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Meet the 2021 Business Excellence Award Winners

Meet the 2021 Business Excellence Award Winners

BURLINGTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RECOGNIZES AND CELEBRATES BURLINGTON ORGANIZATIONS FOR THEIR COMMITMENT AND INSPIRATION TO THE COMMUNITY DURING A CHALLENGING YEAR

Burlington, Ontario (June 25, 2021) – The Burlington Chamber of Commerce presented its 2021 Business Excellence Awards and 2020 Distinguished Entrepreneur virtual evening of inspiration on June 24, 2021 recognizing leadership and innovation within the community. More than 300 delegates joined hosts Layne, The Auctionista and Carla Y. Nell, President and CEO of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the 2020 Distinguished Entrepreneur, Kenna Danyliw, alongside the organizations in Burlington that embraced the pressures and uncertainty of the pandemic and supported their customers and community amidst a very challenging year.

“The gala is a long-standing, time-honoured tradition in Burlington. As a strong, vibrant community, it is so important for us to pause and recognize and celebrate the organizations that have inspired all of us throughout the pandemic,” says Nell. “We were pleased to be able to move forward again with our flagship event this year despite not being able to host in person. The priority for this event was to not only adapt to the changing landscape that COVID-19 has brought on but to showcase business excellence while at the same time reinvesting in our community and local economy. Congratulations to all of our finalists and award winners and to our 2020 Distinguished Entrepreneur, Kenna Danyliw!”

This year, the Business Awards Task Force Committee was tasked with the challenge of presenting five Awards of Excellence. The 13 finalists were evaluated based on the following criteria: Adaptation, Community Contribution and Impact, Innovation and Ingenuity, and Leadership. Among the finalists, three for-profit companies, one not-for-profit organization and a special Legacy Award recognizing an organization demonstrating outstanding success in Burlington were selected.

The Burlington Chamber of Commerce’s 2021 Business Excellence Awards Winners are:

Not-for-profit:
Sound of Music

For-Profit:
Aslan Technologies Inc.
Fast Stitch
Supreme Cheerleading

Legacy Award:
Hunter Amenities

The Mayor’s Community Service and Burlington Economic Development Award Winners who were also honoured at the Gala are:

Mayor’s Community Service Awards | Not-for-profit:
St. Matthew on-the-Plains

Mayor’s Community Service Awards | For-profit:
Mending the Chasm

Burlington Economic Development | Excellence in Innovation and Technology – Small:
IRIS R&D Group Inc.

Burlington Economic Development | Excellence in Innovation and Technology – Large:
Gerrie Electric Wholesale Limited

Burlington Economic Development | Excellence in Global Business:
Endress+Hauser Canada Ltd.

Visit burlingtonchamber.com for more about the award winners and their stories of inspiration.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to support and reinvest in our business community, ticket holders were given exclusive access to the live, interactive event production through tiered tickets to ensure that attendees could participate at different price points. As a part of the gala experience, ticket holders had the options of choosing a three-course meal and gift bags showcasing a broad array of products from Chamber members and the broader business.

A special thank you to event sponsors and all who attended this one-of-a-kind experience! It was wonderful to take advantage of this opportunity to celebrate excellence and leadership despite not being able to connect in person. Sincere congratulations to our 2021 Business Excellence Award Winners and the 2020 Distinguished Entrepreneur, Kenna Danyliw!

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Media Contact

Corinne Radake
corinne@burlingtonchamber.com
Director, Stakeholder Relations and Policy

 

Rapid Antigen Screening Kits now available to Burlington businesses

Rapid Antigen Screening Kits now available to Burlington businesses

May, 21, 2021 – Burlington, ON –The Burlington Chamber of Commerce and its partners at Burlington Economic Development and the City of Burlington are pleased to provide free COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Screening Kits to small and medium-sized businesses in Burlington as part of the COVID-19 Rapid Screening Initiative. This initiative was launched by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, as well as the provincial and federal governments. The rapid test kits will be available to businesses with less than 150 employees in Burlington at no cost. The goal of the program is to identify asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic individuals to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace and throughout the community.

Supported by Team Burlington, the Burlington Chamber of Commerce and Burlington Economic Development have partnered with the City of Burlington to ensure that a safe and seamless testing program can be made available to interested businesses. The Rapid Antigen Screening program launches Wednesday, May 26 and will provide vital support to the Burlington business community. These rapid tests paired with existing health and safety measures will give businesses an added layer of support as they navigate COVID-19.

The kits will be available for pick-up, by appointment only. The tests will be administered by a representative of each participating company who will be responsible for supervising the self-screening process. If a test comes back positive, that employee is required to immediately leave the workplace and notify public health to arrange for a PCR Test and await further instructions from Halton Region Public Health.

Burlington businesses with less than 150 employees can learn more about the program by following the link below.

QUOTES

Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward

“Rapid Antigen Screening is another key way we can help keep businesses open and support other local shops in their re-opening. It’s critical that we use every tool we have to stop the spread of COVID-19 and rapid testing can help catch cases before they have time to spread in our community. Health and safety is our top priority and this screening program will benefit our local businesses, their employees and customers, and our community at large.”

Carla Y. Nell, President & CEO, Burlington Chamber of Commerce

“The Burlington Chamber of Commerce is so pleased to be able to launch the Rapid Antigen Screening program in Burlington. This is an important tool that Burlington businesses can use to help detect and slow the spread of COVID-19, which is key to our economic recovery. We’re so grateful to our Team Burlington partners who have stepped up to assist in pulling this program together to make it a reality for Burlington businesses.”

Anita Cassidy, Executive Director, Burlington Economic Development

“Team Burlington’s goal has always been to support our business community in any way we can. Our business community has been asking for rapid tests and we are excited to be rolling out this program in Burlington. Our partners at the City of Burlington, including Mayor Meed Ward and Council, have been huge cheerleaders for this initiative fully supporting its facilitation from start to finish. Keeping business open safely will help Burlington get on the path to economic recovery faster.”

MEDIA CONTACT

Corinne Radake
Director, Stakeholder Relations and Policy
corinne@burlingtonchamber.com

2021 Business Excellence Awards

2021 Business Excellence Awards

Building on the overwhelming success of the 2020 virtual gala and honouring the tradition of celebrating business excellence, the Burlington Chamber of Commerce has combined the 2020 Distinguished Entrepreneur Dinner with this year’s Business Excellence Awards to bring you one special evening of inspiration on June 24, 2021, at 6:30 pm.

Join us as we honour Distinguished Entrepreneur, Kenna Danyliw, President/CEO, Founding Partner, Danyliw & Mann Professional Corporation, and her accomplishments in her industry alongside many organizations in Burlington that have embraced the pressures and uncertainty of the pandemic to meet the needs of their customers and the community during a very challenging year. Celebrate their achievements and show your support for the organizations that exceeded expectations and brought us all together to strengthen and redefine our sense of community and shared connection.

Thank you to our Staycation Prize Package Sponsors

Valued at $1,200 featuring luxurious offerings and services from local businesses with no limits on purchases. 

With Virtual Performances By

Sarah McLachlan

The Barenaked Ladies

Thank You to our Chamber Member Caterers

2021 Burlington Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards Finalists

Congratulations to this year’s finalists! While the list of finalists is public, the winners will be announced at the 2021 Business Excellence Awards on June 24.

Kenna Danyliw, 2020 Distinguished Entrepreneur

Kenna is the President / CEO and founding partner of Danyliw & Mann, a boutique firm that specializes in providing business management, tax and accounting services to the music industry.  The business started 15 years ago in the spare bedroom of her family’s home while she had two young daughters, a stepson and one very supportive husband.  

Read more

Danyliw & Mann has grown out of that bedroom and into one of the leading Canadian firms in the industry and represents several Juno and Grammy award-winning or nominated artists across Canada, the United States and beyond.  Kenna is a CPA, CA who started her career with Coopers & Lybrand and also worked with Laidlaw and PricewaterhouseCoopers before founding Danyliw & Mann. Kenna and her family are Burlington residents who have lived in the community for 20 years.  Kenna is the Treasurer on the Sarah McLachlan Foundation board, is the former Vice-Chair of the Art Gallery of Burlington Board of Directors, is a new member of the Hamilton Community Foundation’s Women4Change group, is a member of the JR Digs Acoustic Christmas organizing committee, volunteers services for The Avril Lavigne Foundation and was on the board of the Southern Ontario Chamber Music Institute and Planned Parenthood Hamilton.

Aslan Technologies

Aslan Technologies, established in 1992, is a global design and manufacturing company located in Burlington and the Silicon Valley for cleantech solutions. Aslan offers innovation in water and energy management through sustainable manufacturing, integrated fabrication services and private labelling in partnership with investors and leading technology developers in different industrial sectors, academic institutions, and research centres.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions and barriers to business development at Aslan Technologies were affected. Acting quickly, all marketing and business development activities were turned into digitized services, virtual meetings and conferences. Aslan decided “not to waste a good crisis” and began thinking outside of the box. They shifted markets and began developing submarkets looking to water, wastewater treatment and supporting cleantech industries as they emerge to solve environmental problems. They are currently working in the biosolid field to keep waste out of landfill and turning waste into energy.

Learn more aslantech.ca/

Burlington Food Bank

The Burlington Food Bank is committed to ensuring that no one in Burlington struggles with hunger. Their mission is to provide nutritious food to the hungry in our community in a dignified and timely manner.

Burlington Food Bank does that by:

  • Providing emergency food to Burlington residents
  • Providing vital information to families struggling with finances
  • Supplementing fresh produce by growing their own vegetables in our community gardens
  • Extending their reach across Burlington through the generosity of corporate donors
  • Assisting local agencies to meet the food needs they have in providing for their clients

During the COVID-19 pandemic, they quickly transitioned from a shopping model where clients were able to come in and pick out their own groceries to a contactless, confidential delivery model to anyone in Burlington that self identifies their need for assistance. They have seen a dramatic increase of 40 per cent usage of their Food Bank over 2019 and were able to rise to the challenge of implementing their new delivery model and accommodated up to 50 families in one morning.

There was a dramatic rise of 50 per cent of clients served last year who had never used their services. They quicky realized how difficult it can be to ask for help and have assured our community that they are there for those who need help under difficult circumstances.

Learn more burlingtonfoodbank.ca

Burlington Sound of Music Festival

What do you do when you have 157 acts booked across multiple venues in Burlington with booked vendors and suppliers and a pandemic hits? For the first time in 43 years, Sound of Music was forced to cancel its festival – one of the first to make its announcement much to the dismay of its many fans. Sound of Music has been bringing music to Burlington since 1980. Its dedicated team pulled together and focused on what they could do rather than what they couldn’t do, and how it could support the community and the live music industry.

Despite a significant financial loss during the year, Sound of Music shifted to offer Sound of Music At Home comprised of an artists series offered for free, as well as an education series, an industry summit all featuring top talent performing “crash rhythm” guitar, drumming, beatboxing and vocals, a songwriting workshop. Sound of Music became more than Canada’s largest free music festival – but a creative gathering and music hub for people around the world. Sound of Music’s innovation garnered more than 500,000 social media followers and 5,000 podcast subscribers. The pandemic of 2020 created an incredibly successful experience that was truly barrier-free and accessible for all around the world.

Learn more soundofmusic.ca

Dare To Be Youth Charity

Dare to be Youth (DTBY) is a grassroots for-purpose organization that empowers young adults ages 17-24 in Halton and Hamilton to unlock their potential. Driven by mentorship and leadership initiatives, DTBY is dedicated to supporting young adults and empowering personal growth and self-discovery to create a community of future leaders that inspire change.

At the onset of the pandemic, DTBY pivoted to online Zoom meetings and prioritized youth connection and empowerment, building life skills and connections during this unprecedented time. When so many youth wellness programs closed down due to the pandemic, DTBY shifted to be a positive resource for youth, recognizing the need to support young adults this past year more than ever.

Their various programs help young adults develop mental wellness, resiliency and confidence. These workshops offer engaging activities and reflective exercises focused on several priority areas including authenticity, self-awareness, trust, resilience and community integration. Their programs provide further opportunities for their workshop graduates to apply their learning from being mentees to now becoming mentors through peer-led initiatives, and to engage in meaningful community service.

Learn more www.dtby.ca

Fast Stitch

Fast Stitch has been a leading tailor in Burlington for more than 10 years. This small, family-run business has made a name for itself through quality craftsmanship, attention to detail, quick turnaround times, and the personal care provided by a close family team.

During the pandemic, they were forced to shut their doors during lockdowns, however, they quickly pulled together as a family and leveraged their knowledge of using masks from their South Korean roots and began deploying their industrial machines to create masks. To date, they have shipped more than 13,000 masks to organizations in Burlington including the Burlington Food Bank and Burlington Performing Arts Centre as well as long-term care homes and auto manufacturers.  They overcame several challenges that they had never had to face including launching an online shop for the first time, purchasing fabrics without physically seeing them, creating a custom design, securing materials in high demand, adapting to evolving public health guidance on masks and answering hundreds of inquiries from customers who were not familiar with masks at the beginning of the pandemic.

Pulled together as a family. Leveraged their knowledge of masks from South Korean roots where masks have been commonplace for many years allowing them to be first to market before Government guidance on masks was available.

Learn more faststitch.wordpress.com/about/

Food for Life

Since 1995, Food for Life has rescued more than 26 million pounds of food by collecting surplus perishable food (fruit and vegetables, dairy, meat and prepared foods) from both retail and wholesale food suppliers and grocery stores. Food for Life is the largest food rescue organization in Halton and Hamilton.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Food for Life re-modelled its strategic plan, doubled its staff and pivoted its operations and programs ensuring it was able to continue to provide good food to the community – all within three days. Previously run out of church basements, Food For Life completely transformed its operating model by offering a drive-through program to an expanded number of families every Wednesday. Operating as a food broker, Food for Life worked with local restaurants to distribute surplus food that is not sold at the end of the day and work with restaurant networks to secure additional food where possible. Food for Life estimates that they have distributed a stunning four million pounds of food this year alone.

Learn more foodforlife.ca

Hunter Amenities

Celebrating its 40th year in business, Hunter Amenities is a global supplier of guest amenities providing a range of products from distinctive hotel amenities to luxurious spa and retail collections. At its peak, Hunter Amenities sales were topping $10 – $12 million a month. When the pandemic hit, the travel and tourism industry was greatly impacted and as a result, sales at Hunter Amenities plummeted to a mere $300,000 a month forcing layoffs of more than 200 employees. Very quickly, Hunter Amenities reinvented themselves to supply one of the pandemic’s most sought after products – hand sanitizer. Working with a very lean crew, they retooled 10 – 12 machines that would have otherwise been obsolete to produce hand sanitizer. They introduced personal protective equipment kits for the hospitality industry supplying hotels and others with sanitizer, wipes, gloves, masks – to improve safety and boost confidence for their clients. But their ultimate goal was to get everyone back to work. Within 45 days they were able to hire back those employees who were laid off, and as travel and tourism improves globally, Hunter Amenities has seen sales grow back to 60% of its original forecast. Hunter Amenities credits its success and perseverance due to the long-lasting relationships created with suppliers, hoteliers and retailers. Many of its partners and employees today have been with Hunter for more than 30 years and are considered family.

Learn more at hunteramenities.com

Joseph Tassoni
Joe Apps Technology

When the pandemic hit, many of Burlington’s workforce found themselves working from home. Technology took on a new meaning for many who found themselves trying to navigate their wifi set up, computer security, virtual meeting platforms and computer desk ergonomics. Joe Apps Technology was quick to come to their clients’ rescue and ramped up their services to ensure that clients could operate remotely, safely and effectively.

To substitute for in-home services, Joe Apps Technology implemented a “Client take-out window” where a technician could safely assist those clients that required a more hands-on approach. Not surprisingly, Joe Apps Technology was able to successfully grow the business increasing their web and application development from 5% to 25% of their business, acquiring a retiring IT company and expanding the business to a larger facility. Through it all, Joe Apps Technology has also supported Burlington not-for-profit organizations such as Halton Women’s Place, Burlington Soccer Club, Dare to Be You and Food4Kids.

Learn more joeapps.ca

Stratus Building Solutions

Stratus Building Solutions is the industry-leading franchise in green commercial cleaning. In an ever-increasing health and environmentally conscious consumer market, the demand for green cleaning services puts Stratus at the forefront of the competition. As a standard, Stratus franchisees use state-of-the-art cleaning equipment, sustainable processes and Green Seal Certified, biodegradable and non-toxic branded cleaning chemicals. With customizable cleaning options and competitive rates, Stratus Building Solutions franchisees provide services to a large range of clients, from schools, medical offices, shopping centres, warehouses, dealerships, religious centres, professional offices, daycares, retail stores, gyms and more.
As an essential service, Stratus has been able to continue operating and in fact, acquired and spun off franchises during the pandemic. Diversity and inclusion are important at Stratus Building Solutions and 70 per cent of their franchisees are new immigrants to Canada.

Businesses and organizations need cleaning services more than ever due to the pandemic which may be the new normal moving forward. Through training and support, their staff have elevated their cleaning protocols and disinfecting services to ensure that the Burlington community and Burlington businesses can enter safe workspaces.

Learn more stratusclean.com

Supreme Cheerleading Inc.

Supreme Cheerleading began operations in 2011 teaching cheer and tumbling to children and youth 3 – 18 years old. In March 2020, Supreme Cheerleading had just moved to a new 10,000 square foot facility to continue its operations when the pandemic hit. Faced with lockdowns, Supreme Cheerleading was forced to shut down for two weeks while it developed a new strategy that would enable it to continue to offer its programming to its “families”.

Recognizing the importance in keeping children and youth mentally and physically active, Supreme Cheerleading focused its energy on developing ways that it could keep its families moving and active. Connecting with parents, they welcomed suggestions on how this might be achieved and worked together with their team coaches to develop online programming that they offered to free of charge to their families. Making use of subsidies available to them, Supreme Cheerleading installed a camera system for parents to watch their children. Successfully, Supreme Cheerleading was able to continue to offer much needed services to its families throughout the pandemic.

Learn more supremecheerleading.com

Wellington Square Friday Night Community

In this time of fear and uncertainty, Wellington Square believes that compassion is as important as ever. As a community, they are choosing to share what we have with those around us who may be scared, hungry and alone.

The Friday Community Meal Bag Program provides meals to people who are isolating or unable to go to the grocery store or make their own food through delivery options or pick up. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the regular Friday Night Community Meal for 250 people was reimagined to a take-home meal program as gathering indoors was not permitted.

The need for ready-made meals due to the pandemic has been overwhelming with meal requests increasing 1000 per cent to 1,200 meal bags per week. While it has been challenging to manage the uptake of the program, Wellington Square has remained resilient and found ways to persevere through community partners and outreach for volunteer assistance.

Thanks to the support of COVID-19 support programs, the Burlington Foundation, Second Harvest, and Halton Region, they have received numerous grants and corporate partner donations that have offset costs ensuring the program can be successful.

Learn more www.wsquare.ca/outreach/meal-bag-program/

W.H Kingsmill Ltd

W.H Kingsmill Ltd. is a leading manufacturer of high temperature dry fluorescent leak detection powder, used to test for leaks in fabric filter dust collection systems in both new installments, as well as regular maintenance.

Like all businesses, the pandemic had a serious impact on W.H Kingsmill’s supply chain and its pricing.  With limited suppliers in the market, W.H Kingsmill adjusted its production based on customer demand and supplies that were available at the time. This has a significant impact on operations given that prices of supplies increased exponentially but were not passed on to customers due to existing contracts. Fortunately, W.H Kingsmill was able to maintain its full staffing complement making good use of government support programs that were offered during the pandemic. To ensure its staff safety, W.H Kingsmill changed its staffing model to shifts so that employees could maintain social distances and limit interaction, while office staff worked from home. 

Learn more www.whkingsmill.com

2021 Burlington Partner Awards

Mayor's Community Service Awards
Mayor’s Community Service | For Profit

Mayor’s Community Service | Not for Profit

Burlington Economic Development Awards
Burlington Economic Development – Excellence in Global Business Award

Burlington Economic Development – Excellence in Innovation and Technology – Small

Burlington Economic Development – Excellence in Innovation and Technology – Large

2021 Business Excellence Awards Sponsors

Sponsorship opportunities are available! Please contact ashlee@ourforte.ca to become a sponsor and help recognize Business Excellence in our Burlington community.

Presenting Sponsor
Platinum Sponsor
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Silver Sponsors

2020 Distinguished Entrepreneur

Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors

2020 Distinguished Entrepreneur

Silver Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Silver Sponsors

2020 Distinguished Entrepreneur

Silver Sponsors

2020 Distinguished Entrepreneur

2020 Distinguished Entrepreneur

Silver Sponsors

2020 Distinguished Entrepreneur

In-Kind Sponsor

Tech Sponsor

Gift Bag Sponsors

Silver Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Silver Sponsors

Dessert Sponsor

Silver Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Burlington Chamber of Commerce Receives the Ontario Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Advocacy Award

Burlington Chamber of Commerce Receives the Ontario Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Advocacy Award

(May 4, 2021, Burlington, Ontario) Today, the Burlington Chamber of Commerce was presented with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Advocacy Award along with the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce for its joint advocacy work on modernizing Ontario’s property tax system. Burlington Chamber President and CEO, Carla Y. Nell and Sault Ste. Marie Chamber CEO, Rory Ring, accepted the award virtually during the Ontario Chamber’s Annual General Meeting and Convention.

“I’m so pleased that we have been recognized for our efforts by our peers at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce for the significant work that was done to drive discussions for change at the provincial and municipal levels of government,” said Nell. “We’ve made some incredible headway in advancing the transformation of Ontario’s tax system, but there is still work to be done, and we are committed to continuing to move this forward as communities across Ontario begin to recover from the pandemic and look for strategies to support their economic prosperity.”

Last year, the Burlington and Sault Ste. Marie Chambers submitted a resolution to the Ontario Chamber of Commerce that was approved unanimously and advanced to the Ontario government for consideration. As a result, the 2020 Ontario budget implemented a number of changes reflected in the resolution including:

  • Significant reductions in business education tax rates across the province;
  • A moratorium on province-wide reassessment for 2021 with the next revaluation date for all property to be determined in future;
  • The creation of a new optional subclass for small commercial properties to allow municipalities to target relief to businesses with a commitment on the part of the Province to match eligible property tax reductions; and
  • A commitment to future changes to property valuation methodologies to protect areas undergoing redevelopment and to provide stability and fairness for other complex property types.

At the local level, the Province’s budget announcements led to a series of activities that would see municipalities also offering property tax relief to aid businesses and residents in managing through the immediate hardship brought on by the pandemic, while committing to working towards a modernized property tax system that will better accommodate the needs of municipalities across Ontario into the future.

Many municipalities throughout Ontario have implemented property tax deferral programs enabling businesses to take advantage of at least one financial tool to aid in providing immediate financial relief due to the pandemic.

“I’m incredibly grateful to the Chamber’s Board of Directors and members of our Political Action Committee, as well as Chamber staff who made this award possible. Equally important, I am encouraged by the property tax changes that were implemented and optimistic about the future of modernizing our property tax system in Ontario,” says Nell.

Ontario’s property tax system has not been fully reviewed since the new Ontario Fair Assessment System (OFAS) was first introduced by the former Harris government approximately 25 years ago. Since that time, significant changes have occurred across Ontario’s economic landscape influencing global and local competitiveness and fundamentally altering traditional economic paradigms. This trend has been further compounded by increasing demands placed on municipalities as they are confronted with challenges, such as social housing, the opioid crisis, climate change, rapidly evolving technology, and the growing infrastructure deficit. As the principal source of funding for local government, Ontario’s property tax system requires a significant re-evaluation through the lenses of modernization, ensuring competitiveness, transparency, and stability to ensure fair and equitable property tax treatment for the future.

Media Contact

Corinne Radake
Director, Stakeholder Relations and Policy
corinne@burlingtonchamber.com

 

Ontario Chamber and Burlington Chamber Call for Accelerated Vaccine Roll-out with Prioritization of Essential Workers to Expedite Safe Reopening of Ontario’s Economy

Ontario Chamber and Burlington Chamber Call for Accelerated Vaccine Roll-out with Prioritization of Essential Workers to Expedite Safe Reopening of Ontario’s Economy

No Easy On & Off Switch for Business: Recent Closures Devastating for Business Community

(Toronto – April 7, 2021) – Today, Carla Y. Nell, President and CEO of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce and Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce released the following statement in reaction to further restrictions announced today:

“Ultimately, we want to see a safe and sustainable opening of Ontario’s economy. Closures buy us time at a high cost to business, our economy, as well as the mental and the long-term health of Ontarians. We recognize the restrictions brought in today are to help save lives and curtail the spread of the virus. However, in absence of further supports, new restrictions will simply devastate Ontario’s business community.

“An expedited vaccine roll-out prioritizing essential workers who cannot work from home is critical to preventing these stops and starts that are so damaging for business. With the Ontario Business Support Grant coming to a close, we call for continued supports that will see businesses through the third wave of the crisis,” said Carla Y. Nell, President and CEO, Burlington Chamber of Commerce.

“We call on all levels of government to work together to accelerate vaccinating Ontarians, so we can fully reopen the province. As the Government of Ontario proceeds with Phase 2 of the rollout, we would like to see the earlier prioritization of essential workers who cannot work from home and are most vulnerable and at risk.

“The Ontario Chamber’s Ontario Vaccination Support Council members are ready, willing, and able to support and accelerate local vaccine deployment efforts. As supply ramps up, we need an all-hands-on deck approach from Ontario’s business community, labour, associations and academia to move these vaccines from freezers to arms as quickly as possible. From vaccine facilities and centres to volunteers to donations to support ride programs, we truly see Council members stepping up to make a difference.” – Rocco Rossi, President and CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce

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Media Contact

Corinne Radake
Director, Stakeholder Relations & Policy
corinne@burlingtonchamber.com