A monthly update to keep members of the local business community informed regarding advocacy issues at the local, provincial and national levels. Get involved to inspire positive change!
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Local Advocacy Initiatives

Aurora Chamber Advocacy Committee Report
ACOC Advocacy Committee Update 

The Advocacy Committee continues to participate in activities of interest to Aurora businesses.

I attended MP Kyle Peterson's federal funding announcement for energy efficient equipment Advocacy Committee at the Aurora Community Centre at the end of June.

In July, York Region was seeking input from the Chamber into a number of options related to approval of the Retail Business Holidays Act. The Advocacy Committee endorses allowing retail businesses to open on any public holiday except those prohibited by Regional Council, and asked for more time to consult with businesses in Aurora in addition to understanding what consultation had been undertaken by the Region. Regional staff plan to take a report to Regional Council in October 2017. Stay tuned!

Finally, the Advocacy Committee participated in a survey on the Fair Workplaces Act, contributing to the Ontario Chamber of Commerce Economic Impact Analysis on the Act. Please read the OCC's Economic Impact Analysis to learn more.

Sincerely,
Vicky McGrath , 
Chair, Aurora Chamber of Commerce Advocacy Committee
What's Holding Your Business Back? 
As the largest and most influential business association in Aurora, we are the voice of our members and the Aurora business community.

We bring Aurora business issues to the forefront and we work to create positive change.

If you are a member of the local business community and have a concern about something affecting your business, contact the Chamber to share your issue. We stand up for all Aurora businesses!

Provincial Advocacy Initiatives & News

Advocacy Initiatives from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC)
CANCEA’s Full Economic Impact Analysis of Bill 148

On Monday, August 14, the Keep Ontario Working (KOW) group released the first and only independent economic impact analysis of Bill 148 , the Fair Workplaces Better Jobs Act.

Conducted by the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis ( CANCEA ), the study revealed that if the legislation is implemented as currently drafted, there will be significant, sudden and sizable uncertainty for Ontario jobs, economy and communities.

The study concludes that these vast, unprecedented reforms will put about 185,000 jobs at risk in the first two years, greatly impacting Ontario’s most vulnerable workers.

CANCEA was commissioned by the KOW coalition to measure the potential impacts of six key areas of change in Bill 148, including changes to minimum wages, “equal pay” provisions, vacation, scheduling, personal emergency leave (PEL) and unionization.

Data from the economic impact analysis shows :

  • $23 billion hit to business over the next two years alone;
  • 185,000 Ontario jobs will be at immediate risk over the next two years;
  • 30,000 of the jobs at risk are youth under 25;
  • 96,000 employees at risk are expected to be women;
  • 50 per cent increase to inflation for this year and the foreseeable future. The cost of everyday consumer goods and services will go up by $1,300 per household on average each and every year;
  • The Ontario government would need to borrow $440 million more to cover the increases in new costs from this legislation. If the government were to provide offsets to businesses, as they have indicated, the province’s treasury will take a bigger hit;
  • Municipalities will be forced to increase employee wages by $500 million without additional offsetting revenues.

For more details on the economic analysis, visit keepontarioworking.ca
Fair Workplaces Act - What’s the Impact?

To assist our members, a townhall discussion for business owners and operators has been organized in partnership with local chambers of commerce and boards of trade to provide insight into the potential implications of Bill 148 .

Northern York Region Townhall
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Newmarket Community Centre
200 Doug Duncan Drive, Newmarket
8:30am to 10:30am

The event will focus on clarifying provisions of the Act as well as the resulting economic impact and will be used to collect feedback to help frame the conversation around this legislation. 

NOTE : This is a members-only event. Please register in advance.
NAFTA: Open Letter to Minister Freeland

On July 18, the OCC sent an open letter to Chrystia Freeland supporting the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s submission to the NAFTA Negotiating Team at Global Affairs Canada. While the renegotiation of NAFTA will be a complex undertaking, the OCC echoes the sentiment of the CCC that this negotiation should be regarded as an opportunity to bring the agreement into the 21st century so that it better reflects the way we do business today. 

National Advocacy Initiatives & News

Advocacy Initiatives from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC)
Infrastructure Spending — Real Bang for the Buck!

One of the Canadian Chamber's pet peeves is when governments talk about infrastructure investment purely in terms of how many billions they’re spending, often with few details about what the infrastructure is trying to achieve.

That’s why, last month, we released a report called Stuck in Traffic for 10,000 Years: Canadian Problems that Infrastructure Can Solve . This report talks about what we get out of infrastructure, rather than just asking how much money is going in.

 In this edition of 5 Minutes for Business , Hendrik Brakel, CCC Senior Director, Economic, Financial and Tax Policy, outlines three priority areas for infrastructure investment that would give Canada a real bang for its buck.
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Aurora Chamber of Commerce | Phone: 905-727-7262 | Fax: 905-841-6217 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.aurorachamber.on.ca

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