The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) is urging the provincial government to keep its promise to reduce corporate income tax (CIT) rates to 10 percent by 2013, amidst reports that the government is considering delaying the tax reduction.
In its letter to the Hon. Dwight Duncan, the OCC asks the Minister of Finance to commit to implementing its comprehensive tax package in full. Read the rest of this entry »
Bill 119, Workplace Safety and Insurance Amendment Act, 2008 (proclaimed on January 1, 2012) requires independent operators, sole proprietors, some business partners and executive officers who work in construction to have Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) coverage starting January 1, 2013.
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has been opposed to mandatory coverage for independent operators and executive officers since legislation was first considered.
The OCC believes that it is important to ensure that in these challenging economic times, legislation and regulation in Ontario do not create further financial burdens on small business operators – particularly in the construction industry as it relates to Bill 119. Read the rest of this entry »
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama unveiled two perimeter security plans on Wednesday, December 8, 2011, designed to tighten border security while speeding up travel and trade and aligning regulations between the two countries. These plans follow the commitment made in February 2011 by both leaders to address the concerns of ensuring a safe and efficient border.
The border deal will begin slowly, with pilot projects planned for the coming year for the screening of marine and land cargo. Read the rest of this entry »
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has submitted its recommendations to the Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services (also known as the Drummond Commission).
The Drummond Commission will provide advice on how to deliver public services as efficiently as possible while finding cost-savings within the public sector. The Commission will report its findings to the provincial government in time to inform the 2012 Ontario Budget.
The OCC submission provides four key suggestions. We urge the provincial government to:
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) will shortly be asking for its members’ input on what they would like to see in the 2012 provincial budget.
To gather member input, our annual pre-budget survey will be distributed to local chambers within the next week or so.
As always, the purpose of the survey is to identify the public policy priorities of Ontario’s business community.
The OCC will use the results of the survey to develop the OCC’s pre-budget submission and prioritize areas of focus that will serve to improve the Ontario economy and foster a healthier business climate.
The recommendations within the pre-budget submission will be presented to Ontario’s Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs in its 2012 provincial pre-budget consultations.
We ask that OCC members complete the survey by January 9th.
For more information on the Ontario Budget process, please contact Liam McGuinty at liammcguinty@occ.on.ca or 416-482-5222 x 238.
Ontario’s average employer premium rate is already the highest of any jurisdiction in Canada.
In early November the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) and other representatives of the business and labour communities attended a meeting about the the WSIB Funding Review.
The meeting covered four broad topics, which will form the basis of Professor Harry Arthurs’ final WSIB Funding Review report:
Ontarians take great pride in Canada’s universally accessible health care system, though there is a general fear that the current system is not sustainable. Over the past decade, numerous credible and authoritative voices have expressed concern about the future of the current model.
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC), together with human resourcing consulting firm Mercer, have developed the first chapter in the OCC’s new health care work. Cost Trends in Health Benefits for Ontario Businesses: Analysis for Discussion was released in November at the Ontario Economic Summit in Toronto. This report has been prepared by Mercer to explain recent trends in the cost of employer benefit plans, and the impact of these costs on Ontario businesses going forward.
Cost Trends in Health Benefits sets out some of the current health care challenges facing Ontario businesses. Benefit cost and design trends in Canada and the U.S. are reviewed and the U.S. approach to controlling costs is examined. Ontario’s current benefit costs and cost management practices are described and areas for improvement are outlined. The expected future impact of high cost drugs is examined. Finally, future cost projections are presented, and examples of employer cost mitigation strategies are described.
Read Cost Trends in Health Benefits for Ontario Businesses: Analysis for Discussion.
As part of the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) program launched in 2009, the Ontario government committed to conducting a program review every two years.
Deputy Minister of Energy Fareed Amin will lead the first of such reviews and will consider:
Public feedback will be accepted through online surveys or written submissions until December 14, 2011.
The Ontario College of Trades has announced its appointments to the College’s first Board of Governors, as well as to the Construction, Industrial and Service sectors of the Divisional Boards.
The Board of Governors is the Ontario College of Trades’ governing body. The board manages and administers the affairs of the College. The Divisional Boards advise the Board of Governors on issues relating to trades within their respective sector including trends, emerging technologies, opportunities, challenges, and other issues.
These appointments signal the first step in establishing the College’s governance structure. These Boards focus on a variety of issues that impact the businesses and practices of tradespersons and employers from across the province.
The College of Trades will bring Ontario one step closer to full labour mobility by bringing skilled trades with no regulatory authority under one roof. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce will continue to monitor government progress in this area in order to ensure that full labour mobility becomes a reality for Ontario businesses and citizens.
A new discussion paper released by the Ontario Literacy Coalition suggests that as a result of emerging technology, increased productivity and consumer expectations, jobs that were once assumed to be ‘entry-level’ or ‘low-skilled’ are under-going massive changes which require new sets of skills.
Menial No More: A Discussion Paper on Advancing our Workforce through Digital Skills proposes that in order for the current labour market to thrive, radical changes are needed to enhance the skills of workers in these positions.
While one solution to this problem lies in training, workforce training systems are based on jobs that were once assumed to be ‘low-skilled’ and have not been updated to reflect the changing needs of the economy. The report suggests that Ontario’s adult education system could be enhanced by incorporating digital skills, basic science and job-specific training into essential skills education.
Other jurisdictions are finding success by mixing essential skills, with digital skills and science, technology, engineering and math to bridge the gap between the education system and the 21st century digital economy. Results to date have been positive with workers moving to employment more quickly and earning higher wages.
Menial No More invites us to think differently about how employer groups, government and the training community can design an education and training system that supports the growth of Ontario‘s workers and key sectors.
Jody Lundrigan
Manager, Media and Communications
jodylundrigan@occ.on.ca
416-482-5222 ext 2410
