On Monday, March 9 members from the Belleville, Quinte West and Prince Edward County Chambers of Commerce attended 'Advocacy Day', an event coordinated by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce at Queen's Park.
This event provided meetings and personal access with elected officials and senior-level bureaucrats to discuss and share concerns from the 'voice of business' in Ontario.
Attending on behalf of the Belleville Chamber of Commerce was 2nd Vice President, Anthony Callaghan, and Lisa Grills, Membership Development Coordinator.
The day began with a Q&A from the province's first advocate for community opportunities, Jamil Jivani, Special Advisor to the Premier. Jivani identified some of his priorities as jobs, safety in the workplace and education. He spoke passionately about the stigma at play in most public school systems with lower expectations from those students in applied versus university prep programs and the deficit of our students in critical soft skills. Jivani is in consultation in the development of a new 'Poverty Reduction Strategy ' for Ontario, and are looking for feedback on job creation, supports and services, and lowering the cost of living, ultimately making life more affordable. Share your ideas in an
online survey (Deadline Mar. 30) based on your experience as an individual, service provider or as an employer.
Both Anthony and Lisa were guests of MPP Smith for 'Question Period', where the health and welfare of our province was at the forefront, with the escalating challenges of limiting the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
During the reception at the end of our meeting-filled day we were able to meet with Premier Doug Ford, who dropped in to thank the delegates for their attendance. Also addressing the crowd was The Hon. Victor Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Andrea Horvath, Leader of the Official Opposition, NDP of Ontario, Green Party leader Mike Schreiner and John Fraser, former Interim leader of the Liberal party.