|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|||
|
|
|||
ABOUT MEMBERSHIP Education
EVENTS
Business After 5 
|
2006 ADVOCACY WORK
PRE-BUDGET CONSULTATION - November 3, 2006
On November 3, Chamber President Keith Hoey took part in a pre-budget discussion session hosted by Greg Sorbara, Minister of Finance for the Province of Ontario. The purpose of the meeting was "to meet with stakeholders and experts to discuss the province's financial situation and to seek advice on the strategies the government should pursue to achieve results that matter to Ontarians." In attendance were many special interest groups from Burlington and the surrounding area. The Burlington Chamber urged the Minister to stimulate economic development by lowering corporate and personal income taxes, accelerate the plan to eliminate capital taxes, improve traffic infrastructure and work closely with the Ontario Chamber to emphasize the impacts of the fiscal imbalance on business. For more information on the Province's Town Hall meetings, visit the Pre-Budget Consultation website of the Government of Ontario.
MAYORAL CANDIDATES MEETING - October 18
MUNICIPAL ELECTION PLANS - November 2006
Municipal elections were held on November 13. The Chamber will helped to provide you with information to help you make a voting decision that is good for you and your business. First, there was the Mayoral Candidates Meeting on October 18. Then, once all the candidates for council were registered (the deadline was September 29) we sent all candidates a list of questions. The answers have been posted on the Chambers Hot Topics web page.
CANADIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CONVENTION - September 2006
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce held its annual general meeting in Saskatoon on September 16 to 18, 2006. The Burlington Chamber was represented by John Doyle (Board Chair) and Keith Hoey (President). The convention was attended by 221 delegates representing Chambers and Boards of Trade from all regions of Canada. The main purpose of the convention was a series of votes by the general membership on Canadian Chamber policy resolutions. All of the adopted resolutions that were voted on can be viewed at the CCC's policy resolutions web page. In all, a total of 58 resolutions were voted on by the general membership. Of these, 49 were adopted, four were defeated, three were withdrawn and two were referred to the CCC Board of Directors. Details can be found at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce website. A popular part of the convention is the Canadian Chambers Competition. The 2006 competition theme was "Best Communications Project" and the Burlington Chamber of Commerce was the gold medal winner.
ONTARIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CONFERENCE - May 6, 2006
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce held its annual conference in Hamilton on May 5 to May 7. The Burlington Chamber was represented by John Doyle (Chair, Board of Directors), Rosalene Phillips (Vice Chair) and Keith Hoey (President). The function of the conference was two-fold. The first portion was an Annual General Meeting which saw the election of new directors of the OCC, approving the OCC's budget and approving a new auditor. The second portion of the conference was a plenary session where the general membership voted on 39 policy resolutions. In all, 35 resolutions were adopted, one was defeated and three were tabled to the OCC board.
Of particular interest to Burlington Chamber members were the resolutions submitted by Burlington Chamber: the Health Care Funding Resolution and the New Highway Construction Resolution. The Health Care Funding Formula resolution was approved by the OCC general membership. This resolution is now official OCC policy. This means the OCC will lobby the provincial government to meet the recommendations of this resolution. Click here to read the Health Care Funding resolution. The Burlington Chamber also submitted a resolution on New Highway Construction. While the intent of the resolution was generally supported by the membership, it was felt that the wording of the resolution needed to be modified to address specific issues. The resolution was tabled to the Board; this means the Burlington Chamber will now work with the OCC to finalize the wording of the resolution. Click here to read the current draft of the New Highway Resolution.
You can read all of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce 2006 adopted resolutions.
MEETING WITH TREASURY BOARD PRESIDENT - April 17, 2006
FEDERAL PRE-BUDGET CONSULTATION - April 12, 2006
After giving the throne speech, the federal government undertook a pre-budget consultation process. The process was open to all who wanted to participate. The Chamber encouraged members to participate by providing a link in its April 12 eNews to all members. In addition, the Burlington Chamber has written directly to Finance Canada outlining business priorities for the 2006 budget and beyond. Among other things, the letter urges the federal government to reduce the general corporate income tax rate to 20%, support elimination of the capital tax in 2006 and reduce the small business tax rate to 11%. Click here to read the letter.
BUSINESS FORUM WITH MIKE WALLACE M.P. - March 28, 2006
PROVINCIAL BUDGET - March 24, 2006
The Ontario Government released its 2006 budget yesterday. Key business issues include: quickening the elimination of the capital tax, investing in our next generation workforce and creating a Greater Toronto Transportation Authority -- something the Burlington Chamber has been advocating for years. We are pleased that the budget identifies $27 million for International Medical Graduate training, supporting the Burlington Chamber's recent Doctor Shortage Resolution. Read the details of the Ontario Chamber's budget summary in the OCC Policy Matrix. You can also read details on the Government's Budget web page.
FAMILY HEALTH UNIT - February 2006
At the February meeting, the Chamber's Health Committee met with Dr. Adam Grezslo to discuss the possibility of a Family Health Unit (FHU) being established in Burlington. The FHU would be both a teaching and a practicing medical centre. The Chamber has drafted a letter of support that Dr. Grezslo will present in his discussions with the province and McMaster University. It is hoped that the FHU will be located with the new DeGroote School of Business facility that this planned for Burlington.
ALL CANDIDATES MEETING - January 10, 2006
With the federal election looming, the Political Action Committee of the Chamber hosted an All Candidates Meeting. Candidates from all four parties in the Burlington riding took part. The format for the breakfast meeting was a question and answer session with questions coming from the floor and from members of the Chamber's two policy committees (Political Action and Health). Rick Burgess, Board Chair of the Chamber, moderated the session which provided an excellent, controlled opportunity for Chamber members to ask the candidates about Burlington business issues. Topics raised by the audience varied from business taxes, to education, transit, culture, health care and the judiciary system. To see how each of the federal parties compare on business issues, look at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce party policy matrix and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce party policy matrix. You can also see how each party scores on CCC priorities on the Canadian Chamber's party policy scorecard.
|
|
|||
Copyright © 2004. All Rights Reserved. Web Solutions Provided by
 |
|||||
On
October 18, the Burlington Chamber hosted a Mayoral Candidates Meeting to
give Chamber members and business leaders the opportunity to ask the
candidates questions about business and community issues. The format
of the meeting was a controlled question and answer session
facilitated by Chamber Vice Chair Rosalene Phillips. Questions came
from attendees and the Chamber's 
On April 17, the
Chamber of Commerce partnered with Mike Wallace, M.P. to host an
information session featuring the Honourable John Baird, President of the
Treasury Board.
The
Burlington Chamber 
