Chamber Updates & Local News

2023 Budget delivers plan for a resilient economy today and in the future Today, Minister of Finance Peter Bethlenfalvy released Ontario’s 2023 Budget: Building a Strong Ontario. It is a plan that navigates ongoing global economic uncertainty with a responsible, targeted approach to help people and businesses today while laying a strong fiscal foundation for future…

To help tackle the province’s labour shortage and get more people into rewarding careers in the skilled trades, the Ontario government is investing $224 million more to build and upgrade training centres. The province also plans to invest $75 million more over the next three years to support the operations and programing at new and…

To attract additional investment in the province’s economy, the Ontario government is announcing plans for a new Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit to help local manufacturers grow, innovate, become more competitive and create jobs. Read the full details here

The submission calls for the Government of Ontario to continue to prioritize growth-enabling investments to address labour shortages, the health care crisis, infrastructure deficits, and modernize regulations and government services in the year ahead. Click here to read our full submission. The recommendations outlined in the OCC’s budget submission were developed with businesses, associations, post-secondary…

In recognition of Fraud Prevention Month in March, the team at the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA) has launched fraud prevention toolkits to help Canadians protect themselves against common and emerging scams. The toolkits are customized for individuals, small businesses and older adults and offer actionable tips and useful checklists to protect themselves from scammers. For…

Ontario is expanding the province’s new employment services to five more regions to help more people who can and are able to work find better jobs and earn bigger paycheques for themselves and their families. The improved system will help thousands of unemployed people in London, Windsor-Sarnia, Kitchener-Waterloo-Barrie, Durham, and Ottawa find rewarding jobs close…

The Ontario government is preparing young people for in-demand and well-paying careers by allowing students in grade 11 to transition to a full-time, skilled trades apprenticeship program. Upon receiving their Certificate of Apprenticeship, these young workers can apply for their Ontario Secondary School Diploma as mature students. At a time when the province continues to…

The OCC’s 2023 Ontario Economic Report revealed that businesses’ second highest public policy priority is workforce development; and we all know a strong workforce is an inclusive one. We encourage public policy makers to prioritize direct supports for women and other equity-deserving groups in their upcoming budgets to support their economic empowerment and prosperity Read…

The Business Data Lab’s most recent analysis focuses on first quarter data from the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions (CSBC). Important findings, include: The rising costs of doing business remains the biggest challenge for Canadian companies. Even though inflation is slowing, it’s still the top individual pain point, cited by 58% of businesses, followed by…

It was another month of progress in the Bank of Canada’s fight against inflation, as Canada’s headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation grew at a slower pace of 5.9% year-over-year in January, which was better than the market expectation of 6.2%. It was another step in the right direction as the January CPI data show…