Ontario Chamber of Commerce AGM

The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce attended the Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s (OCC) Annual General Meeting and Convention (AGM), held April 26-29, 2018 in Hamilton, Ontario. The chamber introduced two resolutions for the consideration of the delegates: one calling on the government to collect better labour market information entitled, “Strengthening Labour Market Information for Business Competitiveness,” and a second resolution addressing union certification entitled, “Increasing Democracy in Ontario’s Workplaces.”

Both of the submitted resolutions received the support of the delegates from chambers across Ontario and have now become official policy of the OCC. All resolutions receiving the support of delegates at the convention become the official policy of the OCC and are pursued by the chamber network with the provincial government in the coming months and years.

Strengthening Labour Market Information for Business Competitiveness

The province is currently operating in a data vacuum. Insufficient labour market information (LMI) limits effective funding, policy making, as well as program design and delivery.

A primary concern for Ontario employers is the lack of available local and occupational LMI. There are significant gaps in information on job vacancies across the province; currently data can demonstrate when a province is experiencing shortages but not precisely where labour is needed within regions or what specific skills are in demand.

To that end, the resolution urges the provincial government to work with the federal government, with input from the business and education sectors, to create an intergovernmental framework to address deficiencies in the quality and sharing of LMI, including the collection of more granular and localized data.

Read the full resolution here.

Increasing Democracy in Ontario’s Workplaces

In 2005, Bill 144 removed secret ballot voting and introduced the card-check system for union certification to the construction industry and in 2017, Bill 148 further extended the system to other industries.

Card-based certification undermines an employee’s right to a free vote on unionization and is a major step backwards in democratic processes and is inconsistent with almost every jurisdiction in North America. Secret ballot voting safeguards employees from intimidation, coercion and misinformation and helps ensure their true opinion is represented.

To that end, the resolution urges the provincial government to eliminate the card-based certification system and ensure that all employees are able to cast their vote freely.

Read the full resolution here.

Chair’s Award

The Sudbury chamber was honoured to receive the prestigious Chair’s Award for its leadership in organizing and hosting its inaugural Procurement, Employment and Partnership (PEP) Conference and Tradeshow. The Chair’s Award recognizes a chamber that has demonstrated success in operations, member services, and community leadership.

Debbi Nicholson (centre), President & CEO of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, receiving the Chair’s Award from John Capobianco (right), Chair of the Board, Ontario Chamber of Commerce, and Rocco Rossi (left), President & CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.
Debbi Nicholson (centre), President & CEO of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, receiving the Chair’s Award from John Capobianco (right), Chair of the Board, Ontario Chamber of Commerce, and Rocco Rossi (left), President & CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber hosted PEP from February 5-7, 2018. The conference brought together industry leaders in the mining and procurement sectors to explore ways to grow Northern Ontario’s resource development and infrastructure sectors through innovative supply chain management.

After a highly successful inaugural event, the chamber will be hosting its second annual PEP conference January 21-23, 2019 in Greater Sudbury.