Advocacy is one of the Greater KW Chamber of Commerce’s four pillars and now it is of tremendous importance. The Chamber continues to advocate on behalf of the business community as we hear about their challenges and concerns. We want to hear from you! If you have any questions, concerns, or are experiencing challenges during the COVID-19 outbreak, please contact Art Sinclair, Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy at asinclair@greaterkwchamber.com.
Some of our advocacy efforts are highlighted below:
- BESTWR wrote an Op-ed piece that was published in The Record online and in print, calling on everyone, including business owners and workers, to take action in order to reduce the health risks related to COVID-19 as the economy reopens.
- On March 25, 2020 our Chamber along with our partners Communitech, the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, and Waterloo EDC sent a letter to the Prime Minister and Premier on Ontario, outlining recommendations to help better support businesses. We were pleased with that the federal government’s response as they acted on several of the recommendations in that letter. These measures are important for our local business community, as well as businesses across the province and country. As a follow up to that letter, an op-ed was published by the Waterloo Region Record online and in print.
- You can read a copy of the March 25, 2020 letter here: New Government Response to COVID Virus for Business and Communities.v2 (1)
- On March 27, 2020 the creation of the Business and Economic Support Team of Waterloo Region (BESTWR) was announced. This initiative is a partnership between the Waterloo EDC, the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, Communitech, the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, as well as all seven area municipalities in our region. The goal of BESTWR is to help all types of local businesses cope with the challenges caused by COVID-19.
- On April 23, 2020, BESTWR, which includes the Greater KW Chamber of Commerce, sent a letter to the Prime Minister and the Premier of Ontario to advocate on behalf of businesses. In this letter, BESTWR offers three key perspectives about how the governments can optimize their support of the business community, based on feedback from our local business community. The three key perspectives outlined in the letter for consideration include: 1) Speed – delivering the announced financial support programs quickly as many businesses continue to struggle with accessing supports; 2) Inclusion – ensuring that support programs are as inclusive of all types of businesses and corporate structures as possible; and 3) Extension and Recovery – asking that the programs be extended into the early Fall 2020, instead of late Spring as currently planned. As a follow up to the letter, an op-ed was published by the Waterloo Region Record.
- You can read a copy of the April 23, 2020 letter here: BESTWR Letter April 23, 2020
