A platform for Prosperity and Growth

In just over eight months Ontarians will be going to the polls to vote in the 2018 provincial election.  As a result, we’ve crunched data and looked at the policy resolutions from Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade right across the province to determine the priorities of the Ontario and by extension Peterborough business community.   These priorities have become a series of proactive recommendations for all Ontario political parties to consider to ensure growth for the province’s economy.

“93% of Peterborough Chamber members are small business. They support working families in our local community and across the province, and that’s why candidates from every party in every community will want to become familiar with Vote Prosperity,” said Stuart Harrison, President & CEO, Peterborough Chamber of Commerce. “Ontario’s business community is prepared to be bold about making suggestions for ensuring future growth and with Vote Prosperity we are seeking to motivate our political leaders to follow.”

Vote Prosperity is based on four aspirational pillars

1. Strengthen business competitiveness: Rising input costs, especially those costs deriving from government regulation and policy, are the most common and acute concern of the business community in Ontario.
2. Foster Job Creation: A robust labour market consisting of good jobs is essential to prosperity for all Ontarians.
3. Build Healthy Communities: Building strong communities through adequate and affordable housing, sustainable health care, and good infrastructure also supports business prosperity and growth, which supports those communities.
4. Improve Government Accountability: Poor implementation of government initiatives can result in resource waste, political frustration and disruption for ordinary citizens.

In all, the platform provides 18 unique recommendations that will help bolster Ontario’s long-term economic future, while addressing the pressing issues Ontario currently faces.

Two of the policy resolutions making up the recommendations were originally authored by the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce.

Modernize the apprenticeship system through the journeyperson to apprentice ratio to help alleviate some of the challenges employers face to recruit journeypersons to hire additional apprentices
This recommendation is the result of the challenges faced by businesses in the trades and often in smaller urban and rural areas.  Adjusting the ratio to recognize the needs of these businesses offers the opportunity for apprentices to train where they go to school (Kawartha Trades and Technology Centre for example) and work and live in communities right across the province, not just built up urban areas.

“We are glad to see our work around apprenticeship ratios be recognized in this report,” adds Harrison. "Our members have been telling us that this is an area for improvement, so to have it be part of the election dialogue is a good step forward.”

Conduct and publish the results for a comprehensive review of the electricity sector, including an objective economic impact analysis assessing the full range of inputs that make up the Global Adjustment (GA), and then pursue cost-reducing measures based on the results.

Electricity rates have increased significantly in the past decade and in moving forward successfully we believe it’s important to have the proper understanding of the system, what goes into the final charge on bills and mitigation factors that are sustainable.

“Ontario businesses have made it clear that the ever-rising costs of doing business from all levels of government has hindered their ability to prosper and grow,” said Karl Baldauf, Vice President of Policy and Government Relations and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “Our objective is to achieve coherent, comprehensive pro-growth policies from all political parties.  Our recommendations provide a prosperous path forward because when you vote for prosperity, Ontario wins.”

​The provincial election is June 7, 2018.

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