Are you ready for some holiday shopping?  (Sung to the tune of the Monday Night Football theme song.  Thanks, Hank Williams, Jr. …)

This week is the official unofficial kick off to the holiday retail frenzy.   

According to the Retail Council of Canada, in 2019 Canadians are estimating to spend about $790 on their holiday purchases, but in reality, will most likely spend over $820.  The same survey also showed that 85% of Canadians are interested in buying from a retailer within Canada this year.

So how can our local community benefit?  The Peterborough Chamber of Commerce recognizes local as being any business within our geographical boundaries of the City and County of Peterborough.  This includes locally-owned businesses as well as franchises that are in our local communities.  All businesses contribute to the tax base through their property taxes and contribute to the economy through employment
opportunities for local residents.  In fact, retail is the second highest industry for employment of local residents behind the health care industry according to Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development.

Consumer information on how and where to spend your dollars is key. Research for a group out of British Columbia by a company called “Civic Economics” found that there is a sliding scale to dollars spent in community and that for every $100 spent at a locally-owned business $68 stayed in the community.  $100 spent at a franchise would see about $43 stay in the community. In both business models, donations to community causes, and payment of taxes and wages were the bulk of the dollars returned to the community.

Breaking it down further, locally-owned businesses tend to source local business support services such as marketing and accounting along with choosing more local suppliers.   

That said, the choices in today’s age simply don’t stop at in-store.  Online sales according to the Retail Council of Canada will make up about 28% of holiday shopping.  But online doesn’t necessarily mean only large and corporate.  It’s important to know that more and more of our local retailers have their products on their own e-commerce websites and/or platforms such as Amazon and Shopify. In essence, that online purchase has the potential to be a local buy.   

A scan of literature and articles on shopping local leads you to find a few common themes beyond the positive economic impact:

1. You’re helping to build a more vibrant community
2. You will most likely find unique gifts
3. You will be helping local charities and not-for-profits in your community

For these reasons, and to highlight our members, the Peterborough Chamber built its own
#LoveLocalPtbo campaign several years ago under the motto of “Keep our town (Ptbo) in business by keeping your business in town (Ptbo).”   

For us the main message is, be informed.  Know what you are buying. Know where it’s made or grown. Then choose, but choose local if you can.

Recently, the Government of Ontario released its 2019 Fall Economic Statement entitled, “2019 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review: A Plan to Build Ontario Together”, which provides an update on the government’s finances and announces commitments for the upcoming 2020 Budget.

SMALL BUSINESS
The government announced plans to:

• Cut the small business Corporate Income Tax (CIT) rate to 3.2 percent from 3.5 percent, starting January 2020.
• Develop an “Ontario Small Business Success Strategy” in which it will host consultations to better identify the needs of small businesses.

OCC Response:
We would have preferred to see a revenue-neutral restructuring of the Small Business Deduction (SBD) to encourage scaling up of small businesses. This would provide businesses with the right incentives while avoiding a loss in government revenues.

The OCC and Ontario Chamber Network look forward to participating in the consultations as the government works to develop the “Ontario Small Business Success Strategy.”

Peterborough Chamber Response:
We will also be working with our members to relay red tape reduction ideas and participate in the development of the "Ontario Small Business Success Strategy".

COMPETITIVENESS
The government announced plans to:

• Form a Premier’s Advisory Council on Competitiveness to consult with business and make recommendations on improving Ontario’s competitiveness.

OCC Response:
The OCC looks forward to participating in these consultations with government.

REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The government announced plans to:

• Consult on ways to encourage investment into rural and undercapitalized areas of the province.
• Engage with rural stakeholders on the proposed Ontario Regional Immigration Pilot.
• Conduct a series of consultations with rural stakeholders on economic development challenges and opportunities in their regions - first session at the 2020 Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference.

OCC Response:
The OCC supports measures to improve access to capital for businesses in rural regions. In The Great Mosaic: Reviving Ontario’s Regional Economies, we recommend introducing a Rural Investment Tax Credit (RITC). 

The OCC supports efforts to encourage immigrants to live and work in rural and Northern communities, adding more skilled workers to communities where they are needed most.
The OCC and the Ontario Chamber Network look forward to participating in the government’s consultations with rural stakeholders to address economic development challenges and opportunities.

Peterborough Chamber Response:
The Peterborough Chamber contributed to the OCC's The Great Mosaic report and is currently developing a policy paper with recommendations to encourage more regional collaboration.

INDUSTRIAL ELECTRICITY
The government has announced plans to:

• Simplify industrial electricity billing and introduce advisory services to assist businesses with navigating regulatory approvals and connection issues. The government will also direct the IESO to retain an independent third party to undertake a targeted review of existing generation contracts for opportunities to reduce electricity system costs.

OCC Response:
Industrial electricity rates are one of the top factors affecting business competitiveness in Ontario. While the OCC is pleased with commitments to review existing generation costs and help businesses navigate the electricity system, more can be done to reduce industrial electricity rates. In particular, we would like to see the government consider revisions to industrial rate structures to support businesses that have not benefited from existing programs, as recommended in our submission on industrial electricity rates.

Peterborough Chamber Response:
We have long been a proponent of the request to develop programs for businesses that have not benefited from existing programs.

TRANSPORTATION
The government has announced plans to:

• Propose legislation to reduce the aviation fuel tax rate in North Ontario to 2.7 cents per litre from the current 6.7 cents per litre, returning it to 2014 levels. This change would take effect on January 1, 2020.

OCC Response:
Between 2014 and 2016, Ontario’s aviation fuel tax increased by nearly 150 percent, making it the highest in Canada. This acts as a financial barrier to many of Ontario’s attractions, particularly in northern and remote
communities, where other forms of travel may be infeasible for visitors. While this announcement is a good first step, the OCC would like to see the aviation fuel tax in all communities be lowered to match other Canadian provinces.

CLIMATE CHANGE
The government announced plans to:

• Begin its first ever assessment of how climate change will affect Ontario’s economy, infrastructure, communities, public health and safety, and ecosystems.

OCC Response:
The OCC applauds this decision. An assessment of climate change impacts will enable the province to take meaningful steps to protect Ontarians and the economy.

Peterborough Chamber Response:
We are also very excited about this opportunity.

WHAT’S MISSING?
The OCC would have liked to have seen new announcements in the following areas:

• A commitment to streamlining public funding programs and removing regulatory barriers that limit private sector investment in high-speed broadband internet.
• With the dissolution of the Ontario College of Trades, further details on what the stewardship process looks like for apprentices and journeypersons.
  • The Peterborough Chamber of Commerce is also very curious and looking forward to how we can inform changes in this area.

Read the full Fall Economic Outlook 

One of the benefits of membership with the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce is the opportunity to influence and be heard by government.   While we set about this in a variety of ways, we recently opened our boardroom doors to two provincial government ministries in the same week.   

At the beginning of the week we invited the President of the Treasury Board and Pickering-Uxbridge MPP Peter Bethlenfalvy to talk about and receive feedback on the government’s Smart Initiatives.  And to cap off the week, employees of the Ministry of Consumer and Government Services hosted a consultation on the development of an Ontario Data Strategy.   

As Minister Bethlenfalvy explained to a group of about a dozen members, the Smart Initiatives program has several goals, including to:

• Help Ontario businesses focus on what they do best - growing the economy and creating jobs;
• Streamline and modernize services and increase use of digital and shared service models;
• Use public sector buying power to drive efficiencies and support innovation; and
• Maximize value of government assets and put them to their most productive use.

To accomplish this, the government’s first goal is to work toward digitizing the top 10 transactions by Ontarians and businesses.

Among the issues brought forward were to revisit the vendor of record process to ensure smaller business entities continue to have opportunities to complete contracts for government and to reduce the red tape on smaller projects so that they can be completed quicker.  The thought was that many building projects
for government are undertaken so that government can offer services out of these buildings and so taking a decade to build these locations isn’t helping Ontarians get the services they require.

There were questions around legal aid and the ability to access it when needed.  The Minister commented that the goal is not to turn people away.

On the post-secondary file, there was information about how institutions will now be funded on a performance and outcomes-based model.   

The Minister also heard how Alberta is about a decade ahead of Ontario when it comes to
transactions around death certificates. 

There were questions about the Eastern Ontario Development Fund which had funding available to businesses.  The latest iteration of the program is the “Regional Development Program, which will invest more than $100 million over four years while taking a new approach to supporting business growth in eastern and southwestern Ontario communities."

"Under the program, businesses can get financial support through the Eastern Ontario Development Fund (EODF) and the Southwestern Ontario Development Fund (SWODF) and access to a range of complementary services and supports. As well, there is a clear 60-business day service commitment for when an applicant is notified of a funding decision, and on eligibility to receive additional complementary supports and services, so that applicants can plan their investments and know when to expect a decision.”

There was good commentary on transfer agreements and encouragement from members to create longer term agreements such as 3 years versus the current 1-year term.  There was also encouragement to consider geography of some groups as digital access can be problematic.   

On the issue of broadband, the government was commended for dedication to more digitization
but asked about the pace of broadband infrastructure to support that goal.  The Minister referred to the Ministry of Infrastructure which has provincially dedicated about $300 million for this area.  There was also an announcement earlier this spring to support the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN)Cell Gap project which will help bring service to areas that currently do not have service.   

There was a discussion around skilled trades and newcomers to Canada and how increasing the workforce will take a concerted effort by all involved.  There was great interest from members around P3 (public private partnerships) opportunities when the conditions make sense along with more dedication to messages around the importance of financial literacy.

You can view the Minister’s entire opening remarks through our YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/PeterboroughChamber

For more information or to provide feedback on the Smart Initiatives connect with Ontario.ca/smart

The second roundtable was a public consultation on the ON Data Strategy.  During the two- hour period, the group of about 30 answered four questions around data collection and business needs around data. Some of the topics were around increasing data literacy for employees in the private and |public sectors, building a talent pipeline that can easily translate data, and building a query dashboard that allows for businesses and the public to access open data sets.   

There was discussion around privacy and security, how to use data to make life easier for Ontarians and ensuring that the infrastructure system exists in Ontario to be able to use data effectively for taxpayers and
businesses.

Right now, legislation is being developed for a framework on how to collect data, what data should always be accessible and how to compile and communicate it so that it is easy to apply.

There is still time to contribute to the conversation through the government website engage.ontario.ca

​1985 saw the birth of the original Macintosh (the computer not the apple), the SONY Discman, Nintendo NES and Tissot’s first digital watch.  The wreck of the RMS Titanic was found and the pop music industry came together to sing “We are the World”.   

Robert J. Barker was Peterborough’s Mayor. Nine Peterborough residents were inducted into the Peterborough & District Sports Hall of Fame including Cy Coombes and Sally Graham.  VIA Rail operated train passenger service out of Peterborough.

726 businesses belonged to the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce – growth over both 1983 and 1984.

And this article, which was recently dug out of our archives, titled “The Importance of Being a Member of the GPCC” was written and published by the Peterborough Chamber of 1985:

“…why your business should become a member of the Greater Peterborough Chamber of
Commerce is the first question an astute business person will ask.   Because of the complexity of bureaucracy and the information overload that assails everyone in business, an advocate is essential.  Your Chamber speaks for you at all levels of government.

At the local level the Chamber provides a full range of member services which respond to the specific needs of the community. A common ground on which local businesses meet to discuss issues of concern to their community and to promote their shared objectives, is supported by the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce.  The group health plan, dissemination of information and a forum for business concerns are all provided through the Chamber.

Provincially, government has grown not only in size but also in impact on the business community, and it is essential that business people have a strong voice to protect their interests.  The Chamber at the provincial level interprets, monitors and provides comment on legislative issues affecting business.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is the nation’s largest business association, and the only national group that speaks for every size and segment of business.  This results in an effective lobby for business
interests in Ottawa, and a strong voice for business to the news media and the public on issues ranging from energy to employment, pensions to patents, competition to capital gains.   Included in this are educational projects to promote competitive enterprise, seminars and conferences designed to teach management techniques and to encourage public discussion of key issues and programs to facilitate and promote international trade.

There are many reasons to belong to the Chamber, but the most significant factor must be the strength provided by numbers of people with a common goal.  If business intends to compete on an equal footing with other forces in the community, it must combine its voices and strengths – and it does, in the Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber of Commerce network in Canada is unique.  Each level of the Chamber system is autonomous and financially independent, the joint development of local, provincial and national Chambers has
required the co-ordination of activities, policies and programs among the three, and this co-operative spirit has made the Chamber movement the powerful force it is today.

It all adds up to a nation-wide partnership serving your interests.  The Chamber can be counted on to speak for your interests.  Now, doesn’t it make sense to become a member of the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce?”

Flash forward to 2019 and the consistency of message between the past and the present is
evident.  Currently, we present businesses with three value propositions as they relate to why they should become a member – influence, profile and knowledge.    

Influence:  We are committed to helping create the conditions for growth and to improving the competitiveness of the Peterborough business community through our lobbying efforts at every level of government.
Profile: We can help you build your brand, and find new partnerships and collaborations, through our online directory, our social media channels, marketing and advertising, sponsorships and events.
Knowledge: We can help improve your business fundamentals, attract employees, and adapt to new technologies through reliable and relevant information, quality training, and targeted programs.

All together they culminate in our strengthening business Vision statement and builds upon the idea expressed in 1985 of strength in numbers and the end goal of nurturing a strong and impactful business community for Peterborough.