FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JANUARY 30, 2020 BURLINGTON, ONTARIO
Burlington, Ontario (January 30, 2020) – The Burlington Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the 2020 Business Excellence Awards Finalists! The following 21 organizations exemplify leadership and business excellence in our community. The Award nominations are based on criteria that include outstanding business leadership, community involvement, entrepreneurship, environment, employee welfare, innovation and growth.
While the list of finalists is now public, the names of the winners remain a closely guarded secret. The winners will be announced at the virtual 2020 Business Excellence Awards Gala presented by RBC on Tuesday, June 23rd. Please join us in honouring our finalists and celebrating our vibrant business community.
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Media Contact:
Lindsay Stevenson Manager, Strategic Communications and Marketing Burlington Chamber of Commerce lindsay@burlingtonchamber.com 289-208-2844
Get to know our President & CEO Carla Y. Nell on the latest episode of Smartcar Coffee Confidential! Learn about her background, the Burlington Chamber of Commerce’s new direction under her leadership and the value of your Chamber membership.
Burlington Economic Development is pleased to announce the appointment of Anita Cassidy as Executive Director effective January 1, 2020. Anita has been in the role of Acting Executive Director since May 2018 when former Executive Director Frank McKeown retired. Anita has over 15 years of experience in Economic Development delivering results-oriented strategies and programs that drive economic growth. She first joined Burlington Economic Development in 2011 and has since led a number of important projects.
“Since being appointed Chair of Burlington Economic Development I have had a close working relationship with Anita,” said Randy Smallbone, Board Chair of Burlington Economic Development. “I was pleased to be able to recommend to the Board that Anita be given the role of Executive Director. She has proven herself over the last 18 months, in a period of change for the City of Burlington,” Smallbone concluded.
Anita brings a diverse background that includes fundraising, research and stakeholder management, program and project management, strategic planning, non-profit leadership, and finance administration. Anita is multi-lingual, speaking both Italian and French, and has lived and worked in six countries including Scotland, England, Italy, Belgium, USA, and Canada. Anita also holds an MSc in Economic Development from the University of Glasgow.
Since becoming Acting Executive Director, Anita has led Burlington Economic Development to a number of recent successes including the implementation of several of the recommendations resulting from the Mayor’s Red Tape Red Carpet taskforce. She also continues to collaborate with the City of Burlington on the development of a proposed Municipal Development Corporation, which will be under consideration by City Council in 2020. Anita oversaw the continued growth of TechPlace, which is going into its third year of operations this year. It was also under Anita’s leadership that Burlington Economic Development led a successful pitch to Endress + Hauser to build a new 47,000 square foot state-of-the-art customer experience centre in Burlington. The company officially broke ground on the site in August 2019.
In 2020, Burlington Economic Development will undergo a review of its governance structure to determine how to best deliver on the economic development mandate for the city. Anita is looking forward to participating in this process and sees it as a crucial opportunity to check in on the city’s progress toward achieving the economic goals laid out in the City’s 25-year Strategic Plan.
Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward has been on the Burlington Economic Development Board of Directors since Fall 2018. “I’m delighted by the closer bonds between Burlington Economic Development and city staff and council, fostered under Anita’s leadership. She has shown herself to be an enthusiastic and collaborative partner throughout recent initiatives, including the Mayor’s Red Tape Red Carpet task force, taking the lead on implementing several of these.” Mayor Meed Ward continued, “I look forward to continuing to work closely together to deliver on our shared goal of attracting new businesses to Burlington and helping our existing businesses expand.”
Anita has and will continue to make partnership a top priority at Economic Development, working closely with colleagues at the City, Halton Region, Tourism, as well as the Chamber of Commerce and Burlington’s Business Improvement Areas to support economic prosperity in Burlington and across the region.
(Toronto – December 19, 2019) – Yesterday, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) released, Guiding Policy Principles for Tobacco and Vaping Products – the third and final report in a series on social responsibility also covering cannabis and beverage alcohol.
The newly-released report notes that rates of cigarette smoking are declining while vaping rates are rising. It raises questions surrounding the evolving tobacco and vaping landscape, and provides policymakers with a series of recommendations to address both issues well-known to government and emerging areas of concern.
“Transformations in product offerings and consumer habits have led to an environment where both regulation and cessation supports are increasingly out of date,” said Ashley Challinor, Vice President, Policy at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “As tobacco and vaping products evolve, it is imperative that federal and provincial government regulations, taxes, and cessation programs keep pace.”
The report grapples with the challenges raised by the growth in vaping, particularly among young people. With questions still unanswered about the long-term health effects of vaping, the report suggests that policy makers have to quickly catch up.
Guiding Policy Principles for Tobacco and Vaping Products makes 12 recommendations, including:
Developing a research roadmap on vaping in partnership with relevant stakeholders, examining the short- and long-term health risks associated with prolonged vaping, the effects of second-hand aerosol, and vaping’s effectiveness as a smoking cessation device.
Taking action on the persistent challenge of contraband tobacco in Ontario by conducting a feasibility study on Quebec’s approach to tackling contraband—where the province poured more resources into enforcement and saw positive results—to determine whether this approach could be replicated in this province.
Monitoring smoking and vaping rates to identify those demographics most likely to smoke to ensure anti-smoking campaigns and cessation supports are up-to-date, relevant, and effective.
Supporting employers in industries with high smoking rates (such as the trades, transportation and utilities) to introduce cessation supports in the workplace.
“Government will need to work with a range of stakeholders – including public health officials, industry, and First Nations communities – to safeguard public health, combat the contraband market, promote effective and targeted harm reduction strategies, and deter youth consumption,” added Challinor.
Following an extensive consultation process with their membership, the OCC has released its 2020-2025 Strategic Plan: The Indispensable Partner of Business.
Introduction:
We are at a pivotal moment in the history of the chamber of commerce movement. Today’s chamber member doesn’t have the same needs as those of 20 years ago. The pace of change, fueled by technology and new ways of doing business, means that the OCC and our Chamber Network must adapt in order to deliver optimum value to our members.
For more than a century, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has served as the non-partisan, voice of business in the province. Together with 135 member chambers of commerce and boards of trade, we stand up for our 60,000 members and advocate for evidence-based public policies that contribute to a competitive economy and increased prosperity for our communities. The term “business” itself has evolved, reflecting a diverse ecosystem that includes post-secondary institutions and other not-for-profit groups that each play an important role in contributing to Ontario’s competitiveness. Without question, being the “voice of business” is important – but it is only the beginning of our value proposition as chambers. There is much more that we must do to unlock the full potential of the 21st-century chamber movement in Ontario.
Businesses need a partner that is always in their corner. A partner that helps them navigate through daily challenges and connects them to new business opportunities.
(Toronto, December 12, 2019) – Today, Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) released the following statement in response to the passing of Bill 132, the Better for People, Smarter for Business Act.
“As the indispensable partner of business, we support the government’s efforts with Bill 132 to develop a modern regulatory environment that is flexible and easy to navigate, keeping Ontario an attractive place for businesses to invest, grow and create high-quality jobs.”
“Key measures supported by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce in Bill 132 include:
Reducing Red Tape for Drug Manufacturers and Pharmacies by digitizing and streamlining reporting requirements for drug manufacturers and pharmacists. These changes will help bring down administrative costs and help protect the competitiveness of Ontario’s health and life sciences sectors.
Expanding Alcohol Access in International Airports by permitting licenced bars and restaurants in certain commercial airports located after airport security to serve alcohol to customers 24 hours a day. We are pleased to see the Government of Ontario move forward in joining other airports around the world.
Improving the Regulatory Process for Ontario’s Mining Industry by requiring the government to acknowledge mine closure plan amendments within 45 days. This streamlined process will allow clients to merge mining claims and improve business certainty for proponents of the mining industry.
Streamlining Approvals for Ontario’s Forestry Industry by amending the Crown Forest Sustainability Act, 1994 to modernize the approvals process for cutting trees on Crown lands for non-forestry activities like electricity transmission lines and roads to far north communities.
“We look forward to continuing to work with government to improve and modernize Ontario’s regulatory environment.”
