 Several policy resolutions authored by the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce were approved by the over 300 delegates at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) AGM in Saint John, New Brunswick recently.
The policy resolution process sets the advocacy agenda for the CCC for the coming year. They take these positions from Chambers such as ours to the federal government on our behalf. This is a significant part of the work a chamber does. Through the policy resolution process we are able to bring the voices of our 900 members along with the rest of the Chamber Network to government as one voice. The influence of our voice helps create the conditions for growth and improves the competitiveness of our business community. This year the Peterborough Chamber introduced two new policy resolutions. The first, titled Addressing Barriers to Succession Planning calls for a level playing field for those looking to pass their business on to a family member. The resolution was developed in conjunction with Chamber member Park Place Financial. “We want to help family business owners plan properly for the exit of their business. The problem is right now it is more tax favourable to sell the business to a third party than a member of their own family,” Darrell Wade, co-founder and Family Business Advisor, Park Place Financial. “What does that do for the long term of our economy? It changes the landscape of our Canadian economy. Think about the framework our country has been built on and the foundation of the business owners today; it’s all been small and medium sized businesses that have been able to pass on, in their families, from generation to generation. Those family businesses are at risk because it is becoming unsustainable to sell to a family member.” The resolution also presents three other recommendations around succession planning, including expanding the scope of existing small business financing programs to incorporate succession planning as a legitimate reason for business financing. The Peterborough Chamber worked with the BC Chamber of Commerce on these recommendations. The second titled Investing in Building Community addresses the rise of social enterprise and the importance of supporting these companies. The resolution was developed in conjunction with Chamber member Ashburnham Realty. The second part of the resolution offers suggestions to develop structures that can help with the financing of community building projects and property development to reduce pressure on government and its limited resources. Peterborough also worked with several chambers in Ontario and Alberta to reintroduce a 2016 policy resolution titled Restoring Canada’s Innovation Competitiveness. The Red Deer Chamber of Commerce brought the resolution to the floor. It passed as presented and included the following suggestions to the federal government:
A policy resolution titled Advancing Canadian Competitiveness Using Shortline Rail that the Peterborough Chamber worked on with the Cape Breton Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Regina Chamber of Commerce was also reintroduced and passed. The resolution calls on the federal government to create a dedicated short line capital funding program (low interest loans/matching funds, etc.) that is accessible to all short line companies and to establish a tax credit program to assist short line rail companies in making capital investments. The Peterborough Chamber of Commerce co-sponsored on a policy resolution from the Tillsonburg & District Chamber of Commerce that asks the government to expedite the process by which business obtains the duty drawback on tariffs. The resolution titled Enhancing Tariff Claims Process to Address Business Needs & Encourage Trade Growth was passed as presented. In all, 76 resolutions were debated with 8 failing. The 2020 AGM will be held in Ottawa next September.
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 The report titled: The Great Mosaic: Reviving Ontario’s Regional Economies outlines how government at all levels can work with industry to unleash the potential of Ontario’s regional economies and reinforce the competitiveness of the province as a whole.
“We urge policymakers to take a modern and comprehensive approach to economic development by leveraging the existing competitiveness advantages of Ontario’s regions, and implement deliberate strategies to support long-term growth in communities across the province,” Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. In all, the report offers 17 recommendations directed at the Governments of Canada, Ontario, and/or municipalities within Ontario:
Along with a half-dozen pictures of the area by Justin Soule for Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism, the collaborative nature of economic development in Peterborough is highlighted in the report: "Peterborough and the Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED) delivers economic development services through a Memorandum of Understanding with the City and County of Peterborough. To achieve its mandate, PKED partners with the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, Community Futures Peterborough, the Innovation Cluster, the Downtown Business Improvement Area, the Workforce Development Board, and various other organizations in the region. This collaboration has resulted in several joint projects and a new atmosphere of cooperation. Since 2016, many of these agencies have moved their offices to Venture North, a three-story business hub, giving them a level of physical proximity that will help foster even more collaboration in years to come. In 2017, PKED entered into a multi-year partnership with two First Nations and nearby municipalities to pursue economic development projects of mutual benefit. This unique partnership is part of the Community Economic Development Initiative (CEDI) implemented by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers." "One thing we've come to realize is the need for municipal, provincial, and federal commitments to regional economic development planning that highlights the possibilities rather than the borders," says Stuart Harrison, President & CEO, Peterborough Chamber of Commerce. "Finding ways to work across borders benefits all local communities." This is also the time to have those conversations as the City, County and Townships are in the process of developing and feeding into official planning documents. These documents will outline development in our area for the next 25 years and how the City and County plan to achieve population and job growth targets set by the province. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce and Peterborough Chamber are hosting the Associate Minister for Small Business and a panel discussion on Scaling Up Business as a part of the report launch. The event is Friday, September 27th, 2019 at Venture North from 11:30 AM to 2 PM.  Stuart Harrison, President & CEO, Peterborough Chamber; Sandra Dueck, Policy Analyst/Communications Specialist, Peterborough Chamber; Dawn Hennessey, BDC and Incoming Board Chair, Peterborough Chamber Peterborough Chamber Wins National Award!
The Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce has won the annual Canadian Chamber of Commerce Competition at their Annual General Meeting in Saint John, New Brunswick this past weekend (Saturday, September 21). Each year the competition is focused on a different aspect of the Chamber operation, this year the competition was titled “Influence in Action - Advocacy through Events”, with an emphasis on events that create profile for the fundamental advocacy work of the Chamber Network. The Peterborough Chamber’s annual Power Hour event was chosen as the 1st Place Winner by some 300 delegates from across Canada. The Power Hour is an annual event bringing together the business community and our elected officials. Attendees hear from our elected officials at all four levels of government - the MP for Peterborough-Kawartha, the MPP for Peterborough-Kawartha, the Warden for the County of Peterborough, and the Mayor for the City of Peterborough. Also invited as guests are the elected councils for the City and County of Peterborough, First Nations Chiefs and the City and County CAOs. The event features a Q&A session, moderated by Peterborough Chamber of Commerce Policy Analyst, Sandra Dueck, with questions provided by the audience. The questions and the discussion further inform the advocacy direction for the Chamber moving forward. On Saturday, Sandra Dueck presented the Power Hour concept to the delegates, including a video featuring all of our elected leaders, as well as business leaders who have attended. The delegates then chose their favourite from three presentations; the others were from Surrey, BC for a series of Advocacy Lunches, and a consortium of four New Brunswick Chambers for an election platform they co-developed. The Peterborough Chamber has been named as one of three finalists on four occasions in this competition, for membership initiatives, our use of video, the creation of the Kawartha Choice brand, and the Power Hour. Kawartha Choice received the National Award as the best Community Initiative in 2005. “I couldn’t be prouder of the staff and volunteers of the Chamber”, said President and CEO, Stuart Harrison, “to have the opportunity to not only showcase our Chamber at the national level, but to be judged the best, is truly an honour.”  The 2017 federal budget introduced a largely unnoticed legislative change that will have long-term implications for Canadian businesses. It overhauled the cost recovery rules that govern how federal departments and agencies set user fees charged to businesses and individuals.
The budget replaced the 2004 User Fees Act with the Service Fees Act. The Service Fees Act makes it much easier for departments and agencies to introduce and increase the fees for their goods and services. For some fees, the budget legislation went a step further and, without explaining why, exempted fees under the Food and Drugs Act from the new rules, giving the Minister of Health the authority to increase fees via Ministerial Order. These exemptions and the Service Fees Act were included in an omnibus budget bill, meaning the changes received far less parliamentary and public scrutiny than they would have as stand-alone legislation. User fees play an important role in how departments and agencies are funded. Like taxes, they affect the competitiveness of businesses that pay them. Given the hasty implementation of changes to federal cost recovery rules, it is worth examining how the government and Health Canada, specifically, have exercised these new authorities. The principle of cost recovery is a reasonable one: that some government goods or services should be paid by the user that benefits from them instead of from general tax revenues. When the benefit is entirely private, some fees recover the entire cost to departments of providing the service. Some fees recover a portion of the service delivery cost when there are benefits to both private interests and the broader public. Canadian businesses are accustomed to paying fees to all levels of government to comply with regulatory requirements, including a seemingly endless number of registrations, licences and permits. Individual Canadians are also used to paying federal user fees for things such as passports and admission to national parks. While user fees are generally not compulsory like taxes, many businesses cannot obey existing laws and regulations without paying them. These requirements are from a public monopoly, meaning there are no alternatives for businesses that are unhappy with the service or the fee. As a result, it is crucial departments provide the highest levels of transparency and accountability in setting fees and ensure fees are strongly connected to the services they fund. When the User Fees Act was introduced by Roy Cullen in 2002, he stated: "It is time for parliamentarians to take greater ownership of user fees. What began as a legitimate attempt to more fully recover costs for proprietary services and goods has developed into something that is beyond that which was contemplated." Cullen’s private members bill, the User Fees Act swung the pendulum in the opposite direction to a point where departments found the fee process too burdensome. There are signs that the Service Fees Act and the exemptions to it have swung the pendulum too far back the other way. The new unregulated approach to setting industry fees sends a hostile signal to foreign investors and companies looking to do business in Canada. Health Canada’s 2017 attempt to dramatically increase fees for drugs and medical devices gave no consideration to business competitiveness impacts and reinforced industry concerns about the federal shift on fees. 2020 will mark three years since the passage of the Service Fees Act. Given it was drafted without consultation and received little public scrutiny, it is an appropriate time to conduct a review of the legislation. Doing so provides an opportunity to build business confidence in the federal cost recovery regime and ensure the Service Fees Act, like the user fee policies of the mid-1990s, does not develop into something beyond which it was intended. Recommendations:
 The province has opened applications for two different initiatives. The first is to help Ontario farming sectors find new markets and the second is an infrastructure fund that will go toward renovations, upgrades and new construction of community, culture and recreational projects. Agriculture and associated sectors are an important economic pillar in Peterborough City and County. The Market Access Initiative The Government of Canada and Government of Ontario are taking action to help Ontario food and agri-product exporters pursue new markets. The Ontario government is accepting applications for the Market Access Initiative, a new cost-share funding initiative open to all Ontario food and agri-product exporters to assist them in accessing new markets. The Market Access Initiative will assist with diversification projects and is supported through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (the Partnership). "Through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, we are investing in collaborative and innovative solutions to industry challenges. The Government is committed to creating good jobs for our families by helping our farmers and processors in Ontario and across Canada to compete and succeed in markets at home and around the world," said the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. "The quality of Ontario's farm products has and always will be among the best in the world - and trade disputes don't change this. We're pleased to apply the Canadian Agricultural Partnership to help expand markets for Ontario's agri-food industry and to support the sector in its efforts to innovate and be open for business," said Ernie Hardeman, Ontario's Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The Partnership’s priority areas are:
The Market Access Initiative will be delivered by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. For more information or to access the program materials and applications forms, visit www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/cap/market_access.htm today, or call 1-877-424-1300. The application intake will review applications as received and remain open until funding budgeted for the initiative is no longer available. Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) Laurie Scott, Minister of Infrastructure and MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock announced that the province is now accepting funding applications for projects under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program's (ICIP) Community, Culture and Recreation (CCR) stream. The funding will go towards investing in community, culture and recreational projects that will help deliver vital services for communities, foster greater social inclusion and improve the quality of life for residents across the province. "Community centres, cultural facilities and recreational infrastructure are exactly the types of investments that make a difference in the daily lives of people across Ontario," said Scott. "We are making the investments that matter to our communities." This program is funded by the federal and provincial governments along with eligible partners such as municipalities, Indigenous communities and not-for-profit groups, and could unlock up to $320 million in provincial funding. The Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) is a $30-billion, 10-year infrastructure program cost-shared between federal, provincial and municipal governments. Ontario’s share per project will be up to 33.33 per cent or about $10.2 billion spread across four streams:
The agreement between Ontario and Canada commits $407 million in federal funding to the Community, Culture and Recreation stream. This could unlock up to $320 million in provincial funding and up to $275 million in other partner funding such as municipalities, non-profit groups or Indigenous communities. Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program: Community, Culture and Recreation guidelines and application materials are available for eligible partners on the Transfer Payment Ontario website.  The federal election is expected to be called in the next few weeks and the Peterborough Chamber is currently in the process of pulling together all of the information our members will need to know.
There are three ridings that cover Peterborough City and County. These are:
Registered Voters: 93,190 Area: 3,473km2
Registered Voters: 89,605 Area: 3,001km2
Registered Voters: 91,802 Area: 8,941km2 The Peterborough Chamber of Commerce as always will be focussing on policy, not politics. In May the Canadian Chamber of Commerce released a business platform titled “Vote Prosperity” “We have published an open letter to all of Canada’s federal party leaders, challenging them to give our 200,000 business owners what they must have: a fighting chance to compete and grow. Canada’s businesses have every right to expect a level playing field with the countries they compete against. We call on all party leaders to build their business policy proposals around the Vote Prosperity checklist, which outlines what Canada’s job creators themselves have identified as mission critical,” said the Hon. Perrin Beatty, PC, OC, President & CEO, CCC. Vote Prosperity reflects the priorities and concerns of job creators in communities across Canada. Developed in partnership with Canada’s provincial and territorial chambers of commerce, Vote Prosperity lays out our seven priorities, along with a series of specific measures to attract investment to Canada, and help businesses create jobs, grow and strengthen our communities. The seven priority areas are:
The Canadian Chamber has developed a website which can be accessed through our website peterboroughchamber.ca During this election campaign, seven local business organizations are banding together to host an all-candidates’ debate focussed on business issues. The host organizations are:
The event will be held on Monday, September 30th at Market Hall from 5:30 – 9:00pm.  The Peterborough Chamber is thrilled to be one of three finalists in the 2019 Canadian Chamber of Commerce competition.
Chambers from across Canada were asked to submit an event based around advocacy. The Peterborough Chamber put forward the Power Hour event and was selected as a finalist to present at the national Annual General Meeting on September 21, 2019. The Power Hour is annual event held in the first quarter of the year. It brings together our local elected officials from all four levels of government and the business community. The 90-minute question and answer session includes audience questions and covers a variety topics. Thanks to our sponsors, members, and elected officials for making this event a success!  The Chamber does work that is purposeful, transparent, accountable and strategic, all with the goal of strengthening the community.
The Chamber is driven by the leadership of its members, who believe that Peterborough will never be good enough for any of us until it’s good enough for all of us. The Chamber can put its name on many of the community’s accomplishments over the past 130 years. There have been hundreds of women and men who, for no other reason than love of our city and county, have volunteered with the Chamber to make good things happen. Business advocacy is paramount to an economically vibrant city. And that effort is privately funded by our membership. We have credible standing at City Hall, at Queen's Park, and in the Parliament of Canada because we represent the business community. We influence public policy to ensure that the stage is set and maintained for business success right here in Peterborough. Having a positive, productive relationship with government at all levels matters – and we’re often able to resolve challenges for our members through those relationships. Influence: Our advocacy efforts include letters, meetings, round tables, and Policy Resolutions, which are a formal tool we use to indicate broad support for a specific recommendation to Government. Policy Resolutions can be Municipal - approved by the Policy Committee and the Board, Provincial – approved by the delegates at an Ontario Chamber Annual General Meeting, or Federal – approved by the delegates at a Canadian Chamber AGM. We have authored numerous Policy Resolutions, from municipal tax ratios, to Provincial apprenticeship ratios to federal taxation on digital entities and the risks of cybercrime. We work openly and account for our work, with a focus on two fundamentals, the ultimate success of our member companies, and the prosperity for the community of Peterborough City and County. We don’t make willy-nilly decisions based on the interests of a few. Rather, our positions on issues that impact your business and the community as a whole take a long-view and are based on fact, and broad input. There are a multitude of organizations involved in this work, representing everything from economic development, innovation, new Canadians, women, the downtown, the trades, the professions, etc. etc. We call them #TeamPtbo. But we feel that we represent all of those organizations, all of those sectors, all of that potential. And, just like we’ve done for 130 years, we leverage the passion, time, treasure and spirit of our community to ensure that Peterborough remains strong in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. "We benefit from the strong network of businesses the Chamber provides. We've experienced expense savings with the member discount programs and I know that the Chamber is an advocate for local business, and that benefits our community." Sue Sharpe Brant Office Supply Profile: Our members make connections in the community in a multitude of ways: - by accessing our multiple social media channels - by being listed in our online membership directory that works hard for your business 24/7 because of our high Google ranking. - by accessing our networking and ticketed events, as well as professional development programs, ticketed events and sponsorship programs "This membership isn't all about networking in person. There is a real opportunity, at a foundational level, to improve your local rankings online and help you reach more people simply by being listed as a member of the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce" Toby MacLeod Stradegy.ca Knowledge: We can help you with your business fundamentals by: - Keeping up with Government. Legislative/Policy changes come at you from all levels of Government. We curate that information and keep you up to date on a need to know basis. - Our workshops connect you to the expertise of other members, and we partner with other organizations to give you access to a broad spectrum of business information. - Our numerous discount/exclusive programs offered by our members can not only provide learning opportunities, but can make you a more attractive employer "Being a Chamber member is so important to us for a couple of reasons; the advocacy the Chamber does on our behalf and on behalf of small business, and the Chamber health plan, which we're able to offer to our full time staff to help support them and their families." Kelli and Tony Grady Grady's Feet Essentials There are many reasons to belong to The Chamber, from promoting your business, to saving you money, to helping you gain a competitive edge. But the most important is the simple strengthening of your business. I invite you to be a part of writing the next chapter. Your membership is not only an investment in your business, it’s an annual vote of confidence in ours.  The Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) is completing a series reports around Artificial Intelligence (AI). In 2017, the federal government released its Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy which funds three centres of excellence in AI research and innovation in Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto. From 2017-2018 there was a 28% increase in the number of active AI-related start-ups in Canada.
Part of the series included roundtable events in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver to discuss issues and opportunities in relation to AI. It includes an examination of:
The report on workforce identifies that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates that 14% of jobs in OECD countries are already highly automatable, while another 32% will be radically transformed by technological progress. Ensuring Canadian workers have the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed and prosper amid such widespread innovation is a crucial public policy priority. Recommendations from the roundtable on workforce: The Government of Canada should:
According to one forecast by the McKinsey Global Institute, AI could generate $13 trillion in additional global economic activity by 2030, representing an additional 1.2% growth in GDP. One of the challenges identified in the series is continuing to encourage AI as a way to enhance productivity in both rural and urban centres.  The topic of affordable housing, or low-barrier housing, is discussed year after year, election after election, at all levels of government. Most citizens, even some who have been elected to serve, don’t really have a full appreciation for the problem because it’s been largely invisible... until now. The emergence of the Tent City has been called the "canary in the coal mine". If by that you mean that there is a lot of volatile gas around the issue, sure. But let’s just say that the Tent City has illuminated a serious problem in Peterborough, and many other communities across the country. Much has been written about why the Tent City was triggered, who is living there, the various agendas involved, and what the solutions are, but let’s just establish that it’s an incredibly deep and complex situation involving the lack of affordable housing (and the harsh reality of what that actually means), mental health, addictions, homelessness, red tape/rules and regulations, and more. And not one of us would want to be in one of those tents. How a society treats its most vulnerable is a measure of that society. As much as one could argue that our social safety net is better than many other countries, it’s also true that over the years mental health services have been seriously eroded, affordable housing has become much less affordable and much more difficult to build, opioid addiction is now a full-on crisis, the shelter system is stressed and Governments with less and less money are having to take care of more and more people. So, what now? Like the problems, the solutions are multi-layered and complex. Our elected leaders hosted a round table discussion last week which included some education on the issues from City and County front-line staff, and agencies such as Built for Zero (bfzcanada.ca), which is seeing a growing number of communities achieving effectively zero homelessness. We were struck by the approach of staff which is based on a “by-name” system. Knowing the people affected by name and dealing with their issues and circumstances one by one is truly front-line work, eating the elephant one bite at a time. As a result, the Tent City is slowly shrinking as caseworkers work closely with individuals. The round table established a ten-point plan which included short-, medium- and long-term goals. The list has been well publicized, but it includes the immediate goal of finding a new location for the Warming Room, working to create new applications to the National Housing Strategy in order to trigger new affordable housing development, and more. The Chamber of Commerce network is currently working on a number of measures, including:
The “Housing First” approach aims to move homeless people rapidly from shelters and the streets into stable housing, while providing them with the necessary support for underlying mental health or additional issues to stabilize their lives. The second recommendation from the “Addressing Homelessness in Canada” resolution was to coordinate efforts with the provinces/territories and municipalities to stimulate new affordable housing construction. This is very similar to the request in 2019 of aligning federal and municipal policies. Sometimes it takes a crisis in order for things to get done. This is hopefully one of those times. The people who have populated Tent City have been judged by many people, but perhaps they’ll be the trigger to realizing a sustainable solution. The Ten-Point Plan for a Rapid Response to Homelessness and Housing includes the following:
Ten-Point Plan for a Rapid Response to Homelessness and Housing
For Immediate Release July 23, 2019 Therrien and Monsef announce 10-point plan for a Rapid Response to Homelessness and Housing As a result of today’s meeting at the Mount Community Centre, a 10-Point Plan for a Rapid Response to Homelessness and Housing has been established. The plan consists of the following: 1. Immediately implement recommendations arising from the Rapid Response to Homelessness and Housing Meeting on July 23 to provide more supports and services to encourage those living rough to move indoors. 2. Mayor will strike a Rapid Shelter Task Force to determine a Plan A and Plan B for more permanent, low-barrier shelter for the most vulnerable in our community, with a report due to Council in 60 days. 3. Willing government partners will help the Task Force by providing staff to form a Secretariat. 4. Willing government partners will help the Task Force by suggesting community experts to form the membership of the Task Force. 5. The voices of those living rough in our community, as well as community experts and advocates, will be heard through the development of the Task Force report and the future creation of low-barrier shelter through multiple avenues, including representation on the Task Force and consultations. 6. City of Peterborough will continue to develop its Official Plan to ensure that creative solutions for housing are available to the community, such as allowing for tiny homes through zoning and by-law amendments, and will look to create an inventory of land that could be made available for affordable housing development. 7. Willing government partners will continue to work together to support a community response to the opioid crisis and mental health needs, including by supporting a Consumption and Treatment Site. 8. A public summit will be held on August 13 to ensure the community can help inform the path forward. 9. Willing government partners will work with community and service providers, as well as willing local developers, over the next 60 days to create new applications to the National Housing Strategy that meet the housing needs of the City and County of Peterborough and that move to build 2,000 units over the next two years. 10. Regular information updates about progress on this plan will be delivered to internal partners and to the community at large. |
AuthorThe Peterborough Archives
November 2019
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