​Heading into a new year with new challenges, it’s a good opportunity to reflect on this last year and see where we can go from here.
 
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) released its own report on this topic, titled Supporting Economic Growth in Uncertain Times.
 
What have we learned?
A predictable and stable policy environment underpins business confidence, prosperity and economic growth. This includes economic strategy that raises up those sectors and regions that didn’t fair so well.
 
We’ve learned that we need a more resilient workforce that is inclusive of everyone and all abilities. This includes addressing backlogs and processing delays in immigration that have resulted in a wait list of more than 2.4 million applications.
 
Recent years highlighted decades of underinvestment in strategically important areas, including healthcare and infrastructure.
 
What can the government do now?
Government is the architect of the ‘industrial commons,’ that ecosystem of public goods in which citizens, communities, and businesses can thrive. We need a long-term strategy to invest in common components that are key determinants of growth, including health care, education and training, R&D and innovation, and infrastructure (particularly digital and climate resilient infrastructure).
 
At the same time, government must protect its investments by reducing the barriers to growth – outdated legislation, policy and regulation, an inefficient and overly complex tax system, and obstacles to interprovincial trade and labour mobility.
 
Economic growth should involve clear consultation and two-way communication between government and the private sector. It should not be up to industry to push the government into the future rather, both should be equally invested and united in the pursuit of growth and prosperity.
 
Mainly, the government needs to act in ways that are predictable, accountable, strategic, measurable, outcomes-focused and coordinated.
 
The OCC has identified critical areas that must inform the government’s strategy for economic growth, including:
• Develop policies that support small businesses and Ontario’s entrepreneurial spirit, including enhancing access to capital, developing and scaling training for digital literacy skills, and investing in reliable broadband connectivity.
• Be bold on interprovincial trade and enhance labour mobility between provinces.
• Modernize regulation that supports recovery efforts, including creating an independent panel to regularly run evidence-based evaluation of outcomes and unintended consequences of new regulation.
• Foster an inclusive workforce that leverages Ontario’s diversity and increases our immigration intake. Our government must prioritize economic reconciliation by supporting Indigenous partnerships, procurement, education, employment and entrepreneurship.
• Invest in growth-enabling infrastructure, from roads to housing, that is climate resilient, energy efficient, and informed by smart planning principles to ensure population and economic growth can be supported for decades to come.
• Prioritize innovation through procurement and policy action on technology transfer and adoption, commercialization, and capitalization. The government should encourage data-driven innovation while protecting against the potential risks and support a Canadian intellectual property strategy.
 
If nothing else, we’ve learned a lot in recent years. Next year is going to bring some challenges, but it’s largely rooted in the challenges businesses are currently facing. What we need our governments to do is use that knowledge to create a thorough, sustainable plan that supports our private sector in growing our economy and investing in our communiti

​The tourism industry in Ontario needs a comprehensive strategy that addresses workforce development, regulatory burdens, infrastructure deficits and regional disparities. 
 
That’s the push from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) and the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario in their The State of the Ontario Tourism Industry Report released Dec. 13.
 
In November we addressed the executive summary that was released earlier, but the completed report takes a deep dive into the issues holding back the tourism sector and drives home the need for the government to create a thorough strategy for it.
 
Tourism is a vital sector in the provincial economy and is critical for economic recovery.
 
While domestic and inbound tourism improved in the second half of 2022, the industry is not expected to fully recover from the pandemic until 2025. With rising concerns over a looming recession, cost of living and spending habits, the sector requires a path forward that addresses the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 border closures, capacity restrictions, and structural issues.
 
The report highlights some bleak findings, including that 4 in 10 tourism operators forecast profitability in 2024 and beyond, and that tourism businesses have accumulated soaring debt to remain financially viable during the pandemic.
 
While nature-based tourism is having more success compared to its urban counterpart, the rural aspect of it creates more issues with accessing labour. Many tourism employers are in beautiful wilderness areas where nearby housing options are largely waterfront and custom homes, both of which are a bit too pricey for many service sector workers. Attracting people from more suburban locations requires access to a car, which creates barriers in terms of travel time and expenses. With so many service sector businesses hiring closer to where the majority of people live, rural tourism employers need to attract workers who have a passion for the industry and working in the Kawarthas. 
 
Access to a workforce with the skills, experience, and availability needed is one the biggest challenges holding tourism business back right now. Suggestions in the report include:
• Re-conceptualizing how people view tourism careers
• Optimizing work placement opportunities for post-secondary students
• Reforming immigration to retain international students and reliably attract international
workers that meet the needs of the industry
• Consistently promoting job-ready skills in the high school curriculum
• Ensuring that decision-making is data-driven and specific to each locality
and region
 
The report itself lays out a detailed analysis of barriers in the tourism sector with a tangible set of recommendations on each issue. It’s divided into four sections: economy, labour, infrastructure and the future of tourism in Ontario. The key issues and recommendations discussed speak to themes of labour gaps and instability, the uneven pace of economic recovery, red tape, the housing crisis, connectivity, transportation networks, investment attraction, destination development, economic growth, and sustainability.
 
The report concludes that in order for Ontario’s tourism industry to grow, attract investment, and remain resilient, we must address the economic, labour, and infrastructure barriers impeding the full potential of the industry.
 
The beauty of the Kawarthas and opportunities to explore it will continue to draw visitors to our region. Investing in a robust tourism sector with a clear and progressive strategy will help us make the most of what we have to offer, giving visitors a better experience and building stronger local communities.
 
 

​Businesses that adopt technology tend to be more productive, competitive, and resilient.
 
Many businesses have invested considerable time and money into new technology in recent years through necessity and rapidly changing consumer habits, however small businesses are struggling to keep up with larger businesses in the digital world. This is especially true for rural and traditional brick-and-mortar businesses. Larger, urban businesses have more access to the resources, skills, and bandwidth they need.
 
Claudia Dessanti, Senior Manager of Policy at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) took the time to thoroughly research the subject with a new report titled Broken Links: Driving Technology Adoption within Ontario’s Small Businesses.
 
The right tools can help businesses improve productivity, improve customer engagement, reach new markets, and grow. In a time when many employers are having to make due with less-than-ideal staffing levels, technology can improve efficiency and allow them to make do with less.
 
Examples of digital technologies commonly used by small businesses include:
• E-commerce websites/platforms
• Digital payments systems
• Cloud computing services
• Search engine optimization
• Project management software
• Inventory management software
• Digital collaboration tools
 
When surveyed by the OCC, small businesses across Ontario identified three main barriers to digital adoption:
• Capital costs required - 51%
• Access to technically skilled workers - 42%
• Broadband connectivity - 35%
 
The Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce has been pushing to reduce these barriers over the years. We are currently running the local Digital Main Street program which includes free access to local experts on our Digital Service Squad. They are available to help businesses work through their digital challenges and create plans to help get where they want to be. They are also able to help businesses apply for grants, including the Digital Transformation Grant and Canada Digital Adoption Program. For more details on this, reach out to Clarance D’Silva at [email protected].
 
In her report, Dessanti lays out nine key recommendations:
 
Access to Resources:
1. Broaden eligibility for technology adoption programs to include non-profit organizations.
2. Make it easier for small businesses to access digitization supports.
3. Improve access to private capital and credit for small businesses.
 
Access to Skills
4. Develop and scale successful digital training programs for small business owners and employees.
5. Build more inclusive digital training programs.
6. Expand work-integrated learning programs and incentivize smaller employers to participate in them.
 
Broadband
7. Continue to prioritize and accelerate the rollout of broadband across Ontario.
8. Address inefficiencies and barriers to private sector broadband investments.
9. Explore “dig once” strategies, future-proofing of digital infrastructure, and opportunities for better data sharing around broadband gaps.
 
Progress is being made on the broadband portfolio. We recently hosted federal Rural Economic Development Minister Gudie Hutchings for an announcement of $56 million in funding toward local broadband internet projects. The announcement is part of a plan to provide proper high-speed internet to everyone in Ontario by the end of 2025.
 
We have also been active with other chambers and the OCC on issues like “dig once” policies, digital training programs, and funding.
 
As a Chamber, we will keep advocating for supports for business to invest in technology, developing a local workforce with the technology skills we need, and increasing internet access.