Chamber Updates & Local News

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…

The report by the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario, outlining its proposed changes to the province’s federal electoral map, was tabled in the House of Commons February 10th. The Commission was tasked with proposing new boundaries that, as best as possible, maintain population equality while taking into consideration social and geographic factors, including respect…

The seventh annual OER offers unique insights into business perspectives across Ontario. It is informed by data from our annual Business Confidence Survey (BCS) and economic forecasts for the year ahead. The BCS was conducted online from October 18 to November 30 2022, attracting responses from 1,912 organizations across Ontario. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce…

ServiceOntario is also enhancing the customer experience through a number of pilot programs including virtual services. Eligible Ontarians who may find it difficult to visit a ServiceOntario centre in person can book virtual appointments to have their health cards renewed through live video calls. For those phoning the Contact Centre, new technology is rolling out to cut…

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is pleased to be able to share their 2022 Annual Report. Together, the Chamber movement across the country is Canada’s most activated business network, working together to create the conditions for our collective success. The 2022 report demonstrates the value that the Canadian Chamber Network has brought to businesses. The…

“One Stop Talk” program connects youth to mental health counselling by phone, video, text and chat The Ontario government is investing $4.75 million to expand the “One Stop Talk” virtual “walk-in” counselling program to connect children, youth and their families with more convenient and timely ways to access mental health counselling no matter where they live.…

Government’s investments supporting economic growth, protecting jobs and building infrastructure in rural communities The Ontario government is working with its rural municipal partners to build housing, encourage economic growth and development, reduce red tape, strengthen the agri-food sector and promote rural municipalities as great places to live, work and do business. “Our government has a…

Changes will automatically recognize the credentials of health care workers registered in other provinces and territories The government will introduce legislative changes in February 2023 that, if passed, will allow Canadian health care workers that are already registered or licensed in another Canadian jurisdiction to practice in Ontario immediately, without having to first register with…

Business Data Lab highlights that in Q1 2023, businesses expect sales to shrink, price increases to slow as well as increased expenses. You can read the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Business Data Lab’s full report with key findings from the Q4 2022 Canadian Survey on Business Conditions to get all the details heading into 2023…

The Ontario government is making it easier and faster for people to access the publicly-funded surgeries and procedures they need by further leveraging community surgical and diagnostic centres to eliminate surgical backlogs and reduce wait times Community surgical and diagnostic centres have been valuable partners in responding to the pandemic and addressing the pandemic-related backlog…