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Canadian Chamber and Government of Canada team up to launch Canadian Business Resilience Network to help businesses get through COVID-19

Canadian Chamber and Government of Canada team up to launch Canadian Business Resilience Network to help businesses get through COVID-19

by | Apr 6, 2020 | Chamber News

This article first appeared on chamber.ca

(OTTAWA, ON) – April 6, 2020 – The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has established the Canadian Business Resilience Network (CBRN) in partnership with the Government of Canada to help the business community prepare, persevere and, ultimately, prosper in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CBRN is a coordinated, business-led, inclusive campaign that will focus on providing businesses the tools they need to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on them, our economy and communities across the country. Its goal is also to help businesses emerge from this crisis and drive Canada’s economic recovery.

The CBRN will:

  • Give tools and supports to businesses in their continuity efforts – from development to implementation.
  • Provide a consistent and reliable flow of accurate and up-to-date information.
  • Work closely with federal government and within the business community to ensure the right supports are in place, and to be a conduit for information from the government to the private sector (and vice versa).
  • Aim to instill confidence in Canadian business and the economy.

The campaign will feature:

  • A standalone website (chamber.ca/resource/cbrn/) that serves as a central hub for credible information, the latest news and insights, tools and resources and as a platform for engaging businesses.
  • Information sharing and awareness building initiatives, including newsletters and webinars.
  • Analysis and reporting on business, industry and economic trends across the country to see what is working and where gaps might exist.

The Canadian Business Resilience Network brings together the Canadian Chamber’s vast network of over 450 local chambers of commerce and boards of trade, along with over 100 of Canada’s leading business and industry associations, including the Business Council of Canada, the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, and Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters. It will also have the support of partners such as Canada Life, Export Development Canada, Grant Thornton LLP, CWB Financial Group and Advertek.

Quotes

“COVID-19 has provided us with an unprecedented challenge, but Canadians are resilient. The Canadian Business Resilience Network is about business and government stepping up together to make sure every Canadian business has the information it needs and a fighting chance to make it through,” said Jackie King, Chief Operating Officer, Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

“We know that Canadian businesses of all sizes are facing incredible economic hardship in these difficult and uncertain times. Our government is taking strong and decisive action to provide them with immediate relief—helping them keep costs low, keep up with their operational costs like rent, and keep Canadians employed. The Canadian Business Resilience Network will support businesses and keep them informed as we navigate this incredible challenge,” said the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade.

“Small- and medium-sized businesses are an integral part of the Canadian economy. We recognize that many businesses are challenged right now and we are wholeheartedly committed to supporting them however we can. This campaign is one way we can do exactly that,” said Jeff Macoun, President and Chief Operating Officer at Canada Life, presenting supporter of the CBRN campaign. “This campaign aligns perfectly with our mission to improve the financial, physical and mental well-being of Canadians, and we’re proud to support it.”

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About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce – Because Business Matters
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce helps build the businesses that support our families, our communities and our country. We do this by influencing government policy, by providing essential business services and by connecting businesses to information they can use, to opportunities for growth and to a network of local chambers, businesses, decision-makers and peers from across the country, in every sector of the economy and at all levels of government, as well as internationally. We are unapologetic in our support for business and the vital role it plays in building and sustaining our great nation.

For more information, please contact:
Phil Taylor, Managing Director of External Communications, at ptaylor@chamber.ca.

Final Report in Social Responsibility Series Examines Tobacco and Vaping Products

Final Report in Social Responsibility Series Examines Tobacco and Vaping Products

by | Dec 20, 2019 | Chamber News

(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.

Read the OCC’s full report, Guiding Policy Principles for Tobacco and Vaping Products, here.