The Ministry of the Environment is attempting to take a more business-friendly approach to environmental regulation through proposed amendments to the existing Environmental Protection Act and the Ontario Water Resources Act. The Amendments, which are part of the government's Open for Business initiative, would introduce a risk-based approval system for all business operations that contain air emissions, waste management systems, waste disposal sites, and/or sewage works. Adopting a risk-based approach to environmental regulation would address a longstanding priority of the OCC to make the approval ...Read More

Ontario is facing an unprecedented skills shortage due to Ontario's transformation to a more knowledge-driven economy in the midst of an aging workforce. Left unchecked, these trends will have serious ramifications for the provincial economy. Many sectors are or soon will be unable to fill key positions which rely on advanced analytical skills and technical expertise. There is an urgent need for innovative government programs to address the skills deficit by better rationing the skills and talents of the existing workforce. The OCC is ...Read More

The Canadian government has introduced new legislation aimed at enhancing the fairness and accountability of Canada’s Copyright Act. Bill C-32 addresses several of the obstacles faced by creators and distributors of entertainment software, including the reproduction of copyrighted materials, the marketing of electronic tools for this purpose, and the mass distribution of copyrighted works. The OCC has prepared a formal letter to the federal minister responsible for copyright reform, commending his government for its action in key areas and providing recommendations ...Read More

Bill 68, the Open for Business Act, is the latest initiative in the government’s three-year Open for Business program. The goal of this program is to reduce the amount of time and money government regulations cost businesses by creating simpler and more flexible processes for government approvals, inspections, and services.  Making regulations more responsive to the needs of business would uphold the goals of social and environmental sustainability while making Ontario a more lucrative place to do business. The OCC has ...Read More

The OCC has long advocated for a more competitive tax and regulatory regime for Ontario. Ontario businesses have a strong interest in a more competitive regulatory environment that does not unduly penalize businesses that are committed to sound social and environmental stewardship.  In order to ensure that the provincial government's current efforts to reduce red tape are translated into lasting results for business, the OCC is assembling a task force to determine which issues and principles must be addressed. The task force is ...Read More

Canada’s three largest provinces - Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec -- are working independently with other US states to introduce a cap-and-trade system for the reduction of greenhouse gas  (GHG) emissions to 15 percent below 2005 levels, to be achieved by 2020. The program will be implemented under the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), promoted by six US states and four Canadian provinces to fight global warming, independent of their national governments’ policies. It has been anticipated that the only WCI partners to ...Read More

The Ministry of Labour is proposing changes to numerous hazardous substances regulated by the Occupational Health and Safety Act. These changes would align Ontario with the guidelines monitored by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, which is a scientific authority on Occupational Exposure Limits, according to the provincial government. The amendments would update the list of regulated substances and refine existing limits based on the most recently available scientific evidence. These changes, however, could affect employers by requiring the adoption of new ...Read More

The provincial government's Niagara to GTA Corridor Study  (commonly known as the Mid-Pen Corridor, a proposed highway system linking Niagara to Hamilton, the GTA and beyond) team is developing a long range Transportation Development Strategy to be released later this year. However, the recently released Draft Strategy does not pursue the "mid-peninsula corridor" option and the OCC has informed the Minister of Transportation of our concerns.  The OCC has long advocated for an expeditious process so that the Niagara to GTA Corridor is completed quickly, ...Read More

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce believes the provincial government’s OntarioBuys program creates unfair disadvantages for small and medium businesses competing for public sector contracts. The program was created to achieve a more efficient allocation of government resources by consolidating procurement activities from each sector in central purchasing organizations, such as school boards, hospitals, universities and colleges. However, by tying OntarioBuys to rigid purchasing requirements that do not take into consideration the needs of small and medium businesses, the government has erected ...Read More

The Government of Canada has proposed changes to its census data collection process.  The federal government has decided to discontinue the Statistics Canada Census compulsory long-form questionnaire and replace it with a new voluntary questionnaire.  The OCC is deeply concerned about the potential impact this could have on business and the economic climate in Ontario. Business and all levels of government use the Census’ data for decision making in policy development.  For instance, the quality of short and long term planning in all areas of ...Read More