping Ontario's next great economic era. All individual responses to the survey will be kept strictly anonymous and confidential.
The findings of the survey will be used to develop a call to action for realizing Ontario's vast economic potential. The OCC's Economic Vision for Ontario will be released at the Ontario Economic Summit on November 21-23, 2011 in Toronto and will provide a platform for dialogue with the new Ontario government.
Please join the Ontario Chamber of Commerce in this unique opportunity to influence Ontario's next great era. Take the time to make your voice, and the voice of your community, heard.
Please complete this short Economic Vision Survey by Monday, October 3rd.
Chamber Releases Answers from Local Candidates to Key Election Questions from the Business Community
The Peterborough Chamber of Commerce sent the following questions to the local candidates in the upcoming Provincial Election. Their answers, in the order they were received, and limited to a maximum of 500 words each, can be found here: Provincial Election Q & A
Ontario Chamber Releases 2011 Pre-Election Survey Results on Business Priorites
Close to 1100 businesses from across Ontario, including members of the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, participated in a pre-election survey designed to provide thought leadership on the policy issues most integral to the Province’s economic prosperity.
The survey (see below) revealed four key priorities; red tape reduction, debt/deficit reduction, support for innovation, and a sustainable/affordable energy supply.
Some specific responses of note include:
- 52% support for decreased fuel taxes
- 58% support for cutting spending and redirecting funds towards priorities
- 45% support for expanded inter-city bus and rail service
- 60% supported green energy as important to Ontario’s competitiveness
Ontario is facing a large deficit, increasing energy costs and crumbling infrastructure. Peterborough Chamber General Manager Stu Harrison said, “The next Government will face a tremendous challenge in cutting costs while maintaining key public services. The ability to manage costs and reduce the deficit and debt is critical to making strategic investments in R & D, energy and transportation”.
The Peterborough Chamber has sent the Pre-election survey to the local candidates along with a list of questions pertaining to this riding (see below). The answers to the local questions will be posted and distributed to our members and the media the week of September 12.
Press Release
OCC Survey Results
Questions to Local Candidates
Ontario Chamber of Commerce Draft Policy Resolutions
OCC members have submitted a total of 41 policy resolutions for debate and consideration at this year’s AGM in May. We invite you to click on the link below and review any of the Policy Resolutions that interest you, or represent your area of expertise. The table of contents will direct you to recommendations on finance and tax law, transportation issues, skilled trades, post-secondary education, health care (including our Policy Resolution on page 67), labour arbitration, and R & D, to name a few...
Draft Resolutions
Please keep in mind that the preliminary draft resolutions may be amended, merged or withdrawn over the course of March, as the OCC’s Policy Review Committee will be examining each resolution for clarity and adherence to policy criteria.
The FINAL policy resolution document will be posted in this space in early April. That document will be the FINAL version that will be used for the policy debate on Saturday, May 7.
Please also note that the proposed policy resolutions are not official OCC policy until voted on and accepted by the delegates at the AGM.
About the AGM
The core business of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce is policy development and advocacy on behalf of the Ontario business community. As a grassroots organization, the activities of Ontario’s Business Advocate are greatly enhanced by the participation of our members – Chambers, Boards of Trade and Corporate – on OCC policy. This enables the OCC to advocate policies that can help businesses prosper across Ontario.
The Annual General Meeting & Convention of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce allows members to learn from subject experts, debate policy resolutions and formulate the annual advocacy strategies of the Ontario Chamber.
The Peterborough Chamber is a very active participant in both the Ontario Chamber and Canadian Chamber policy process. I serve on the Policy Review Committee, and Co-Chair the Ontario Policy Caucus for the Canadian Chamber AGM in September. Any input from our members on specific policy resolutions is more than welcome. This is where HST came from folks, so click on the link below :-)
Stuart Harrison
stuart@peterboroughchamber.ca
705-748-9771 ext 202
Chamber Policy Resolution Calls for Health Care Reform
The Chamber Policy Committee recently submitted a Policy Resolution to the Ontario Chamber of Commerce policy process. The Resolution contains six specific recommendations to the Provincial Government on access bottlenecks to primary health care. The Policy Resolution will be debated at the Ontario Chamber’s Annual General Meeting in Toronto in May.
The recommendations include:
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Further expand the Regulated Health Professions Act to;
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Integrate the above (1a,b) into a funded service structure.
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Integrate rehabilitation services (chiropractic, physiotherapy and occupational therapy) into Family Health Teams on an unfunded basis and ensure that the infrastructure is in place to allow for the integration of unfunded services.
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Integrate musculoskeletal triage units (chiropractors and physiotherapists) into hospital emergency rooms on a funded basis.
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Review the Physician Enrollment Model to eliminate double dipping and duplication of services.
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Implement incentive programs for Ontario employers to create employee wellness programs.
Click on the link to read the background material: Policy Resolution
Progress Report on the Shining Waters Railway Project
For a progress report on the Shining Waters Railway Project, click here:
Executive Summary
Full Report
To download a template for a Letter of Support for the project, please click here:
Template - Letter of Support
Final Proposed Accessible Built Environment Standard Released
The Final Proposed Accessible Built Environment Standard, as part of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, has now been posted on the Ministry of Community and Social Services' website. Developed by an external Accessible Built Environment Standards Development Committee, the final proposed standard was subject to public review and has now been submitted to the government for consideration. To view the document, click on one of the following links:
English
French
Chamber Submits Letter re: Highway 407
The Provincial Government recently announced that the planned extension of Highway 407 to Highway 35/115 will now be split into two phases, the first phase ending at Simcoe Street in Durham Region. This has two key outcomes:
1. An inappropriate volume of traffic will now be funneled onto Municipal roads in Durham;
2. A key transportation link for the Peterborough area has now been delayed.
Years of preparation and study are simply being set aside in favour of a two-phase approach which delays the expenditure but causes significant problems in the meantime.
The attached letter has been sent to Premier Dalton McGuinty and MPP Jeff Leal. We encourage all members to write their own letter of support for completion of the project in one single phase. The correct addresses are contained within the attached letter.
407 Letter
Ontario Fact Sheet May 2009
The Economic & Revenue Forecasting & Analysis Branch, Office of Economic Policy of the Ontario Ministry of Finance has updated the fact sheet for Ontario, as of May 2009. The fact sheet includes information on population, trade (international and interprovincial), economy, exports and imports. For your convenience, we have included a link to the fact sheet for Ontario, located on the Ontario Ministry of Finance website below.
Ontario Fact Sheet 2009
Protectionism
At its Board meeting June 6, 7, 2009 in Edmonton, the Board of Directors of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce expressed its support for efforts by the federal, provincial, and territorial governments to pursue bilateral discussions with the United States to ensure that companies from both countries can bid on government procurement contracts. The Canadian Chamber issued the media release below.
Meanwhile the Chamber of Commerce of the USA has written a letter to President Barack Obama expressing their concern over the growing protectionist policies being written into the American stimulus funding initiatives. See the link below.
Canadian Chamber USA Chamber
Tax Harmonization
Harmonized Sales Tax is a dramatic change in taxation for the Province of Ontario. The Chamber of Commerce Network has been advocating for a single tax since 2004. Unfortunately the initiative has become somewhat Political, resulting in a significant amount of miscommunication and misunderstanding. The links below will provide some information on HST.
Comprehensive Tax Reform Package
Finance Budget 2009
Download Tax Harmonization Facts and Figures
Examples - Tax Harmonization Website Ontario 2009 Budget
Ontario Fact Sheet - November 2009
The Economic & Revenue Forecasting & Analysis Branch, Office of Economic Policy of the Ontario Ministry of Finance has updated the fact sheet for Ontario. The fact sheet includes information on population, trade (international and interprovincial), economy, exports and imports. For your convenience, we have included a link to the fact sheet for Ontario.
Ontario Fact Sheet