Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce: Ontario Deserves Evidence-Based Reform
Changes Will Impact Job Creation, Consumer Costs and Economic Growth

Greater Sudbury, May 30, 2017 – The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Keep Ontario Working coalition and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC), today expressed concern that the Government of Ontario’s Fair Workplaces and Better Jobs Plan commits to unproven sweeping reforms without ensuring protection against unintended consequences, including job losses, rising consumer costs, and economic hardship.

As noted in the Business Prosperity Index of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s 2017 Ontario Economic Report, despite projections that Ontario will lead Canada in economic growth in the coming years, diminished profitability, lower labour market participation, and sluggish market activity, along with other key factors, have resulted in a risk-averse atmosphere in which businesses are disinclined to grow production. Businesses are questioning if they should grow in Ontario or expand offshore.

Despite that, Ontario’s private sector is still doing its part to support workers. As the Government pointed out in Budget 2017, 98 per cent of all new jobs since the recession in Ontario have been full time, and 78 per cent in above-average wage industries. This positive economic activity by Ontario’s private sector demonstrates a clear commitment to good jobs throughout our province.

“Greater Sudbury’s business owners are committed to growing the prosperity of our community, but the changes announced today risk undermining that growth,” said Tracy Nutt, Chair of the Board, Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce. “That is why it is important to conduct an economic impact analysis of the proposed changes – there could be unintended consequences that prevent economic growth and reduce labour force participation.”

The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, and the Keep Ontario Working Coalition are calling on government to identify the scale of the impact of these changes so that businesses can be provided with the necessary support to transition to a new policy regime.

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The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organization that represents 900 businesses and through the participation of its member volunteers on committees and task forces, it works ‘as the Voice of Business’ to influence federal, provincial and local legislation affecting business.

For more than a century, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has been the independent, non-partisan voice of Ontario business. Its mission is to support economic growth in Ontario by defending business priorities at Queen’s Park on behalf of our network’s diverse 60,000 members.

The Keep Ontario Working Coalition (KOW) is a broad-spectrum group of business sector representatives concerned with sound public policy to help produce jobs and grow Ontario.

For more information, please contact:
Bryan Heystee
Policy and Communications Manager
Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce
705-673-7133 ext. 224
[email protected]