The recent release of a confidential Ontario government cabinet document has raised serious concerns across the provincial business community with respect to energy affordability and long term supply. Our Chamber has forwarded correspondence to Premier Wynne. To download this letter please click here. We also encourage Chamber members and businesses across Waterloo Region to consider […]
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A Message From the CEO: The flames of Fort McMurray have chased away the city’s residents, more than 80,000 people with the most destructive wildfire Alberta has experienced in more than a century. As a community our hearts go out to those displaced and who are now refugees in their own country. You can help […]
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The 2016 Census is here! We would like to encourage community members to complete the census questionnaires as you receive them in early May. You can complete your census questionnaire online at www.census.gc.ca. Simply enter your 16-digit secure access code and follow the instructions. If you received a letter, your secure access code is located […]
Read moreThe 2016 federal budget tabled recently by Finance Minister Bill Morneau provides a high volume of commitments on a high volume of spending portfolios. However, as the Canadian Chamber of Commerce noted, it is a budget that is spread too thin. There are investments in skills development however the cancellation of small business tax reductions […]
Read moreLast month I wrote about the fiscal challenges facing hospitals in Waterloo Region and in particular the layoffs at the Grand River institution. The recent provincial budget provided some relief, with an allocation of an additional $345 million for Ontario hospitals, or a one per cent increase in their base budgets. However, over the longer […]
Read moreFor the past five years, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) has published its annual Top 10 Barriers to Competitiveness. The 2016 edition is reflective of some major economic shifts impacting domestic and international markets. A priority issue in past reports has been the shortage of skilled trades, a challenge for businesses of all sectors […]
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By: Gerry Remers, CEO Christie Digital Systems Canada and Chair of the Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors Economic development will be receiving a new stimulus in the coming months, as the new CEO of the WREDC makes his move from Toronto to Waterloo Region. The WREDC Board has worked diligently over the […]
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An issue that generated considerable media and public attention during the recent federal vote was a national pharmacare program. The election did not resolve the debate and it is clear that discussion will continue across Canada for a significant time frame. The current focus centres on recent reports advocating that prescription drugs should be included […]
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For years the Ontario residents and businesses have been feeling the pressure of steadily increasing hydro costs that have far outpaced the rate of inflation. This reality was reaffirmed in the recent Ontario Auditor General’s report that revealed Ontarians paid $37 billion more for their hydro than market value between 2006 and 2014. While much […]
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The Kitchener-Waterloo Community Foundation recently announced that it has created the Immigration Partnership Fund for Syrian Newcomers. This dedicated fund will use community donations to support up to 1200 Syrian Refugees that will settle in our community. The KWCF also announced that it will be matching these donations up to $400,000. The GKWCC has donated […]
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